Pillsbury Cornbread Twists: A Copycat Recipe with Jiffy Mix

Sneak Peek: The original Pillsbury Cornbread Twists are no longer available at the store. (Update: I have seen a new version–but now I like these better.) Make them at home from scratch, starting with Jiffy Mix. Ingredients include yeast, milk, egg, flour, and a Jiffy Cornbread mix.

plate of mini corn dogs made with a Jiffy Mix and yeastPin

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Do you miss the Pillsbury Cornbread Twists that we used to buy in the refrigerated section at the grocery store? I do. So, I created this recipe to clone those yeasty Cornbread Twists, starting with a Jiffy mix.

Four Reasons Why You Will Love This Recipe

  1. After mixing the dough in a bread machine, twist it around a hot dog for a simple corn dog.  Or use the same dough to make twisty cornmeal breadsticks to eat with your next bowl of chili.
  2. Kids and adults alike love these “dip dogs” as one of my Facebook readers called them. Although she was referring to the traditional fried corn dogs, I love the name.
  3. Mini Baked Corn Dogs are neater to eat and dip than a hot dog and a bun with condiments dripping out of them. Consider taking these on a picnic or to a party as finger food.
  4. You can use your bread machine(paid link) to make this with the DOUGH cycle. Don’t worry if you don’t have a bread machine. You can make these by hand or with your stand mixer(paid link). See directions in the recipe notes.

Happy Cooks Speak Up

Thank you for your awesome recipes! I found your site after I had been making bread with my bread machines, and always taking the dough out and baking in the oven. I call my bread machines ” my muscle man”–CINDY

Are These Healthy?

These dogs don’t have exactly the same flavor as the famous fried corn dogs at the Texas State Fair.

Nonetheless, they are a tasty substitute for those of us who would rather not eat the fried version more than once a year. One mini corn dog comes in around 85 calories, depending on your choice of hot dogs. (I prefer the Nathan brand in the bun size.) Two of them make a light lunch alongside my vacuum-packed lettuce salad.

mini baked corndogs with mustard and catsup for dippingPin
Serve mini corn dogs with mustard and catsup as dips.

Cloning Pillsbury’s Cornbread Twists

In the past, I wrapped hot dogs with the now-defunct Pillsbury canned Cornbread Twists. But now, I can make the dough myself.

You need more than a regular cornbread recipe to imitate cornbread twists. There is something magic in the Jiffy mix that I recognize from the original Corn Twists. Adding yeast and flour ensures the texture will be soft and chewy with a crispy crust.

As always with my bread machine recipes, I don’t bake in my machine. I only use it to mix and knead the dough. When the dough cycle completes and the dough doubles its original size, pull it out of your machine.  Follow the pictures below to shape the dough.

RELATED POST: The Most Important Thing You Should Do When Using a Bread Machine

Can I Make These Ahead of Time?

Yes. Go ahead and bake the dough-covered hot dogs. After they cool, wrap and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve the dogs, wrap them in aluminum foil. Heat in a preheated 375˚F (190˚C) oven for 9-15 minutes until warmed through.

I have frequently microwaved one or two mini corndogs, but I don’t recommend it for a whole batch. It’s challenging to keep from overcooking the cornbread portion while trying to heat the hot dog itself.

Can I Freeze Them?

Yes. Baked corn dogs freeze well (for about a month) and don’t take long to thaw when frozen individually. Reheat by wrapping thawed corn dogs in foil and baking in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.


How To Roll Out the Dough

dough from the bread machine to a floured surface to be shaped by handPin
Dump the dough from the bread machine pan onto a floured surface.
round ball of doughPin
Lightly knead the dough and form it into a smooth ball.
dough rolled into a rectanglePin
Roll the dough into a 9 x 13-inch rectangle.
Cutting the dough into strips with a pizza cutter.Pin
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough in half the short way. Cut each half into half again. Make eight strips by dividing each quarter in half. Again, slice each strip in half to make 16 skinny strips.
Cutting stripsPin
Cut all strips in half (as seen at the bottom of the picture above). You should now have 32 total strips.

