I came up with a pretty cool idea after staring down a simple package of regular ole hotdogs and no hotdog buns, and these new Best Ever Corn Dog Fritters were a smash hit outta the park! WOW were these good!!

I was set to make corndogs that day, when I didn’t even feel like messing with getting the batter to stick to the dog, not to mention the ever so lovingly anticipated adventure of the never-ending hunt through every kitchen cabinet and drawer to find where I hid the wooden skewers last!

Yea. That sucks the fun right out of it.

So, anyways, we had been craving a nice fritter again, and I already had future plans for a completely different one, (coming soon!), when I had an eureka moment and the two thoughts connected!

Why not chop those puppies, and make much easier to fry, and even more fun to eat, “corndog fritters” of sorts? Why not, right? My kitchen. My rules.

I had a good feeling about these from the start, but I had no idea of what a pure TREAT these would turn out to be! Even I was quite shocked and pleased!

And it all started with just plain ole, regular-grade, nothin’ fancy-pants, all-American, Oscar Mayer Wieners!

(Ok, let’s be honest. Am I the only childish one in the room that giggles over the word…”wiener”?)

I don’t know why that word always makes me laugh…I need help.

Anyways…moving on. Quickly.

Since it was just the hubs and I, I didn’t want to make too much, especially if they didn’t turn out! So I used just a half of a package, which for this particular brand was 4 hotdogs, and that worked out to be the perfect ratio to the amount of batter.

Which, by the way, was also convenient because this brand also packages the hotdogs into 2 separate ziplocks of four each! Loving that!

So. I didn’t want to just start chopping into those puppies and end up with an inconsistent mess, so I quartered them lengthwise, then sliced them into 1/4 inch wide slices.

Since my basic recipe calls for butter anyways, and as most hotdog lovers know, sautéing them in butter only makes them better!, you bet I browned them first!

This only takes about 5 minutes and it’s a step that you really need to do! So, please don’t skip this.

And the butter that you cooked these in, along with a tiny release of fat from the hotdogs that lend another layer of awesome flavor, must be added to the batter.

This is a minute amount when divided amongst 12 fritters. So no worries!

To make these taste more like “corndogs”, I took my old recipe for fritters, married it together with another one of my recipes for corndogs, and hoped for the best in mixing flour with my favorite corn meal!

I highly recommend this brand, as it has a finer grind and never ends up making whatever you’re fixing have that “gritty consistency”….

….like someone dropped it on the street and covered it with pea gravel, …if you get what I mean. 😉

And holy cow. If “corn” anything doesn’t actually have corn in it….well, this midwestern girl, that lived almost her whole life surrounded by corn fields, says it shouldn’t say “corn”.

Not to be mean. But please. Just add corn.

And that’s what I do!

If I were back in the midwest where I’d have access to GOOD summer corn, I’d say to just slice it off the cob to make this. And if you’re lucky enough to be able to do this, OMG go for it! (For this recipe, about a cup would be about right!)

If it’s not in season, or not available in your area, then you can always go fresh-frozen, or even canned.

The BEST canned solution I have found, is what’s called “shoepeg corn”. It’s early corn, sweet, and holds it’s shape MUCH better than mature corn, and works perfectly for not only this recipe, but any side dish or casserole!

The batter is the same as I do all of the fritters that I make. VERY simple. Anyone can make it. It’s simply whisking the dry ingredients in one bowl, whisking the wet ingredients in a another bowl, then pour the wet over the dry and stir until barely moistened.

Then you fold in whatever goodies you’re adding. In this case, we’re adding very finely chopped onion, the sautéed hotdogs along with the butter from the pan, and the drained corn.

Everything is made so easily and quickly, it’s almost silly.

And after you get the dogs cut and sautéed, get the oil heating up on the stove while you’re whipping up the batter and ….seriously…dinner is 15 minutes away.

I made “big ones”, (smaller than a baseball), using a serving spoon and mounded each spoonful, and that worked out extremely well!!! I ended up getting 12 beautiful fritters!

Each one was evenly distributed with enough hotdog pieces, onion, and corn, that they held their shape without falling apart, and were hearty and chock-full!

They were not only MUCH easier to make than corndogs, but had more flavor and were a pure delight to eat! I made them “large”, which helped to keep everything together evenly, but you could make them smaller if you’d like. I just wouldn’t go too small, or some might not even have enough goodies in them to even make it worth it or call them corndogs at all.

We enjoyed ours best with a little regular ol’ mustard for dipping, and my hubby added a small bowl of chili on the side with his for extra dunking!

This is a KEEPER for us! And I so hope that this little recipe helps you out, too! And that it just might become a favorite munchie for you and your family on a boring weeknight when you want something fast, that doesn’t cut into your wallet like a hatchet, and is a fun break to just enjoy when you want to just have a little fun!

Hope you all enjoy my Best Ever Corn Dog Fritters as much as we did!

12 large fritters

Best Ever Corn Dog Fritters

Ingredients

canola or vegetable oil for frying

Dry Ingredients:

2/3 cup AP flour
1/3 cup Indian Head Stone Ground Corn Meal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. dried dill weed
1/8 tsp. ground rosemary

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk, room temp
1/4 tsp. regular table mustard

Fold In Ingredients:

2 Tbl. finely chopped onion
1 (7 oz.) can of corn, well drained
4 regular hotdogs, quartered lengthwise, sliced 1/4 inch wide, and fried on both sides in 2 Tbl. butter (I used Oscar Mayer)

Instructions

In small frying pan, melt 2 Tbl. butter and add 4 cut-up hotdogs. Sauté until lightly browned on both sides, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add vegetable or canola oil to large deep frying pan to about 1 1/2 - 2 inches deep and heat over medium heat until fully heated and nice and hot.

While oil is heating, in a medium bowl, whisk together the Dry Ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg, then whisk in rest of Wet Ingredients.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture, then add the Fold IN ingredients, (adding all of the butter from the pan of cooked hot dogs).

Drop by large, rounded tablespoons (serving spoons not measuring spoons) into the hot oil and fry for 7 - 8 minutes, turning several times, until deep golden brown on the outside, and cooked through in the center. *Cooking time depends on size of fritters and how hot your oil is. When browned, remove one and check inside to make sure it's cooked through. I also check if my oil is hot enough by dropping just a little batter in to test. If batter sinks and immediately rises to the top it's hot enough. If fritters are browning too quickly, turn heat down a little. And never over-crowd your pan. Do this in 2 batches of 6 fritters each.

As each batch is done and nicely browned, remove to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet.

Serve with mustard and/or ketchup for dipping. *Also very good served with chili on the side for dunking, too! Enjoy!