This chocolate and cream cheese stuffed monkey bread starts with canned biscuits and it just couldn't be easier! Bake layers of biscuits, pecans, and a quick, buttery praline sauce until the outside is sweet and crunchy and the inside is rich and gooey.
8ouncescream cheesefull fat not low fat or non-fat
¼cupmini chocolate chips
½cupwhite sugar
½cupbutter
1cupbrown sugarpacked
½cuppecanschopped
1teaspoonvanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚F
Spray the inside of a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or bake release spray. Set aside.
Cut biscuits in half and set aside.
Cut the cream cheese into 32 equal pieces.
Flatten each biscuit and place one cube of cream cheese and a few chocolate chips in the center of each.
Fold the biscuit dough around the cream cheese and chocolate to enclose completely.
Form into a ball.
Add the sugar to a large bowl.
Roll the dough balls in the sugar.
Add the brown sugar and butter to a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave on high for 60 seconds - stopping halfway to stir.
Remove from microwave and stir until it reaches a caramel consistency.
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
In the prepared bundt pan, sprinkle half of the pecans, half the dough pieces, and drizzle half the caramel glaze. Repeat with remaining pecans, dough, and glaze.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and turn upside down onto a plate to cool for 10 minutes without removing the bundt pan.
Remove the bundt pan and serve warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
Expert Tip: Be sure to spray your bundt pan well with cooking spray to help it remove cleanly.
It's easier to form the dough into a round ball around the filling if you flatten the dough and then form a little cup to hold the filling before pinching the top together.
You can use regular chocolate chips but the mini chips are easier to work with.
If you don't have a bundt pan or angel food cake pan a tube pan will work. I've also make this in a 10-inch deep dish pie pan.
The monkey bread is done when the outside is golden brown and the caramel sauce has started to bubble.
Save some of the chopped pecans to sprinkle on top for more flavor and presentation.
When you first remove it from the oven, don't cut into it right away. Turn upside down on a serving plate and let it cool for about 10 minutes so that everything sets up and all the gooey goodness slides out of the pan.
Make sure the cream cheese is very cold when you are ready to cube it.
My monkey bread was still doughy after 35 minutes. Be sure to separate a few of the dough balls to see if it's thoroughly cooked before removing from the oven.