Grown-Up Pigs in Blankets

It’s a double-whammy weekend, with NBC broadcasting both the Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday night at 7 p.m., and the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. If you are a halftime fan, it’s Bad Bunny (which sadly means nothing to me…I’m going to have to brush up on my pop culture before Sunday). 

This is all to say: We need some snacks. Here are my best Grown-Up Pigs in Blankets, which I love for their sweet-spicy-savory-butteriness. Puff pastry (as opposed to crescent roll dough) is the reason for the extra dose of butter. A little bit of apricot jam gives a baked-in sticky-sweetness. A sprinkle of parmesan on top bakes in a salty-savory layer. And hot honey drizzled over it all brings a little more sweet-and-sticky, plus the hot. With all of this going on, you don’t need a dip, but spicy mustard could be nice.

Sending my best Olympics-Super Bowl wishes that your couch is comfy and your people quiet.

These Grown-Up Pigs in Blankets will be a crowd-pleaser at your Super Bowl watch party or any get-together. (Photo: Andria Dilling)

Grown-Up Pigs in Blankets

1-pound package frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 16-ounce packages cocktail sausages
Apricot jam
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Grated parmesan
Hot honey

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

On a lightly floured countertop, roll out the puff pastry so that the seams seal together. Use a knife or pizza cutter to trim the edges. Cut the dough into 1-inch strips, then turn it and cut 2-inch strips, so that you have about 50 1-inch-by-2-inch strips of dough.

Place a strip of dough on the counter, with the long side perpendicular to you. Place a sausage at the top of the long side of the strip, then add about ½ teaspoon of the apricot jam. Roll the sausage and jam in the dough, then place the pig in a blanket seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with all the dough and sausage.

Brush the tops of the pigs in blankets with the egg mixture, then sprinkle each with about ¼ teaspoon parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden. Let the pigs in blankets cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a serving platter. Drizzle with the hot honey.