How To Wrap the Hot Dogs

removing moisture from hot dogs and inserting sticksPin
Use a paper towel to blot moisture from hot dogs. Cut bun-size hot dogs in half. Insert a small stick into each hot dog.
wrapping corndogs with yeast cornbread doughPin
Wrap one strip of dough around each hot dog, making sure each end of the dough ends up on the bottom side.
brushing corndogs with egg glazePin
Place corn dogs on a paper-lined cookie sheet with the ends down. All to rest for 15 minutes. (Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.) Brush corn dogs with glaze.
mini corndogs and cornbread twists made with yeast and a Jiffy mixPin

Variation: Cornbread Twists

Use the same recipe. Instead of cutting the 16 strips in half the short way, I cut them into 32 pieces the long way. They will be very skinny.


How To Shape Twists

cutting dough into strips with a pizza cutterPin
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough in half the short way.

Cut each half into half again. Make eight strips by dividing each quarter in half. Again, slice each strip in half again to make 16 skinny strips.
Divide each of the 16 strips in half long-wise. You should now have 32 long and very skinny strips. (Don’t worry if you mess this up. They will still taste fabulous.)

twisting cornbread sticksPin
Fold each strip in half and twist. Place on a prepared cookie sheet and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375˚ F.
sprinkling cormeal on top of cornbread sticksPin
Glaze the strips. Sprinkle cornbread twists with cornmeal.
backed cornbread sticks in a bucketPin
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.


Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Copycat Pillsbury Cornbread Twists wrapped around small hotdogs on a platter.Pin
Yield: 32 mini corn dogs or cornbread twists

Pillsbury Cornbread Twists: A Copycat Recipe

A hot dog wrapped with a yeasty cornbread dough or make the same dough and twist the strips into cornsticks to go with a hearty soup like chili or stew.

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Video

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Mixing & Rising Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (114 g) milk cool
  • 1 large (50 g) egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 box (8.5 oz) Jiffy Cornbread Mix
  • 1-1/4 cup (150 g) unbleached flour
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast
  • 2 packages of 8 bun-size hotdogs

Glaze:

  • 1 (50 g) egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

  • Heat milk to lukewarm. Add to the bread machine pan along with 1/2 cup (114 g) milk ,1 large (50 g) egg, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 box (8.5 oz) Jiffy Cornbread Mix, 1-1/4 cup (150 g) unbleached flour, and 1-1/2 teaspoon bread machine or instant yeast
  • Select the DOUGH cycle and push START. Open the machine and check the dough after 15 minutes. It should stick to the sides, then pull away cleanly. If it is too wet and sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time. If it is too dry and thumping against the side of the pan, add a teaspoon of milk or water until the dough sticks, then pulls away cleanly.
  • When the DOUGH cycle completes, remove the dough to a floured surface. Roll into 9 x 13-inch rectangle.
  • Cut into 16 strips the short way. Make one cut down the middle of the 16 strips to make 32 strips. See the picture above.
  • Roll one strip around each hot dog in 2 packages of 8 bun-size hotdogs. Lay onto a greased cookie sheet or a silicone mat with ends tucked under.
  • Cover corn dogs and set in a warm place to rise about 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
  • Combine 1 (50 g) egg and 1 tablespoon water for the glaze. Lightly brush glaze onto each dog taking care not to use so much glaze that it drips onto the cookie sheet as it will burn.
  • Bake for 12 minutes until golden.

