Even though I'm the ripe old age of 27, despite appearing 18 to folks I encounter at work (?!), I'm still relishing new experiences every day. Like buying my first Kate Spade bag. And attending a traditional Jewish wedding on Sunday. As fun as it is to look forward to things, there are some things from my past that I just can't shake. Last summer, I crossed another item off my bucket list and promptly added it to my "favorite things in the universe" list: eat my first corn dog! Sweet deep-fried crunchy yet fluffy cornbread batter enveloping a salty all-American hot dog. Is there any better way to top one's day at an amusement park? I could've eaten 10. Okay, maybe three, but definitely more than the one that I did have. Thankfully, for the sake of of my arteries, I stopped at one, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since. And that led me to the challenge of recreating a healthier less unhealthy version of corn dogs at home for myself: mini corn dog muffins! What sets these little morsels apart from a regular corn dog? Aside from their uh-door-uh-bull miniature figure, there is no frying involved in the preparation. No frying! In fact, it almost seemed a little wrong how little effort -- under 5 minutes from start to oven and only 4 ingredients -- was needed to turn out an entire pan of mini corn dog muffins for my enjoyment and my enjoyment alone. But, I learned my lesson from my last covert cooking mission and shared these with my favorite culinary consultant. In fact, I've been looking for an excuse for months to make these and one finally arrived: Matt's birthday. Yep, this was what he requested for his birthday dinner. I offered to make anything he wanted. Anything! What he wanted were these super popable corn dog bites, dipped in ketchup and mustard, eaten with his fingers. We were practically giggling in anticipation. We couldn't even wait to get to the dinner table before sampling each sample one as we hovered over the muffin pan, hot out of the oven. We just couldn't resist! I blame the mini corn dog muffins, not our lack of willpower. These were so much fun to eat! This was anything but a run-of-the-mill weeknight dinner. There's something about sampling/buffet style dinners that always leaves me so satisfied. It's not necessarily more food (in fact it's usually less) but the experience of a cocktail party for two that's I can't wait to make a double batch of these for our next party -- who wouldn't love them?! I mean, how could you not love little bites of hot dog wrapped in a corn muffin doughnut? It's almost as difficult to believe as some poor schmuck waiting 27 years to try a corn dog. I'd say I righted that wrong and then some, thankyouverymuch. One year ago: Scrambled eggs with guacamole Two years ago: Chocolate cake doughnuts Mini Corn Dog Muffins (adapted slightly from Iowa Girl Eats) -makes 16 1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 1 egg 1/3 cup milk 3-4 hot dogs (I used 3 bun length dogs) Nonstick cooking spray Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously coat cups of mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare corn muffin mix as instructed on box: whisk together egg and milk and stir in dry muffin mix until incorporated and still slightly lumpy. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut hot dogs into 1-inch pieces. Using a #40 ice cream/cookie scoop (or a tablespoon measure), place one scoop/dollop into each mini muffin cup until no batter remains. Place one hot dog section in the middle of each filled muffin cup. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove, run a knife around the edge of the mini cups to loosen them and turn out. Enjoy your homemade mini corn dog bites immediately! Try 'em with a side of baked beans for an extra dose of summery picnic goodness.