Salted Monkey Balls Recipes

Steps:

• Knead dough.
• Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
• Pinch off dough into walnut-size balls.
• Roll in melted butter, then in sugar-cinnamon mixture.
• Place in butter-greased bundt or angel food pan, in layers.
• Sprinkle nuts over each layer, if desired.
• Pour remaining butter and sugar over top.
• Let rise, about 10 minutes.
• Bake in 325 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes.
• Invert onto plate while still warm.

Steps:

• Combine the yeast, water and sugar and let set about five minutes until the yeast is activated. Mix in the milk, butter, egg and salt, and begin adding the flour in about 1/2 c (71 g) increments until it hold together. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead about fifteen minutes, adding more flour as needed. Place into a well-oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Make filling (below) while the dough rises. After the dough has risen, dump it onto a lightly floured surface. Gently flatten the dough with your fingers to redistribute the air slightly. Pinch off a walnut-sized ball of dough, then flatten into a round. Fill with about a 1/2 tsp of filling (below) or sprinkle the center with cinnamon and sugar. Fold up edges into a ball shape, pinching seams to seal. Set on a lightly floured tray and cover. Repeat until all of the dough is gone, then place the formed monkey balls in the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours. After the dough has rested, place it in an cool oven, along with a small boiling pan of water. Wait half an hour for the dough to warm and rise slightly. Meanwhile, heat oil to 365F (185C) and prepare a cooling rack by resting it upside down on a pile of paper towels to soak up excess oil. After dough has risen for the final time, gently move two or three at a time to the hot oil. Fry about a minute on each side, then remove to cooling rack over towels, flipping after about 15 seconds to a clean area. Allow to cool slightly, then enjoy! Monkey Ball Filling It's completely fine to simply fill the balls with a dry mix of cinnamon and sugar, but I used the following combination. What can I say - I was channeling my inner Paula Dean! 1/4 c (59 g) butter, softened 2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 c (36 g) brown sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla Beat the butter until slightly aerated and add the cinnamon and brown sugar. Beat until light, about five minutes, then add the vanilla. Whip briefly to combine, then use.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter; set aside. (NOTE: It's important to thoroughly grease all of the little cracks and crevices of the Bundt pan, especially at the bottom where all of the sticky caramel gathers as the cake bakes. The better you grease your pan, the easier it will be to extract the cake when you're ready to serve.).
• Remove biscuit dough from packaging and separate into individual biscuits. Tear each biscuit into 3 pieces and use your hands to roll them into balls.
• Working in batches of 3 or 4 at a time, drop dough balls in the bag of the cinnamon mixture; seal bag and shake until dough is coated. Arrange dough in greased Bundt pan and repeat process with remaining balls. (Alternatively, if the dough starts sticking to together in the bag, you can dip the dough balls int one at a time to ensure they're thoroughly coated with sugar and cinnamon.) Set aside while you make the sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, melt both sticks of butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar, heavy cream, and 1 tsp of sea salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continuously whisk ingredients for about 3-4 minutes, until mixture is well-combined and the brown sugar is completely dissolved. (NOTE: Salted Caramel Sauce can be made in advance and chilled for up to 2-3 days. When you're ready to use it, just microwave sauce for 30 seconds to restore it's syrup-like consistency).
• Remove saucepan from heat and carefully pour 2 cups of the warm caramel sauce over the dough balls in the Bundt pan; save the remaining sauce for serving.
• Transfer Bundt pan to oven and bake the monkey bread for about 30 minutes, or until the bread is puffy and golden brown.
• Remove Bundt pan from oven and allow to rest for no more than 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate or cake stand (with a plate underneath it to catch any sticky drippings).
• Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the monkey bread. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste just before serving (optional).