Kitchen science: Dough with thin layers of fat in it puffs in the oven, because the fat melts and the water in it turns to steam that pushes the layers apart.
Let's tuck little sausages into cosy dough blankets and bake a whole herd of snoring piggies! This easy recipe is for ages 8 to 14 (grades 3rd–8th), takes about 25 minutes and serves 8. Crumb, our tiny chef, reads every step aloud with a picture, so a child can follow along, and every hot or sharp step is marked for a grown-up.
Pigs in a blanket are little sausages rolled in soft dough and baked till golden: a party and holiday favourite that kids can roll themselves. A grown-up does the oven and the cutting, and a child does the laying, rolling and tucking in.
Ingredients
1 tube of crescent dough
24 little sausages
4 tablespoons ketchup (optional)
Tools
A cutting board, A sharp knife (grown-up), A baking tray, Baking paper, The oven (grown-up), Oven mitts, A plate.
Steps
Wash your hands with soap for twenty seconds.
Grown-up step: A grown-up heats the oven to 375°F and lines a tray with baking paper.A grown-up heats the oven to 190°C and lines a tray with baking paper.
Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough on a board and pull the triangles apart.
Grown-up step: A grown-up cuts each triangle into three thin wedges.
Lay a little sausage across the wide end of each wedge.
Roll each wedge up toward the point, so the sausage is wrapped inside.
Set the pigs on the tray, tip side down, with space between them.
Wash your hands again: raw dough isn't for licking.
Grown-up step: A grown-up bakes them 12 to 15 minutes, till the dough is golden.
Grown-up step: A grown-up takes them out with mitts on. Cool for 5 minutes.
Dip a pig in 4 tablespoons of ketchup. Mm-hmm!
Tuck your pigs in on a plate: listen, they're snoring!
Safety notes
Sharp! A grown-up does this part.
Hot! A grown-up does this part.
Contains wheat. Tap "Allergies?" on the Kitchen's front page and the swaps fill themselves in where there is one.
Little sausages are a choking risk for little ones under 4: cut them in thin strips the long way.
No tasting raw dough or batter: wait till it's cooked.
Read the label on packets for allergies.
Kitchen science
Dough with thin layers of fat in it puffs in the oven, because the fat melts and the water in it turns to steam that pushes the layers apart.
Make it your own
Make a mustard dip and a ketchup dip and a race to the last pig.
Sprinkle a little grated cheddar on the dough before rolling.
Use veggie sausages for a no-meat blanket.
Questions about pigs in a blanket
What are pigs in a blanket?
Little cocktail sausages wrapped in a strip of crescent roll dough and baked until the dough is golden. The sausage is the pig and the dough is the blanket.
What temperature and how long do you bake them?
375°F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is puffed and golden brown. A grown-up does the oven steps.190°C for 12 to 15 minutes, until the dough is puffed and golden brown. A grown-up does the oven steps.
Can I make them ahead?
Roll them up, cover the tray and keep them in the fridge for a few hours, then bake. Cooked ones keep a day in the fridge and warm up in the oven.
Are they safe for toddlers?
Little sausages are a choking risk for children under 4 if they're swallowed whole. Cut them in thin strips the long way, and let them cool completely before serving.