Warning! This is so incredibly bad for you, but tastes so ridiculously good that you aren’t even going to mind not being able to fit into your pants on Monday morning. I’ve made Monkey Bread quite a few times the traditional way — with refrigerated biscuit dough, but last weekend I got a very naughty idea. What if I followed the same basic premise but substituted cinnamon rolls for the biscuits? [Cue evil scientist laughter].
To make this breakfast treat even more fabulous I sprinkled walnuts and cranberries amidst the cinnamon and sugar coated dough before baking. Then I heated the pre-packaged icing and drizzled it over the top of the cooling mountain of bellyache producing sweetness. When paired with a great cup of coffee you have a seriously sinful Sunday morning on your hands. Enjoy! Just make sure you set your alarm a bit earlier on Monday so you can run around the block a few dozen times.
Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread (based on the Grands Monkey Bread Recipe found at Pillsbury.com)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
2 cans Pillsbury refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
Cinnamon Roll icing
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan.
In large plastic food-storage bag, mix sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Separate dough into 16 rolls; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
Mix brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and butter; pour over cinnamon roll pieces.
Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate. Warm the packaged icing in the microwave briefly (20-30 seconds) and drizzle over the bread. Pull apart to serve. Serve warm.
Note: Can be reheated in the microwave the next day.