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Table of Contents
The Crescent Roll Hot Dog
The U-Shaped Pans
These bake in long U-shaped baking pans, the kind sold for biscotti and cranberry cookies. They’re what give these their shape – the dough gets pressed into the corners of the pan, so it bakes with clean, straight edges instead of spreading out on a baking sheet. I use these U-shaped baking pans from Amazon, they come in a set of 4 and they’re non-stick, so the baked hot dogs slide right out.
Scoring the Hot Dogs
I love to score my hot dogs in a crosshatch pattern. Now, I know a lot of you are thinking, “Nadia, that’s just too much work!” But let me tell you why it’s worth it.
The crosshatch does two jobs. First, it’s pretty. But it’s actually functional too. When you cut the hot dog, it opens it up so there is more surface area and the little edges get crispy. The extra surface area gives your condiments somewhere to go. This extra step doesn’t take super long, and it really does elevate a basic hot dog.
Working with the Crescent Dough
Crescent dough straight from the fridge is just a little too soft. Since you’ll be working with each rectangle for a bit, you want to make sure you start with it very cold. So before you start, lay the sheet flat between two pieces of parchment and place it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. That firms it up enough to cut clean rectangles that lay out nicely in your pans.
Cut the sheet in half lengthwise, then into thirds, and you have your 6 rectangles. When you press them into the pans, get the dough into all four corners. You’re now ready for the next step.
The Cheese Spread
If you’re going to take anything away from this recipe, this jalapeño cheese spread is it. This is my favorite part. Cream cheese, cheddar, fire roasted jalapeño, caramelized onions, and seasonings, all whipped together in the food processor until smooth. It’s amazing on these hot dogs, but it works on burgers, sandwiches, anything that is asking for an amazing spread.
The Caramelized Onions
The onions take about an hour, and yes, they’re worth it. Real caramelized onions are deeply dark brown, sweet, and jammy, and they carry a lot of the flavor in this spread. Start them on medium until they turn translucent, about 12 to 15 minutes, then drop the heat to medium low, add a pinch of salt and the butter, and let them go for about 45 minutes more. Add a splash of water every 10 minutes or so. The water dissolves the browned bits off the pan and back onto the onions, so all that flavor ends up in the spread instead of burnt to your skillet.
The Caramelized Onion Shortcut: If you want them faster, there’s one shortcut that actually works: a small pinch of baking soda speeds up the browning and can cut the time to 20 minutes or so. Keep it to a pinch, too much makes them mushy with a weird aftertaste. What doesn’t work is cranking the heat and calling burnt onions caramelized. Every “caramelized onions in 5 minutes” recipe is lying to you.
The Fire Roasted Jalapeño
Fire roasting is what takes the jalapeño from sharp and grassy to smoky and mellow. Char it whole until the skin is blackened all over, right on a gas burner flame, or under the broiler if your stove is electric. Then drop it in a bowl, cover it, and let it steam for about 5 minutes. The skin rubs right off after that. Pull the stem, scrape out the seeds, and give it a rough chop before it goes in the food processor.
Putting the Spread Together
Shred the cheddar from a block. The pre-shredded bags are coated in starch to keep the shreds from clumping, and that coating keeps the spread from blending smooth. Stick with mild or medium cheddar too, sharp has less moisture and separates when it melts.
From there the food processor does everything. Caramelized onions, cheddar, cream cheese, jalapeño, and the seasonings all go in together, blend until completely smooth, then into a piping bag. If you don’t have piping bags, a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off works exactly the same.
How to Serve
Hotdogs are summer food, so let’s build a summer table around them. For a welcome cocktail, hand everyone a Frozignon Blanc. It’s super easy to make and very refreshing, just frozen white wine and passionfruit slushy. Put out Watermelon and Feta Bites to snack on, sweet juicy melon and salty feta under a hot honey balsamic. When you serve the main course, you need something fresh. A Fennel Apple Salad with a creamy manchego dill dressing pairs great. And to finish it off, the S’mores Ice Cream Cake, frozen, torched, and worth the freezer space.
Cocktails
Frozignon Blanc 🍹
Appetizers
Watermelon and Feta Bites 🍉
Sides
Fennel Apple Salad 🍏
Desserts
S’mores Ice Cream Cake
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Frequently Asked Questions
No, but they make the shape. Without them, cut the dough, pipe the cheese down the middle, wrap it around the hot dog, and bake seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. You’ll get a wrapped crescent dog instead of the sharp-edged version, and it will still be delicious. If you would like to buy them, I use these U-shaped baking pans from Amazon.
No. Hot dogs are sold fully cooked and they heat through completely while the dough bakes. Cold hot dogs are also much easier to score and assemble.
These are best the day they’re baked. The parts you have more wiggle room with. The jalapeño cheese spread and both sauces can all be made 2 to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Assembling and baking don’t take long. Just add the dough, pipe, and bake. Don’t freeze them, the crescent dough doesn’t make it.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 10 minutes. The microwave works if you’re desperate, but the crescent roll won’t be crispy.
Equipment
- large skillet
- 3 long hot dog molds
- baking sheet
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp butter
Jalapeño Cheese Spread
- 4 oz cheddar cheese block, mild or medium, shredded
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 jalapeño, fire roasted, skin removed, seeded and rough chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch salt
Spicy Ketchup
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tsp Tabasco
Mustard Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2-3 tbsp yellow mustard
Hot Dogs
- 1 package crescent dough sheet, not pre-cut
- 6 hot dogs
- chives, chopped
Instructions
- Caramelize the Onions: Heat a large skillet over medium for 2 minutes. Add olive oil and the sliced onion. Cook on medium for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low and add one pinch of salt and the butter. Cook for 45 more minutes, adding a splash of water every 10 minutes and stirring often, until deeply dark brown. Set aside to cool slightly.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 tbsp butter, 1 pinch salt
- Jalapeño Cheese Spread: Combine the caramelized onions, shredded cheddar, cream cheese, jalapeño, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and one pinch of salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.4 oz cheddar cheese block, 4 oz cream cheese, 1 jalapeño, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1 pinch salt
- Make the Condiments: Stir the ketchup and Tabasco together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the mayo and yellow mustard. Refrigerate both until ready to serve.1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tsp Tabasco, 1/2 cup mayo, 2-3 tbsp yellow mustard
- Chill the Dough: Lay the crescent dough sheet flat on a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a second sheet of parchment and place flat in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.1 package crescent dough sheet
- Assemble: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Crosshatch score each hot dog. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut in half lengthwise, then into thirds to make 6 rectangles. Press 2 rectangles side by side into each mold, making sure the dough touches all four corners. Pipe the cheese spread down the center of each rectangle. Place a hot dog on top of each.6 hot dogs
- Bake: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Slide the hot dogs out of the molds.
- Serve: Top with chopped chives. Serve with spicy ketchup and mustard mayo.chives
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
