Skinny Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread

It’s fall – the perfect time of the year for delicious pumpkin flavored baked goods. So … pumpkin lovers rejoice! This decadent sweet monkey bread really highlights the great flavors of the season. It makes for a wonderful brunch treat or dessert this time of year. One skinny serving has 190 calories, 6 grams of fat and 5 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS. It’s so easy to make and festively delicious!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Cooking spray with flour in it, see shopping tip

⅓ cup reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

¾ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon water

⅓ cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

⅓ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 (12 oz each) cans Pillsbury refrigerated buttermilk biscuits or Pillsbury Golden Layer Buttermilk Flaky Biscuits (100 calories for each biscuit)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour in it.

2. In a small pan, melt butter, brown sugar and water.  Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla.  Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir often.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, blend ⅓ cup granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon.

4. Quarter each biscuit and roll each in sugar mixture. Place ½ the pieces layered evenly in Bundt pan.

6. Spoon ½ of cooked sauce over the biscuit pieces. Place remaining ½ pieces of biscuits layered evenly in Bundt pan. If there is any sugar/cinnamon mixture left, sprinkle over top of biscuit pieces. Spoon remaining ½ of  cooked sauce evenly over biscuit pieces.

7. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit for about 5 minutes. While still hot, carefully loosen sides and middle of pan and invert onto a serving plate.

8. Serve warm. Slice into 16 slices and let everyone pull their slice apart to eat.  This monkey bread freezes great. Slice into servings and place in individual plastic container. Store in freezer.

Makes 16 servings (It’s so decadent tasting 1/16 of the recipe is very satisfying)

Food Fact
Monkey Bread, also known as Bubble Loaf, Pinch Me Cake, or Hungarian Coffee Cake, began appearing in woman’s magazines and community cookbooks back in the 1950s.  The origin of the name is unknown, though it has been suggested the bread resembles the monkey puzzle tree whose prickly branches make it difficult to climb. Some feel the name derives from the act of pulling the pastry apart with their fingers, much like monkeys would do if they were presented with such a treat.

Healthy Benefits
Pumpkin is a great source of beta-carotene. It also contains a hefty amount of fiber and a good amount of vitamin C and iron.

Shopping Tip
Cooking spray with flour is a great find for baking. It’s really a necessary when making these muffins. Once baked, they tend to stick to the pan. This spray makes removing the muffins easy. They’re are several brands that add flour and can be found in the aisle where cooking oils are sold. I like this type of cooking spray whenever I’m baking a cake or muffins.

Prep Tip
Make this monkey bread even more decadent tasting by adding heart healthy chopped walnuts. If you decide to add nuts, sprinkle a little in the pan before adding the biscuits and a little more in the middle of the biscuits. Yum!

Weight Watchers (old points) 4

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 5

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 slice (1/16 of recipe)
190 cal, 6g fat, 2g protein, 34g carbs, 1g fiber, 248mg sodium, 23g sugar

FAT FACTS: for 1 serving
608 cal, 40g fat, 5g protein, 61g carbs,1g fiber, 673mg sodium, 46g sugar

Find more delicious and skinny recipes on Nancy Fox’s website, Skinny Kitchen.