Cinnamon Mini-Bites Monkey Bread

Sometimes I get a wild hair up my butt and think I should be Becky Homemecky, well maybe a mock version of her...don't get me wrong, I love to cook, from scratch, but baking is just not up my alley and I'm honestly not that good at it. I try, but my cookies always seem to turn out flat or hollow. When I cook, there is no recipe, I just seem to know what to add, however, baking is kind of like science, you really have to know what your doing. Even when I follow the instructions to a T, I get it wrong. So usually I just buy Schwan's frozen cookie dough and that is how I bake, except when I have them in the freezer, I eat them...raw...a lot of them...

I just can't help myself!

Aaannyyway, to get to my point here, the other night my kids had a couple friends stay over night. I was actually prepared and bought the Pillsbury Cinnamon Mini-Bites for breakfast since my kids think that is my best recipe ever. Plus, they think it is super cool that they can eat so many cinnamon rolls each. However, while I was sleeping I had a wonderful dream about making monkey bread out of the mini-bites. I know, who dreams about baking, especially when they don't really enjoy baking? Me, I guess. 

When I woke up to the giggles of the children, I headed down to my computer and Googled 'Cinnamon Mini-Bites Monkey Bread', I got nothing. Then I went to the Pillsbury website and searched recipes there. Again, nothing. So I went to some random website and found a generic monkey bread recipe and decided we would just try it out using the mini-bites rather than regular homemade cinnamon rolls. Like I said, I'm mock Betty Homemecky. 

Love short cuts! 

I need to think of a name for myself when I get in one of these moods...

So I enlisted my daughter and her friend and we started away.

First we started with 2 packages of the Pillsbury Mini-Bites. 

Then we used our already on-hand cinnamon and sugar mixture. I gave each of the girls their own paper plate with the raw mini-bites and their own bowl of cinnamon sugar to avoid conflict. Then the girls rolled each mini-bite in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Getting it coated nice and good.

Then we layered them in a no-stick sprayed bread pan.

Then we poured about half a stick of butter over the top! Yikes, lets not talk about this step, I'm not even going to put the naughty picture of this step! 

OK, OK, I'll put the picture. 

I mean, I took the picture so I couldn't let it go to waste! 

  I love butter, it makes me think of air popped popcorn and I soooo love that! But that is another post all together.

Sorry, again back to this post, then we baked them in a preheated oven at 375 degrees. 

Since I couldn't find a recipe I had no idea how long it would take. I think the original recipe said 40 – 45 minutes, but like I said, I don't bake so I had no clue. I set the timer for 20 minutes. Checked it and they were still gooey. Set it for another 10 minutes...still gooey. Set it for another 10 minutes...still a little gooey, but very close. Set it for 3 minutes and they were perfect. I don't know why I thought because I used mini-bites, that it would take less time, I mean I think the original recipe said to quarter the cinnamon rolls, so wouldn't that essentially make them mini-bites???? Really????? Sometimes I wonder about myself!

I took them out and drizzled them with the frosting that came with the mini-bites. 

They turned out sooo nummy! The kids all loved them, the hubby loved them. Everyone wanted more! 

I did serve them with my famous ham/Swiss/cream cheese scrambled eggs! 

See I told you I love to cook and make fun creations that everyone hopefully loves! So, do you enjoy baking or creating new recipes? What have you created lately?

~Amy