Sweet Monkey Bread

This monkey bread uses canned buttermilk biscuits as a shortcut that works surprisingly well. Quartered biscuit pieces get rolled in cinnamon sugar until coated, piled into a buttered pan, then drenched with a melted margarine and brown sugar sauce before baking.

The brown sugar sauce is what transforms this from cinnamon-coated biscuits into proper monkey bread. As it bakes, the sugar and butter bubble down between the pieces, caramelizing on the bottom and creating a sticky, pull-apart glaze that coats every surface.

Quarter the biscuits rather than leaving them whole. Smaller pieces mean more surface area for the cinnamon sugar to cling to and more of those sticky, caramelized edges that everyone fights over.

Butter the pan generously. The brown sugar sauce needs fat to prevent burning and sticking.

Pro Tips

• Pour the melted brown sugar mixture evenly over the top so it reaches all the biscuit pieces, not just the center.
• Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping onto a serving plate. Too hot and it falls apart; too cool and the sugar cements to the pan.
• Don’t pack the biscuit pieces tightly. Leave small gaps so the sauce can flow between them during baking.

Variations

• Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts in the bottom of the pan before adding the biscuits for a nutty, praline-like base.
• Add a drizzle of cream cheese glaze (powdered sugar, cream cheese, and milk) over the top after baking.
• Toss a handful of raisins in with the biscuit pieces for sweet, chewy pockets throughout.