Crock Pot Monkey Bread

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 2-3-14**

This is one of those recipes that makes your house smell AMAZING while it cooks! Plus, it is an easy one to include your kids or grandkids in the prep for some extra fun and family time.

CROCK POT MONKEY BREAD

• 1 tube refrigerated biscuits
• 1/4 cup belted butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar

Cut biscuits into quarters with a knife or kitchen shears. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter in another small bowl in the microwave. Spray your crock pot with non stick spray. Take each dough piece and dip it into the butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mix, evenly coating the dough. Place into the crock and build up a pull apart bread in it. If you have leftover cinnamon sugar and butter, pour it all over the top!

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. I shifted some of it around after an hour to make sure each piece cooked evenly.

Scoop out and enjoy the warm gooey yumminess!!

Sugared Pecans or Walnuts

I am offering a bit of a different recipe for your crock pot this week. It is a nice treat for a holiday get-together. I love the roasted sweet nuts you get at fairs and festivals. This recipe is similar to those, but you can make them at home! I used pecans, but walnuts would work well too. I am posting the recipe I used, although I admit I tweaked it some. After I dusted them with the spices, although they were tasty, I didn't think they were quite sweet enough. So I dusted on some more powdered sugar while they were still warm (a small bowl with a lid helps that process a lot!). Then they were just right! be warned though, they are so tasty when they just come out of the crock pot all warm and buttery, they may not make it to your party :)

Crock pot Sugared Pecans or Walnuts

16 ounces pecans or walnut halves
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Turn slow cooker to HIGH about 15 minutes in advance. In hot slow cooker, stir together the nuts and butter. Add the powdered sugar, stirring to blend and coat evenly. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.

Reduce the heat to LOW and remove lid; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the nuts are coated with a crisp glaze. ***Make sure you stir often enough to prevent burning. I had a few pecan casualties on the bottom of my crockpot.


Transfer the nuts to a bowl. In another small bowl, combine the spices; sift over the nuts, stirring to coat evenly.


Let cool before serving (yeah right! Good luck with that!).