Notes

Directions for making bread with a stand mixer or by hand:
  • To make this recipe in a heavy-duty stand mixer:  Add ingredients to the bowl in the same order. Turn on LOW to mix until all ingredients are moistened. Then, using a dough hook, turn the speed to 2 or 3. Continue beating/kneading until dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place. Deflate dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
  • If making by hand: Combine all ingredients into a shaggy ball in a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead with your hands until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Kneading will likely take 10-20 minutes, depending on your experience. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise until double. Deflate the dough gently and shape as indicated in the recipe.
  • Please note: You can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast. Dissolving it first is optional. Active dry yeast tends to rise slower initially but will catch up eventually.
Variation: Making Cornbread Twists
Follow instructions down to number 4, but instead of cutting the strips in half the short way, cut the 16 strips in half the long way to make 32 very long skinny strips.
Fold each strip in half and twist. Continue with step number 6.
Bake in 375˚F (190˚C) oven for about 12 minutes until golden brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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Revised and updated 8/26/2019

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Recipe Rating




19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious! I halved the recipe and used the stand mixer method. Tweaks: I added jalapenos and used a homemade Jiffy recipe so that I could use my special no-sodium baking powder. Since I must be attentive, I have a question about the nutrition information. The amount of sodium per serving calculated might be 61mg low not including the hot dogs which can be anywhere from 300-600 ish mg each! Such a rare treat for me. Thank you so much for this recipe, totally worth the time, wonderful texture, looks beautiful, and can be made so much healthier than a standard corndog!

    1. Hi Nina,

      So nice to hear from you. I have never seen a homemade Jiffy recipe. It doesn’t matter. If you like the end product, all is well.
      You are right about the nutrition information. It doesn’t include the hot dog at all—only the bread. I should add a note to that effect on the recipe page.

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe! I love Pillsbury’s cornbread twists, and although they’re still available at my local Walmart, I would love to be able to make them from (nearly) scratch. And I was especially looking for a copycat recipe that used Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix! I don’t have a bread machine, so thank you for also including directions for those of us who must use a stand mixer instead. Can’t wait to try these! Also want to try your easy yeast cornbread recipe. Yummo!

    1. Hi Karen,
      You’re welcome. Can’t wait to hear how they turn out for you.

  3. May I know if there’s a substitute for “Jiffy Cornbread Mix”?
    I can’t find them in Malaysia ??
    Thanks ?

    1. Ju, I have not tried any other cornbread mix but I imagine other mixes would work. Get the one that looks like it would make about the same amount as a Jiffy mix.

    2. @Paula, haven’t come across any type of cornbread mix in Malaysia 😅😅😅
      But I’ve found a site with a Make-from-scratch (copycat) recipe. Will give that a try.
      Thanks!

      1. Great! Let me know how it turns out.

  4. Hi Paula,
    Thank you for your awesome recipes! I found your site after I had been making bread with my bread machines, and always taking the dough out and baking in the oven. I call my bread machines ” my muscle man”
    Please, I have a question? No butter or oil in the Swirly Dog recipe?
    Thanks.

    1. Cindy, the fat is in the Jiffy mix.

  5. Hi there Paula. This sounds so good, I am going to make these. I just love corn dogs. I have a question for you…
    Do you have a recipe for Sqaw Bread? It is dark and sweet and I like very much.

    Thanks,
    Anna

    1. Hi Anna,
      No recipe for Squaw Bread here. I’m not familiar with it.

  6. These look so good and so fun! I buy those lower calories hot dogs too. Sometimes they take a little extra work to bite through the outer casing but I shiver at the fat and calories in regular hot dogs.

  7. Cute little snack for Superbowl or anytime! Enjoy the game 🙂

  8. Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says:

    I can taste these with a nice mustard. They look so good.

  9. These look good no matter what you call them! I love my bread maker for mixing and proofing dough- I think I even have a box of that Jiffy mix hiding in the cupboard. My little hot dog eater has just moved back to Tx (your neck of the woods) but I bet I can find enough takers to make a batch of these disappear pretty quickly. 🙂

  10. What are your instructions on thawing and reheating?

    1. Paloma,
      My technique is similar to how I would reheat leftover frozen pizza. If I’m in a big hurry, I just zap it in the microwave–time will be different according to your microwave but it doesn’t take long for one–a minute maybe? If you want a crispy crust, put it in the oven for 10 minutes or so on 350 degrees. Or you could combine the two. Microwave to thaw out the hot dog and then into the oven to crisp it up–maybe 5 minutes.

  11. This hot dog lover thinks these look amazing! So great for kids too! Think I will have to keep some of these in our freezer.