Like, all I want to do is pop bottles of champagne and throw money in the air and act all sorts of ridiculous because OMG you guys – this Monkey Bread is everything.
Everything!!!!!
It’s no surprise that my fingers are rather sticky while typing this, because duh! – You can’t keep your hands off this damn bread. Honestly at this rate I don’t even think physical restraints would work, I’d probably just gnaw right through them like some sort of possessed werewolf. I mean, I literally had to force feed myself a bottle of rosé last night just so I would pass out and not eat anymore Monkey Bread.
Who lives like this?
I know I often make dramatic claims of not being able to stop shoving food in my face, but this is by far the most severe case I’ve ever suffered. Like, I don’t even know how to begin explaining the 12 million different reasons you need to eat this, it’s that obnoxiously good.
I guess I’ll start with the booze.
Between me and you (and the rest of the internet for all eternity) I’ve been wanting to do a bourbon/brown sugar combo for quite a long time. It just sounded like a match made in heaven, ya know? Plus I love alliterations, plus I live with a bourbon aficionado, so there’s always some lying around the apt. Of course I hemmed and hawed over how and when this duo was going to come into play – melodrama! – but then I stumbled upon Monkey Bread, and I had a vision.
Well, actually, first I eye-rolled at such a ridiculously named recipe, because I can’t miss an opportunity to throw shade. But when I got over myself and looked a little deeper, I realized this could be something great. This could be where my bourbon/brown sugar pairing could finally come to life. This could be greatness!
And then? Then I decided to add bacon.
BOOM.
I knoww. Epic move, right?! I guess it’s just apart of that alliteration thing, I wanted to sneak in one more “B” and bacon was the one to do it. And good lord, did this little addition weeeerk. My three B’s came together to make this Monkey Bread the most major-league treat ever, you will seriously die when you try this. It’s like your basic Monkey Bread, but on steroids!
(Which is what you do in the major leagues anyway, right?)
This recipe has it’s fair share of moving parts, but overall I’d call it pretty easy. Cooking up the bacon takes an extra step than normal, but you can cut up the biscuits and grease your bunt pan while it cooks, so the timing is still fluid. When it comes to the bourbon, I’d enlist something high quality, because that taste is going to come through in the finished product. Dave wasn’t too happy that I used his expensive stuff, but it’s only 2+ tablespoons worth, so I ignored him and did what I wanted anyway. The bourbon doesn’t lend a boozy flavor per se, though again you can definitely taste it. It’s more what it does to the other components, playing off the bacon and brown sugar and thickening the overall glaze into sticky icky gooey perfection.
Dave referred to this (I think) as a giant cinnamon roll/cinnamon bun/donut. Frankly his mouth was stuffed so full I practically had to call an ambulance, so it’s hard to know exactly what he was saying. But the gist is definitely that this is a sweet & savory buttery legend, ya dig?
And best of all, can you really beat a treat you can pull apart with your hands? It’s like letting you be a savage, but in a totally acceptable way!
There’s pretty much nothing better than that.
Bourbon, Bacon, & Brown Sugar Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cans Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits 15oz each
- 8 oz Bacon
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 3/4 cup Butter
- 2 1/2 tbsps Bourbon
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- Crisco & Cooking Spray to grease
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, chop bacon into chunks. In very lightly greased skillet, brown bacon over medium heat until just beginning to crisp, ~10 minutes. Drain as much fat from skillet as possible, then transfer to paper towel lined bowl to cool.
- While bacon cooks, dice each grands biscuit into four quarters. Next, combine white sugar and cinnamon in Ziploc bag, then add in grands and shake all ingredients until each biscuit is evenly coated. Set aside.
- Thoroughly grease metal bundt pan* with Crisco. When ready, add in about half the biscuits, then sprinkle with a layer of bacon. Further top with remaining biscuits and bacon, then set aside.
- In small pot melt butter over medium-low heat before whisking in brown sugar and bourbon until smooth. Evenly pour mixture over biscuits, then bake at 350F for 30 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, then flip over on cake plate and immediately serve.
Notes
