You’re down to the wire on finishing your Thanksgiving menu but don’t fret. You’ve got it all under control, right? You’ve got your main dishes in mind, your side dishes accounted for, and you definitely know what the desserts will be. All you need now is some appetizers to hold over the crowd while you put the finishing touches on your delicious dinner. Pilgrim hats are good and really easy to make. Never heard of hat appetizers? Well, now you have, and they’re perfect as Thanksgiving finger foods to stave hunger. They’re inexpensive, a breeze to prepare, and they have a shape with a Thanksgiving theme.
Surely you’ve had a pig in a blanket before. It’s a hot dog, covered with cheese, and wrapped in a crescent roll. A pig in a blanket is a whole hot dog, and that might be a little too much of an appetizer. When you make a pilgrim hat appetizer, you make a much smaller version, and that’s perfect for an appetizer.
To make the Thanksgiving hats, cut a hot dog into one-inch pieces. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or even foil. Stand each hot dog piece on one end, making sure to space the hot dogs far apart. Preheat oven to 350.
Crescent rolls are found in the refrigerated section at your local grocery store. The rolls are famous for their triangular shapes. Open the rolls and separate each triangle. Lay one triangle over one of the hot dogs. Choose a drink or juice glass and press it into some flour to coat just the lip of the glass. Put the glass over the hot dog and press it into the crescent roll to cut out a circular shape.
Flour your hands and press the dough around the hot dog section to create a hat shape. Bake the hats at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the dough has browned. Remove them and allow them to cool.
After the pilgrim hats are cooled, cut circles of bologna, and put one on each hat. Cut small squares of yellow cheese, like American or Cheddar, and place one on each hat to make a buckle.
The pilgrim hat pigs in blankets are unusual, sure, but perfect for Thanksgiving. They’ll do the job of keeping your guests’ stomachs from growling while you finish preparing the dinner. You’ll probably have lots of leftovers from the meal but you can bet there won’t be any of the pilgrim hats left!
Pilgrim Hat Appetizers