By Dustin and I have been texting all week. He came over for dinner Saturday night. Cody and Mama liked him. He stayed late and helped Cody fix the screen door that had been sticking since June. He stayed Saturday night on the couch. I made slow-cooker monkey bread Sunday morning because the Bundt-pan version takes oven time and the slow cooker version takes none of mine.
The math: two cans of biscuit dough $2.49, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans. Total: about $4.40 for a slow-cooker monkey bread that fed four of us with Aunt Tammy stopping by.
The technique is the slow-cooker bake. Quartered biscuit pieces tossed in melted butter and cinnamon-sugar, dropped into a buttered slow cooker insert, cooked on low three hours. The bread comes out steamy and pull-apart-able.
The recipe is below. The trick is the slow-cooker bake at low.
Slow-Cooker Monkey Bread
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 3 cans (7.5 oz each) refrigerated biscuit dough, cut into quarters
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (for glaze)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
- 2–3 tablespoons milk (for glaze)
Instructions
- Coat the slow cooker. Spray the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker generously with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. In a large zip-top bag or mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Toss the quartered biscuit pieces in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
- Make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
- Layer the bread. Arrange half the coated biscuit pieces in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour half the caramel sauce over the top. Repeat with the remaining biscuit pieces and caramel sauce.
- Slow cook. Place a double layer of paper towels under the slow cooker lid to absorb condensation. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the dough is cooked through and the edges are set. Do not lift the lid during the first 2 hours.
- Make the cream cheese glaze. While the bread cooks, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches a thick but drizzleable consistency.
- Serve. Turn off the slow cooker and let the monkey bread rest for 5 minutes. Place a large platter or cutting board over the slow cooker insert and carefully invert to release. Drizzle generously with cream cheese glaze and serve warm, pull-apart style.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 63g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg