Pineapple Upside Down Monkey Bread

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I think two of the biggest appeals of monkey bread are that you can eat it with your hands, and it’s an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. What’s really fun is if you just put it in the center of the table and let everyone grab from it.

Why dirty plates, knives, and forks when it’s unnecessary? Also, I like to do that thing where I don’t feel guilty and don’t count the calories if I don’t actually put it on a plate. Anyone else do that?

Today’s monkey bread recipe was created specifically for Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. In the past, I’ve made classic pineapple upside down cake and slow cooker pineapple upside down cake, so this year I wanted to try something a little more unique.  I decided to make pineapple upside down monkey bread because monkey bread is kind of the same concept as pineapple upside down cake in that you invert the final product onto a plate so that the bottom becomes the top.

What I really love about this specialty monkey bread is that the dough seems to soak up the pineapple juices and it gives it a really unique taste – almost as if it’s a Hawaiian treat! And it looks so pretty with the pineapple and cherries on top!

Pineapple Upside Down Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1 cup brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Challenge butter, melted
• 1 cup maraschino cherries
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (or 3 cups fresh pineapple)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare tube pan or Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Open biscuit package and cut each biscuit into quarters.
3. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon in gallon size plastic bag.
4. Add biscuit dough to bag, seal it, and shake vigorously until dough is evenly coated with cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
5. Combine melted butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar; pour 1/2 mixture evenly into bottom of pan.
6. Distribute cherries on top of melted sugar mixture and then add pineapple chunks. Top with the cinnamon sugar-coated biscuit dough.
7. Pour remaining butter-brown sugar mixture over biscuit dough.
8. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes.
9. Invert monkey bread onto cake stand or large platter and serve.

Recipe adapted from Carla Hall of The Chew