During the corona-virus quarantine, I’ve seen a lot of people become top chefs. My Instagram and Twitter feeds are filled with people perfecting their sourdough starter, making those fancy cakes that have candy inside, and even those tiny pancakes people are eating like cereal (weird but I respect it). While I haven’t quite reached that level of lock-down chef, I have been spending a lot more time cooking and baking for my boyfriend and I during this time.

We love eating adventurous foods and trying new cuisines, so I have had to get creative in the kitchen so that at least our taste buds feel normal. While I’m pretty proud of the dishes I’ve whipped up during this time, there is one dessert in particular that has become a fan favorite of my quarantine crew: My cast iron monkey bread. My friends at school go so crazy for it that in all the times I’ve made it in the past months, there is only one time that it actually survived long enough to go onto plates (most times everyone just digs into the pan!). While this skillet treat is a hit, it’s super easy to make and is affordable! Here’s how I make it:

Ingredients:

1. Two cans of flaky Pillsbury biscuit dough 
2. One can of cinnamon rolls (doesn’t matter the brand)
3. Two sticks of butter 
4. One cup of brown sugar
5. Half a cup of sugar
6. Three tablespoons of cinnamon (plus more for the top)
7. Cast iron skillet 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Melt butter into a bowl and set aside
3. Mix sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and set aside 
4. Cut biscuits into quarters, then roll the quarters into balls and set aside 
5. After greasing your skillet, place cinnamon rolls onto the bottom of the pan, forming a crust    
6. Take the biscuit pieces and place into butter, then roll into the sugar mixture, then place into the skillet
7. Repeat until all the biscuits are done, then press them together in the skillet forming a dense bread
8. Bake in the skillet for about 20 minutes or until the top of the biscuits are golden and firm
9. Let the skillet rest for 10 minutes before serving with extra cinnamon and ice cream

This monkey bread has been my guilty pleasure during quarantine and I hope you find it just as easy to make and even easier to enjoy as I do. I’m going to be sharing more recipes here soon, like my chicken tortilla soup, homemade pastas and other dishes since it doesn’t look like we are able to leave the house anytime soon! Stay tuned for more and enjoy!

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