Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). This takes about 10 minutes. Position the oven rack in the center. Checkpoint: You are ready to move on when the oven has fully preheated.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, pressing it flat so it lies smooth against the pan.

Remove the hot dogs from their packaging. Pat every hot dog completely dry on all sides using paper towels — this takes about 1 minute. The surface should look matte, not shiny or wet. Checkpoint: You are ready to move on when no moisture remains on the surface of the hot dogs.

Open the can of crescent dough and unroll it onto a clean, flat surface. If the dough has perforated seams, press all of them firmly together with your fingertips to form 4 solid, seamless rectangles. Spend about 2 minutes making sure no seam lines are visible.

Using a pizza cutter, slice each dough rectangle lengthwise into approximately 10 strips, each about ¼ inch wide. This gives you roughly 40 strips total. Then gently stretch each strip a little thinner between your fingers before using. This takes about 3 minutes. Strips should look long, thin, and slightly translucent when held up to light.

Take one hot dog. Starting from the top (leaving a ½-inch gap at one end for the mummy face), wrap 4–5 strips around the hot dog in a criss-cross pattern. Overlap the strips slightly as you go. Tuck all loose strip ends firmly underneath the hot dog. Repeat for all hot dogs. This takes about 5–8 minutes total. Checkpoint: You are ready to move on when each hot dog is mostly covered with overlapping strips, the face gap is clearly visible at one end, and no loose ends are sticking out.

If using cheese, quarter the cheese slices and tuck a piece on the underside of each hot dog before the final wrap to minimize dripping.

Place all wrapped mummy dogs seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Space them at least 1 inch apart so they do not touch during baking. Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray for extra browning. This takes about 1 minute.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake at 375°F for 13–15 minutes. The dough should turn light golden brown, puff up, and look flaky. The hot dog inside will be plump and heated through. Checkpoint: You are ready to move on when the dough is golden and no pale or raw-looking patches remain.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Let the mummies cool on the pan for 1–2 minutes at room temperature — this helps the candy eyes stay in place.

Apply a tiny dot of mustard or ketchup in the face gap of each mummy. Immediately press 2 candy eyes into each dot before it dries. The eyes should sit level and secure. Checkpoint: You are ready to serve when all eyes are in place and the mummies have cute, visible little faces.

Serve immediately while the dough is still warm, crisp, and flaky, with mustard, ketchup, or your favorite dipping sauce on the side.