This sticky, gooey, pastry is very popular to serve as a breakfast treat for company. Monkey Bread is usually made with bread dough covered in cinnamon, sugar, melted butter, nuts and baked in a Bundt pan. It’s traditionally served hot so the baked segments can be easily torn away with your fingers and eaten by hand. No wonder this dreamy pastry is sooooo good! Not very healthy for breakfast but hey you’ve got company! Good news though, I’ve recreated this normally high fat treat skinnier and easier to make by using reduced-fat butter, less sugar, nuts and starting with refrigerated biscuits. One skinny serving now has 190 calories, 6 grams of fat and 5 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. A full fat serving of Monkey Bread has 608 calories and 40 grams of fat! This delicious treat lends itself to lazy weekend mornings. Make it for family and friends or just because!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup chopped walnuts
3 (7.5 oz each) cans Pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light
¾ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon water
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray (I like the cooking spray with flour in it.)
2. Sprinkle the walnuts evenly onto the bottom of the pan.
3. In a bowl, mix together the ⅓ cup sugar and cinnamon.
4. Quarter each biscuit and roll each in sugar mixture. Place all pieces layered evenly in the pan.
5. In a small pan melt the butter, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Stir often.
6. Pour evenly over the biscuit pieces. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and while still hot carefully invert onto a serving plate.
8. Serve warm and let everybody pull off a piece.
Makes 10 servings (the skinny facts are based on 10 servings, which is really, really, generous. To cut calories and ww points, make it to serve 12-14!)
Food Fact
Monkey Bread, also known as Bubble Loaf, Pinch Me Cake, or Hungarian Coffee Cake, began appearing in woman’s magazines and community cookbooks back in the 1950s. The origin of the name is unknown, though it has been suggested the bread resembles the monkey puzzle tree whose prickly branches make it difficult to climb. Some feel the name derives from the act of pulling the pastry apart with their fingers. Much like monkeys would do if they were presented with such a treat.
Weight Watchers (old points) 4
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 5
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving 190 cal, 6g fat, 2g protein, 34g carbs, 1g fiber, 248mg sodium, 23g sugar |
| FAT FACTS: for 1 serving 608 cal, 40g fat, 5g protein, 61g carbs,1g fiber, 673mg sodium, 46g sugar |
