Cream Cheese Filled Monkey Bread

We are having more guests for the B&B.  This FORCES me to try new recipes for their breakfast.  Lee reminds me that they are different guests each time and so I can make the same breakfast and no one will know.  Good point.

So, naturally, I ignored him and made some monkey bread.  The impetus for this was a recipe for cream cheese stuffed monkey bread I saw when cruising on the Web,.  This is a dangerous activity and I have to stop it.  Any minute now.  I call mine cream cheese filled, instead of stuffed.  Sounds better to me.

So, naturally, I ignored my own advice and thought it might be a good addition for the B&B.  But you can't just make something like that for the first time when you are serving guests.  You must try it yourself.  Monkey bread is usually made in a Bundt pan.  I wanted to try and see if I could make individual servings.  I modified the recipe for just us and I will give you those amounts.  If you want to do the version in the Bundt pan, double the amounts and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Cream Cheese Filled Monkey Bread

1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
honey nut cream cheese  I used Philadelphia honey pecan
1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, 1/2 stick

 

Heat the oven to 350°.  I used some heart shaped ramekins and sprayed them with Pam.

 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

 

Unroll the crescent rolls and press the seams together with your fingers.  I did that and then I rolled it sort of smooth with a rolling pin. 

 

Cut the rectangle of dough into 3 horizontal rows and then 8 rows vertically. A pizza cutter is great for this.  Don't stress too much about them being even.  As you can see, I didn't.  On the other hand, my pizza wheel wiggles as I cut and I will blame it on that.

 

Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the flavored cream cheese in the center of each square you just cut. 

 

Press the seams closed and then form them into a small ball.

 

After you have filled all the squares and turned them into balls, roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place them in the prepared ramekins. 

 

I sprayed four ramekins, but only filled three of them.  Mine are kind of big.  If you have little ones, you can make more individual servings, but then you should cook them for less time.  I started at 15 minutes and then kept increasing it until they were done.

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the filled ramekins. 

 

Melt the butter, I used the microwave, and add the brown sugar.  Mix and pour over the filled dough balls.  Place them on a cookie sheet.  Mine bubbled over.  Burnt sugar in your oven is a pain to remove.  Use the cookie sheet.

 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes.  Use a spatula around the edges to loosen.  Place a plate over the top and carefully turn it over.  Remove the ramekins and let cool for 10 more minutes.

 

Monkey bread can be sliced, but the best way is to use your fingers, or a fork, and pull the balls off and pop them in your mouth.  Well, these balls are a bit more than a mouth full, so bite off half, chew, swallow and THEN pop the rest into your mouth.

 

Yum.  I'm not sure if I will use this version.  I also have some mini bread pans.  They might be nice, also.  Guess I need to make another batch for us....