Make Adorable Mummy Hot Dogs With This Canned Ingredient

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Creating themed appetizers for Halloween is a fun way to celebrate the holiday, whether the crowd you're serving is young or old. Among the many recipes available for this, mummy hot dogs are a classic, as they are a great finger food for parties. Making fresh pizza dough for the wrapping works, due to its stretchiness, but if you're looking for a quicker option, canned crescent rolls are perfect.

When Daily Meal tasted and ranked six canned crescent roll brands, Immaculate Baking Company had the best butter-and-salt balance, with a pillowy interior and a crispy exterior. You can find this product at grocers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and ShopRite. If it's not available to you, though, Trader Joe's and Walmart's store-brand products are great alternatives.

No matter which brand you choose for your crescent mummy dogs, all you have to do is open the can and unroll the dough into one large rectangle — or a few small rectangles (if you pull it apart at the perforations, in triangle pairs). You'll need to pinch the perforations together, in either case, so that the dough doesn't break apart when you cut it into half-inch strips. To make cutting easier, you can use a stainless steel rolling blade, like this KitchenAid classic pizza wheel on Amazon.

Wrapping hot dogs in strips of canned crescent roll dough is pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of nuances to consider. The first is that cold dough will be easier to handle than warm dough. If your strips are already feeling warm and soft after cutting them, put them in the refrigerator for a little while. And when you're wrapping the dogs, remove only what you need, so that the rest stay cold.

In the meantime, you can prepare the hot dogs. The bold, vibrant flavor and lack of additives in Nathan's Famous made the brand the winner in Daily Meal's ranking of 12 grocery store hot dogs — although the Bar S brand was a surprising runner-up. No matter which brand you choose, they come out of the package wet. And this extra moisture can make it harder for the dough to stick to the meat and could make the dough soggy as it bakes. To avoid that, dry them off with some paper towels. Also, keep in mind that wrapping the dough strips too close together could lead to steam getting trapped between the dough and hot dogs as they bake, creating a soggy texture. Leaving space between the strips will produce not only an authentic mummy appearance, but also crispier results.

When your mummies are ready for baking, lightly spray your cookie sheet with cooking oil or line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Baking them in the oven only takes 12 to 15 minutes, but you can cut that time to less than 10 minutes with an air fryer. Plus, the mummies will have a crispier outer shell with this baking method.

While making mummy hot dogs with crescent roll strips is a simple twist to a simple pigs in a blanket recipe, you can make some adjustments to add flavor and make this Halloween recipe look spooktacular. You could use cheese dogs, for instance, or include slices of various cheeses — like American, cheddar, mozzarella, or pepper jack. For the latter to work, slice the cheese so that it's about the same width as the dogs; then, place one piece on the bottom side of each dog before wrapping.

To add some savory flavor with crunch, sprinkle some everything bagel seasoning over the mummies before you bake or air fry them. Brushing on an egg wash first can help the seasoning stick to the crescent dough, while making the outer layer brown and crispy. Or, use garlic butter with a sprinkle of coarse salt and sesame seeds.

There are several ways to make your crescent mummy hot dogs look even more like their namesake, too. Before wrapping, cut slits into the bottom of each dog to create legs and into the sides (slightly above the middle) to create arms. Weave the dough strips through and around for extra effect. To create eyes, small dots of mustard, ketchup, sriracha, or a combination are easy options. You can take it a step further, though, with dots of cream cheese, mayonnaise, or sour cream (for the eye whites) and black sesame seeds, olive pieces, or a touch of red or yellow condiment (for the irises).