Skip to main content

Go Bananas for this Cast Iron Monkey Bread Recipe

By Sam Slaughter Published April 19, 2018

Tomas Patlan/The Manual

A staple of American households since at least the 1950s (and Hungarian households even before that), monkey bread is, as far as sweet treats go, pretty much a top five classic. Called Hungarian Coffee Cake by some, and aranygaluska by others (that’s a fact, Jack), the cake is as easy to make as it is to eat.

That being said, what goes into the monkey bread matters. For this monkey bread recipe, friend of The Manual chef Brandon Parsons (whom you may know from our Beards, Booze, and Bacon podcast’s Holiday and 420 episodes) adds hazelnuts and dates for a little extra sweetness and crunch to an already delicious cake.

Recommended Videos

If you listened to the 420 episode, you’ll know that this monkey bread was enhanced with a cannabis infusion, bringing everything to an … ahem … higher level. If you’re in a state where it is legal to do so, we encourage you to listen to the episode and try the special version of this recipe!

Finex Cast Iron Monkey Bread

1 of 4

manual podcast beards booze bacon cooking with cannabis and chef brandon parsons monkey bread 6 — Tomas Patlan/The Manual

manual podcast beards booze bacon cooking with cannabis and chef brandon parsons monkey bread 5 — Tomas Patlan/The Manual

manual podcast beards booze bacon cooking with cannabis and chef brandon parsons monkey bread 4 — Tomas Patlan/The Manual

manual podcast beards booze bacon cooking with cannabis and chef brandon parsons monkey bread 3 — Tomas Patlan/The Manual

Equipment:

Finex 5-quart Dutch Oven with Lid

Ingredients:

3 cans buttermilk biscuits (the non-flaky kind)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Spiceology granulated honey
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
.5 cup brown sugar
.5 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed
3 tbsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
After cracking the biscuit tubes open, cut each piece of dough into quarters.
Combine the cinnamon and Spiceology honey granules in a 1 gallon Ziplock bag. Toss the quartered biscuit dough into the bag and zip tight. Shake the bag until all of the pieces are coated evenly with the mixture.
Mix the dates and hazelnuts into the bag and spread the mixture evenly into the bottom of the Finex Dutch oven. Discard the excess honey/cinnamon mixture.
In a sauce pot, melt the butter and incorporate the brown sugar over med heat until two become one. Stir constantly and be careful to not overcook the mixture. Pour the entire mixture over the biscuits.
Throw the lid on the pot and cook in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until there is no visible liquid in the pan. Once cooked, allow the monkey bread to cool for about 20 minutes before turning it out upside down onto a plate for serving. Enjoy!

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Topics

Recipes

Food & Drink

Blue Bottle just proved California can grow world-class coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee just dropped a super rare California-grown coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee

Coffee has always had its origins story – Ethiopia, Colombia, Panama. But California was never part of that conversation, until now. Coffee leader, Blue Bottle, has just launched the California Frinj San Diego Gesha, a washed Gesha grown in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties in partnership with Frinj Coffee, the pioneering network behind California's emerging coffee movement. Gesha is widely regarded as one of the most prized varietals in specialty coffee, known for its delicate floral complexity and fruit-forward character – and this one delivers jasmine, peach, and strawberry in a cup.

Up until now, many coffee brands would shy away from growing specialty-grade coffee in California, as it requires years of experimentation and innovation. For the past two decades, Jay Ruskey, founder of Frinj Coffee, has helped pioneer California coffee product through continual experimentation with innovative growing practices, coffee varieties, and post-harvest processing. Now, this exciting new launch finally reflects that work. Cherries from two California farms were processed at Frinj's wet mill in Ventura, using carefully controlled fermentation to result in an exceptionally clean cup of coffee. This new variety showcases the signature floral aromatics and bright fruit character of the Gesha variety.

Food & Drink

Dark rums for whiskey fans

These rums are a great choice for whiskey drinkers

rum bottles

There’s no disputing the appeal of whisk(e)y. Whether it's single malt Scotch whisky, bourbon, rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, or others. There’s something special about this barrel-aged spirit. But it’s not the only aged spirit, and if you’re limiting your sipping to this style, you’re missing out on some other special, flavorful spirit. Especially dark rum.

I’ve spent years imbibing the various forms of whiskey. But every now and then, I branch out and pour myself a glass of dark rum instead. Unsurprisingly, the two spirits have some of the same aromas and flavors. Since both are matured in wood barrels, they impart flavors like caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, and oak (among others). If you don’t already, you should branch out and add dark rum to your aged spirits rotation.

Food & Drink

Gins so good you’ll want to drink them neat

You might want to at least sip these gins before mixing with them

Tanqueray No 10

Gin is one of the only spirits that you see on a shelf, and regardless of the quality, you assume you’re going to take it home and mix it with other ingredients to make a cocktail. To many, the thought of drinking gin neat never even occurs to them. Even if they enjoy the juniper, floral, and botanical aromas and flavors of their favorite gin, they still prefer to mix it with other ingredients to make it more palatable.

But it also shouldn’t surprise you that some people enjoy drinking their gin neat or at least prefer a gin that they could drink neat if they chose to do so. Personally, I am one of those people. I enjoy gin so much that I try my best not to mask its flavors with overpowering ingredients. Sure, I like a good Gin & Tonic from time to time. But it’s definitely going to be heavier on gin than tonic if you know what I mean.