Secrets from the Cookie Princess: Monkey Bread

"Monkey's make good bread," said Dave.

Can't really get a much better description than that, huh? Add to that, like the scones, Dave had never heard of or had monkey bread before. Honestly, I'm not sure if I've had it--if so, it's been a long time and I'd never made it. But last week I got several emails with recipes for monkey bread, so I figured it was an omen and time to give it a try.

So easy. This recipe came from Betty Crocker and used a prepared mix that I happened to have on hand, which is why I chose this version of the recipe. And while it would seem the gooeyness comes from a similar process last week's Almond Toffee Bars, since these remained gooey and not brittle, the texture and taste were different, resulting in a very yummy snack/breakfast/dessert. We may or may not have just eaten this standing over the counter and pulling off pieces of bread while the dog sat at our feet anxiously waiting for nuggets to fall.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients

3 cups Biquick mix
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

Note: Penzey's Baking Spice is pictured, but I ended up not using it. I thought I would add it to the batter and didn't. Next time I would add a teaspoon to the batter to give the bread another level of flavor throughout.

In a large bowl, stir Bisquick, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, milk, vanilla and eggs until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a flexible cutting mat and divide in to 24 pieces. Don't worry if they aren't exactly even.

In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Spray a fluted pan with cooking spray and set aside. Note: I used a silicone pan and still sprayed it, just in case. A little extra spray won't hurt anything in this situation. Also, note that my pan has a design to it. For this recipe, it doesn't really matter if it's flat sided or not because the bread will make it's own shape.