I have fun making faux food for April Fool’s Day. Last year, I made French Fries Cookies with “ketchup” and “mayo” dips. This year these Pigs in a Blanket Cookies are on the foolish menu.
FRENCH FRIES COOKIES
During a recent long train ride, I was mentally rummaging in my pantry and remembered I had some marzipan to use up as well as some leftover sugar cookie dough in the freezer. I don’t know how I went from there to cocktail weenies, maybe it’s living in Germany and being surrounded by wurst 24/7. That didn’t come out right.
Whatevers.
A little April Fool’s Day History
This is basically humanity’s longest-running prank. Every year on April 1st, the world collectively decides to become a comedy club, and it all traces back to centuries of confusion, calendars, and mischievous traditions. Yes, the history of April Fool’s Day is as wobbly as a whoopee cushion.
So where does it start? Many historians point to 16th-century France. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduces the Gregorian calendar, which moves New Year’s Day from April 1st to January 1st. However, not everyone gets the memo. Some folks keep celebrating in April, and the rest of society laughs at them. Soon, “April fools” become a thing, and tricks like pinning paper fish to people’s backs make their grand debut. (Apparently, medieval humor loved seafood.)
But that’s not the only theory. Others link April Fool’s Day history to ancient festivals like Rome’s Hilaria, where people dress in disguises and laugh until their toga belts burst. Still others say it connects to springtime, when the world feels a little silly because, well, birds chirp nonstop and flowers pop up like confetti. In short, historians can’t agree, which feels fitting for a holiday dedicated to confusion.
April Fool’s Day goes global.
Fast forward to today, and April Fool’s Day goes global. Newspapers publish fake headlines. Companies launch bizarre products like “invisible cola.” Your best friend suddenly insists they saw Elvis at the grocery store. And the internet? Oh, the internet turns April Fool’s Day into a full-blown circus of digital trickery.
So, whether you believe April Fool’s Day history begins in France, Rome, or somewhere in between, one thing remains clear: on April 1st, the world agrees to be delightfully ridiculous. Enter Pigs in a Blanket Cookies.
Pigs in a Blanket Cookies are easy and fun to create
These taste like little marzipan cookie bombs. Here is the recipe if you want to do some April Foolin’. Serve ’em up and see if anyone notices before they take a bite.
Cocktail Weenie Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 ounces of marzipan
- Red and brown food gel coloring
- Sugar cookie dough
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Knead the food coloring into the marzipan. Alternate the colors until it resembles a hot dog color.
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Break a piece off and roll it into the shape of a mini hot dog.
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Using a toothpick or paring knife, score the ends of the "hot dog" around in a circle. It helps to dip the toothpick or knife into water occasionally to get clean indentations.
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Roll out the cookie dough and cut it into long strips.
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Encircle each "hot dog" with a strip of cookie dough.
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Seal the two ends of the dough together with your fingers.
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I had a bit of marzipan leftover. So I made a teeny weenie!
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Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookie dough browns slightly.
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Transfer to a wire rack.
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While cookies are still warm, gently push the toothpicks through the center
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When cookies have cooled completely, lightly brush the marzipan "hot dog" part with simple syrup.
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Plate and serve.
So, do you like these Pigs in a Blanket Cookies? Then also check out some of these other recipes:
HORSERADISH SAUERKRAUT BRATWURST SOUP
APRICOT “EGGS” IN PUFF PASTRY
HOMEMADE MARZIPAN LUCKY PIGS
17 comments
Lora, thank you for the advice — I did try freezing them and it helped, but they still lost their shape a bit. Next I am going to try partially cooking the dough around a dowel and then inserting the marzipan for about 5 minutes. I’m also going to get my oven calibrated! It looks like I am the only one having this problem, so an uneven or inaccurate temperature might be the problem. I will let you know the outcome(s), and thank you again. These cookies are pure genius!
Glad they worked better. Your ideas are great.
I’ve tried these twice and what I want to know is HOW do you get the marzipan to not collapse in a puddle in the oven?
Hi Barbara: So sorry you are struggling with the weenies! I used storebought marzipan which is denser out of the package than homemade. I would try putting the unbaked cookies in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Try this with one piece first. If the cookie holds better but is not perfect, extend the freezer time by 5 minutes or so.
I have an April 1st Wedding coming up…how far ahead do you think I could make these and they would keep? I'm trying to come up with some harmless tricks on my guests 🙂
I think you can freeze them one week ahead of time.
It's 2016 and we are (well, I am) so making these for my family! I can't wait until tomorrow! Will be so much fun! Thanks for the idea and I doubt mine will come out nearly as great as yours did but these are just fantastic!!
Thanks! I am sure they will come out perfect! They're fairly easy to make. Enjoy!
You nailed it! I would never have guessed that these were not the real thing!
These are absolutely adorable!!!!
Soooo realistic! Genius!
These look so realistic! You are an artist in the kitchen 🙂
Your attention to detail in the *cocktail weenies* will have everyone fooled until they take a bite. I love your french fries from last year too.
OMG! These are great! I would never eat the real thing, but I'd gladly eat your weenies (hmmm…that didn't come out right either).
Lora! I stared at that first photo, trying hard to figure out what the "weenies" were made out of and how they looked so realistic. Amazing! The indentations totally make them.
When you mentioned marzipan, I thought to myself "why would she put marzipan around cocktail weenies?". Then it dawned on me as I scrolled down – you are an foodie april fools genius.
Hi!
Thank you so much for you visit and kind words. This is my first visit here, but I really love your blog. I am portuguese but living in Sweden, since I got myself a viking some years ago. Two of our favorite countries are Germany and Belgium, we love the rich food, the beer, we love the beautiful landscapes, the cities… All the History and culture (I better stop now).
The idea of faux food is so great for today. I love playing with what we call and how we serve food. The other day I made a spinach cupcake with salmon frosting. I wanted to bake something special and funny today, I had thought about Martin Blunos´s Eggs and Soldiers, but I wont have the time…
Thank you for sharing your ideas, it is a big help 🙂