Place oil in the dutch oven and insert the candy thermometer. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350 F. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.

Insert one popsicle stick lengthwise into each hot dog. Pat the hot dogs dry with paper towels.

In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the milk and egg and beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into a tall glass, filling about ¾ full.

Once the oil is ready, dip a hot dog into the batter, swirling it around in the batter as you remove it. Immediately place the hot dog into the oil and cook for 3 minutes, rotating it every so often.

Once golden brown, remove the corn dogs from the pot and place on the paper towel lined plate. Let cool briefly before serving.

Repeat with the remaining hot dogs. Depending on the size of your pot, you may be able to cook 2-3 at a time.

Place oil in the dutch oven and insert the candy thermometer. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 375 F. If you’ve just made the corn dogs, you can reuse the oil. Just remove any leftover bits of cooked batter from the corn dogs.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, water, eggs, and vanilla.

Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined.

Add the flour and whisk until smooth.

Transfer the batter to a liquid measuring cup so that it’s easy to pour.

Once the oil is ready, drizzle about a ½ cup of the batter into the oil, making sure to overlap and swirl the lines of batter over each other.

Cook for 2 minutes or until light golden. Flip the funnel cake over and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove funnel cake from the oil, gently shaking off excess oil, and transfer to a plate.

Repeat steps with remaining batter until all funnel cakes are cooked.

Dust funnel cakes with powdered sugar and serve.