Give Your Costco Hot Dog A Pig In A Blanket Twist With A Clever Bakery Hack

Want a creative Costco hot dog hack that takes pigs in a blanket from banal to bougie in no time? Instead of eating the affordable frankfurter in its usual sesame bun or elevated at home with an oven-baked crescent roll crust, take the food court order to the next level with a Costco croissant. Avid fans of the store's bakery already know that the wholesale club sells freshly baked croissants in economy-size 12-pack plastic containers. They also know that the sweet buttery flakiness of these crusty pastries taste excellent when paired with a dollop of Nutella and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for good measure. What they may not know is that the same buttery sandwich bread substitute tastes equally scrumptious when it's providing a comfy bed for Costco's famous hot dog. So, why not order one from the food court, buy a pack of croissants, and put the two together for a fancy pig in a blanket?

Unlike crescent rolls, which are essentially yeast breads, croissants are pastries made with alternating layers of butter and dough. While yeast-filled crescent rolls become fluffy in the oven, croissants are more light and subtle because of all that layering. These airy pastries do plump up when baked, but you can taste and feel a dramatic difference between them and a crescent roll. Each flaky bite fills the mouth with a crusty texture, and when you combine that with a hot dog, the rich, slightly sweet, and buttery flavor of the bread offers the kind of juxtaposition you just can't get from normal hot dog buns.

You'd be forgiven if you think that this sandwich combo, with its buttery pastry and savory sausage, would be one of the best hot dogs you've ever tasted without anything else on it. It may well be. However, there's no need to deprive yourself of extra flavor. Costco croissant dogs practically beg for accoutrements, and while you can take the plain yellow mustard and generic brand ketchup out of your icebox and decorate your dog up just fine, the croissant-as-bun tends to inspire people to experiment with equally special toppings.

Honey, Dijon, or even Chinese mustard mesh well with the croissant's butter-in-each-bite flavor. And fancy ketchup, with its smoother countenance, thicker texture, and vibrant red color, uplevels the typical tomato-y taste. Add to these condiments ingredients like Japanese mayo, a sweet-and-spicy pickle relish, and cheese — lotsa cheese for an out-of-the-ordinary foodie experience at a bargain price. 

And while we're at it ... don't just melt a slice of plain ol' American cheese on this dog. Treat it like the treat that it is and top the elevated frankfurter with rich, gourmet options like Brie, Swiss, or cream cheese. Finally, all of these fancy schmancy toppings will be for naught if you put all of them on a cold croissant. When you're prepping this sandwich, be sure to warm the croissants up in the oven for a piping hot lunch through and through.

For those who want fancier yet fairly simple pigs in a blanket, or don't want to go through the hassle of hacking their food court order, Costco actually has another option for people who still want to enjoy an upgraded sausage. If you fall into this camp, go to the frozen foods section of the store and look for the ready-made croissant dogs by La Boulangerie, available at select warehouses. Unlike the pigs in the blanket you get when you roll your sausages in crescent roll dough a la Pillsbury, these all-beef hot dogs have a croissant crust for a coat. Far from a basic dog in a bun, they're completely snuggle-wrapped in Swiss cheese and clad in crispy French pastry. 

With these, you get the same flakiness you'd expect from the croissants you find in Costco's bakery. However, there's no assembly required. Instead, you just bake these croissant pigs in the blanket 'til they're brown and crispy, then serve with a side of ketchup and mustard — or other fancy condiments to your liking — for dipping. The bottom line? Croissants and hot dogs together taste great no matter if you build them yourself at the Costco food court or if you take and bake 'em straight from the freezer.