Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Go Bananas for this Cast Iron Monkey Bread Recipe

By
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!

Related

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:

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:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. After cracking the biscuit tubes open, cut each piece of dough into quarters.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
3 Fancy Casserole Recipes to Up Your Cooking Game
Nelly’s Pastitsio

As cooking from home has become a necessity, we’re constantly looking for ways to make our time in the kitchen more fun and delicious. And although we love spending hours cooking up something super gourmet, it’s not always how we can — or want — to occupy our time. Enter the casserole, a one-dish wonder that you likely ate when you were young, served by moms, grandmas, and aunts everywhere. While your mind may wander to throwbacks like tuna noodle casserole (which we love, btw), really anything that comes together in a baking dish can be considered a casserole. So we chatted with some of our favorite chefs and cookbook authors to snag a few fancy casserole recipes that will definitely up your cooking game when you’re looking for a little inspiration.
Nelly’s Pastitsio

“Pastitsio is a very popular baked pasta dish that is said to have origins in Venice, Italy,” Anna Francese Gass, author of Heirloom Kitchen, says. “After tasting it, I immediately thought that this dish tastes as if lasagna Bolognese and fettuccini Alfredo had a delicious love child.” In her cookbook Heirloom Kitchen, Gass features recipes from 40 immigrant women who brought their cooking to the United States. Nelly’s Pastitsio is a perfect dish if you’re looking for the ultimate comfort meal.

Read more
Explore the whiskey lover’s choices for National Cocktail Day
Cheers to the day with the iconic cocktail spirit
Wyoming Whiskey

With today being National Cocktail Day, we've already covered some great drink options for vodka lovers. But if you're a whiskey fan -- particularly if you usually drink your whiskey neat -- then this can be a great excuse to try mixing with this spirit too. Whiskey has such a powerful flavor that it doesn't need to be used in large amounts to have a big impact on a drink, but even in small amounts it can add a depth and complexity to a drink that no other spirit offers.

If you're considering raising a glass tonight, then these suggestions for Wyoming Whiskey are sure to hit the mark.
Banana Old Fashioned
Ingredients:

Read more
Cocktails aren’t just for familiar spirits — try out these liqueur and cognac options too
Work with orange liqueur and cognac for some less typical drinks
Courvoisier

As today is National Cocktail Day, it's the perfect excuse to get our some of your lesser-used bar ingredients. While most of us turn to the traditional bar staples of whiskey, gin, or rum, there is also plenty of space for exploring with other options, and these recipes from Grand Marnier and Courvoisier make use of orange liqueur and cognac for an unusual twist on some familiar drinks.
The Grand Margarita

Ingredients:

Read more