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It’s no secret that I love Christmas and for me one of the big parts of Christmas is the food. It’s the one time of year you can eat all day without anyone questioning it. Plus, you can have all your favourite things on one very full dinner plate!
What are your favourite Christmas food traditions?
We start buying mince pies as soon as they appear in the shops and in the run up to Christmas we buy everything that’s on offer – a big box of chocolates, nibbles and the obligatory Chocolate Orange.
But when it comes to Christmas it just wouldn’t be the same without turkey and all the trimmings. In our house that means roast potatoes and parsnips, lots of different steamed veg, sprouts, red cabbage, stuffing, yorkshire puddings, really thick gravy and not forgetting the pigs in blankets.
For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets – they are the ultimate comfort food and my favourite sausage recipes. We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special.For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets.
We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special. We enjoy them throughout the festive period, having them at any party or social gathering, as a buffet snack or side dish.
They really one of our favourite British traditions – you cannot beat the taste of these little bacon wrapped sausages. They may not be that healthy but they’re quick and delicious!
What sausages should we use for pigs in blankets?
We use pretty standard pork co*cktail sausages for this recipe but you could use chicken or beef sausages or even vegetarian sausages and a bacon alternative for a meat free option. Plus, you can cook pigs in blankets in the air fryer too.
We also love Honey and Mustard Pigs in Blankets and Caramelised Onion Pigs in Blankets if you’d like to try those recipes too. You can see our other pigs in blanket recipe variations hereand all our other Christmas recipes too!
Here’s our easy Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe
Preheat oven to 180C and line an oven dish or deep baking tray with foil
Cut each rasher of streaky bacon in half and wrap around a sausage, securing with a co*cktail stick. Repeat, placing them in the oven dish.
Bake the pigs in blankets for 20 minutes before pouring away the excess fat from the dish. Drizzle the sausages with the maple syrup and place back in the oven to continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the sausages are nicely golden browned.
Remove the sausages from the dish, giving them one last coat in the sweet sticky maple syrup sauce.
So that is our Christmas tradition. Lovely, sticky pigs in blankets. They will be served on Christmas day alongside the honey roast parsnips and eaten surrounded by family. For me Christmas dinner is my favourite meal of the year.
If you’d like to print or pin the Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe for later you can do so below. Enjoy!
For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets. We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine British
Keyword christmas
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 55 minutesminutes
Servings 18sausages
Calories 90kcal
Ingredients
18co*cktail Sausages
9Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers
150mlMaple Syrup
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C and line an oven dish with foil
Cut each rasher of streaky bacon in half and wrap around a sausage, securing with a co*cktail stick. Repeat, placing them in the oven dish.
Bake the pigs in blankets for 20 minutes before pouring away the excess fat from the dish. Drizzle the sausages with the maple syrup and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until the sausages are nicely browned.
Remove the sausages from the dish, giving them one last coat in the maple syrup.
*Note: Nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.
Traditionally the sausage used is a co*cktail-sized pork-based chipolata and the wrapping a streaky bacon, but variations include those using chorizo or chicken sausage, using sausages with added ingredients such as apples or chestnuts, using full-sized chipolatas, or using flavored or smoked bacon.
A pig in a blanket is a sausage (originally a pork sausage, hence the “pig”) wrapped in either a pancake, biscuit dough, or a crescent-style piece of pastry (you guessed it, that's the “blanket”).
Why are pigs in blankets eaten at Christmas? There are no specific known origins of pigs in blankets becoming a traditional part of the British Christmas dinner, but the first written record of the product in general goes back to 1957.
In the Christmas tradition of many Central European countries, a golden piggy is associated with Christmas and in particular with Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. One believes that someone who fasted that day and did not eat meat will see a picture of a golden pig on the wall on Christmas Eve.
A meaty accompaniment to a traditional roast dinner, this popular sausage dish consists of co*cktail-sized chipolatas wrapped in streaky bacon. It's generally believed that pigs in blankets were popularised in the 1990s, when Delia Smith included a recipe in her Christmas cookbook.
In the United States the term "pigs in a blanket" typically refers to hot dogs in croissant dough, but may include Vienna sausages, co*cktail or breakfast/link sausages baked inside biscuit dough or croissant dough.
Why not add a bit of stuffing or cranberry sauce to go with it? Turkey is definitely the most traditional meat for Christmas dinner and you can take a look at our wide selection of whole, rolled and diced turkeys here – perfect for your traditional Christmas dinner!
kolaches resemble the Texas kolaches of my youth—a small pastry square, corners folded in, with a swab of a fruit filling. But now I see gas stations in Texas selling enormous pigs in a blanket and advertising them as kolaches. What gives? A: The Texanist loves kolaches.
Did you know that pigs-in-a-blanket may be as old as the 1600's? Despite rumors that it is an invention as modern as 1957, field laborers in the England of the 1600's had what was essentially the same dish. Putting meat inside of dough was an obvious solution for a quick and nourishing meal on the go.
since calling them pigs just wouldn't go over too well at any (observant) jewish function, someone renamed them as "moshé b'teyváh" which, translated from hebrew, means "moses in a crib (ark)". whatever you want to call them, people eat these up like no tomorrow!
According to Yorkshire Pudd, over 128 million pigs in blankets are consumed on Christmas Day alone. Pigs in blankets are also known as: Wesley Dogs in the U.S. Würstchen im Schlafrock in Germany.
All leftover pigs in blankets should be wrapped in foil or cling film after cooling and kept in the fridge (this should be done in the shortest time possible). This stops them from being contaminated by other food, and is a good food safety rule to apply to any cooked leftovers.
Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used. Pumpkin or apple pie, raisin pudding, Christmas pudding, or fruitcake are staples for dessert.
In the United States, the term “pigs in a blanket” usually refers to hot dogs or sausages that are wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough and baked. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to small sausages, or “chipolatas,” wrapped up in bacon.
Pit-roasted pig is the traditional centerpiece of a Cuban Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve supper, a holiday that stirs the same sort of emotions—and digestive juices—in a Cuban heart that Thanksgiving does in ours.
You see, the creations advertised by East Texas doughnut emporiums as “kolaches,” are, in essence, pigs in a blanket, and while those can be quite tasty, they are NOT kolaches.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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