For the last few years, it’s been tradition for my cousin to bring her children to my place to go trick-or-treating. It started with the oldest two children and they were eventually joined by their younger brother and baby sister. Before making their rounds in the neighborhood, they ate dinner. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but we started making pigs in a blanket. The older girls loved to help. Nikki had to go gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free last fall, so she didn’t get to enjoy them like she normally did. This year, I decided to find a recipe so that Nikki could have pigs in a blanket too.
[bctt tweet=”Learn how to make #dietaryrestriction friendly #pigsinablanket” username=”gfspirit”]
It took some searching, but I finally came across a recipe that was gluten- and dairy-free. Side note: I had to go to two stores to find cocktail wieners. The first store didn’t have any. Shouldn’t they be available this time of year because of the upcoming holiday season (not to mention football season)? I digress. When we were getting ready to try this recipe, we realized that we didn’t have shortening. We made a quick trip to the store only to find that both brands of shortening contain soybean oil. Welp. After Googling shortening substitutes, we settled on canola oil (vegetable oil also contains soy bean oil).
This recipe calls for Bisquick, but we opted for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix. Everything we found for measurements for swapping shortening for canola oil said 1 cup of shortening =1 cup of oil, but to use less oil. This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of shortening, so we went with 2/3 cup of oil. Spoiler alert: That was too much. Next, we added almond milk.
Pro tip: After adding milk, let it sit for a few minutes. This allows it to become more firm.
Once the mix becomes firmer, add in 3 eggs (or 9 tablespoons egg whites). Stir.
Let sit for 3-5 minutes before scooping out ball of dough to make the blanket. Roll into ball and then flatten. The recipe suggests making them 1-inch wide and 2-inches long. After placing the wiener in the blanket, carefully roll dough so that wiener is wrapped all the way around. Remember how I said there was too much oil? The dough started to crumble when rolling it around the wiener. We added a bit more pancake mix & that helped. Be sure to roll the dough slowly around the wiener. You may have to smooth the dough out as you wrap the wiener.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
After re-reading the ingredients list, we realized that we could’ve substituted the shortening with butter (this wasn’t made very clear). I would suggest using butter (Earth Balance Soy Free is a good option) or using less canola oil.
The final product tasted good, but was on the greasy side.
*Ingredients for Pigs in a Blanket*
-1.5 cup gluten-free pancake mix
-1/4 shortening (soy-free alternative: Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread)
-1/4 cup almond milk
-3 eggs separated (Egg white alternative: Pete & Gerry’s; 3 tablespoons =1 large egg)
–Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies
*Directions*
-Combine pancake mix with shortening/butter/canola oil
-Add almond milk & stir; let sit until dough starts to firm
-Add eggs/egg white & stir; let sit 3-5 minutes
-Scoop out ball of dough and pat flat to make blankets (1 in. wide, 2 in. long)
-Wrap pigs in blanket
-Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees until bottoms are golden brown
-Let cool and enjoy!
Pro tip #2: Brush with egg whites prior to baking
Let me know if you have any suggestions or modifications to this recipe in the comments.
[bctt tweet=”#Glutenfree, #SoyFree, #DairyFree pigs in a blanket, plus a bonus recipe!” username=”gfspirit”]
***Bonus Halloween Recipe***
I was going to try making this recipe myself, but so far have not been able to find pretzel rods that are both gluten- and soy-free. A friend of mine sent me the recipe. I still wanted to include it, in case you wanted to make it for your Halloween party.
*Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Witch’s Fingers*
*Ingredients
-Gluten-free pretzel sticks- 1 pkg
-Enjoy Life Baking Chips- 1 pkg
-Sliced Almonds- 1 small pkg
-Vegetable or Coconut oil
*Directions
To melt chocolate: Mix bag of baking chips and 1-2 tsp. of oil in a microwavable bowl. Heat for 30 seconds.
Stir and microwave for another 20-30 seconds and repeat until chocolate is fully melted.
Dip pretzel sticks into melted chocolate, place an almond slice towards the end and chill for about an hour.
Serve & enjoy!
You may also want to check out this Guide to Dietary-Restriction Friendly Halloween Candy.
As always, don’t forget to follow GFS on social media.
I have no dietary restrictions but with 4 kids and a ton of sleepovers, I’ve come to depend on sight when We have sleep overs. We usually end up with and additional kid just about every weekend. My son is having one this Friday and the boys love things they can eat while still holding onto a controller while playing video games so I’m looking forward to them being able to make this as its the perfect snack for them.
That’s so great to hear, Cia! LOL I know what you mean about having easy foods on hand. I really hope that they like it. Let me know what they think! 🙂
I have a few members of family who are gluten free, can not wait to treat them to these.
That’s so great to hear, Amanda! I hope they like them! 🙂
I have so many more friends every year going GF. I am a baker and cook and always want to make goodies for them, so I’ve had to research a lot more into GF options. I love that you highlighted the Bob Red Mill GF Pancake Mix. It sounds like a fantastic option!
Amy, I hope this can help you! My sister has been gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free (not by choice) for a year & we’re still trying new foods, ingredients, and recipes. Bob’s Red Mill has A LOT of options and we’ve found some in stores and online. The pancake mix was really good & I think it’s brand we’ll use for other recipes as well!
Ahhh I can’t imagine not being able to eat pigs in a blanket because of dietary restrictions. That’s just wrong. I do so enjoy how you always experiment and find the best places that cater for allergies Samantha. That’s really special.
That’s what I thought too! I had to find a recipe for her so she could have it again. Thank you, Michelle. I really appreciate that. 😀
I love traditions. Kids remember those for a long time. I know I do. Our Halloween tradiation was always spaghetti with friends before we’d go out for trick o treating! Pigs in a blanket are such fun foods especially for kids. Wonderful you found different options on how to make them to suit dietary needs!
I love traditions too! Spaghetti before trick-or-treating sounds great! It’s always great to find alternatives for favorite foods.
It is wonderful that there are options available in the market to cook for all dietary requirements.
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It’s so helpful! Some of them are healthier options too, so that’s another positive. 🙂
I love that you’ve adapted the recipie so Nikki doesn’t have to miss out on something she loves, what a great Auntie you are! Its hard not being able to enjoy things sometimes, especially something you enjoy so much so I am sure she will be super grateful! Both recipe sound great, pigs in blankets are a firm fave of mine too!
Thank you! Nikki was pleased with this recipe, but I think when we make it again, butter will work better than the canola oil.
That pancake mix looks interesting and really easy to make. I can’t wait to try it.
I think that it would probably work better with butter, but it did still taste good!
We’ve made something similar to these pigs in a blanket. They are tasty and perfect for party appetizers!
They’re great little finger foods!
Great initiative. Never contemplated making these at home. Thanks for the recipe. Will try with my kids.
That’s great, Aditi. Please let me know if you make them & what you think.
I am gluten free and this looks so perfect to me. I will definitely try to make this pigs in a blanket.
Please let me know if you do & what you think!
I would really love to incorporate GF into my family’s diet…not that we need it. But it just seems to take so much time. But I’m going to eventually.
I’m working on something now that I hope will help people who are wanting to transition to or incorporate gluten-free foods into their diets. I hope to have it finished very soon!
This pigs in a blanket look delicious and its perfect for me because of its gluten-free. I will definitely give it a try on weekends.
Let me know if you try it & what you think! 🙂
Gluten-free! Love homemade healthy food. As a homemade food cook, I really love looking at other’s recipes, and maybe I could try this one too!
Please let me know if you do & how it turns out!
I usually keep away from pancake mix and replace it with plantain mix because it’s healthier 🙂
That’s a good idea!