Monkey around with the likes of canned biscuit dough, a stick of butter, and gobs of cinnamon-sugar, and you've got a mountain of fatty calories. I knew that the nutrition analysis of the traditional monkey bread recipe would show that—but 960mg of sodium per serving surprised me.
To build a better base, we give the premade biscuits a pass—they're high in sodium and contain trans fats. Instead (and here's where convenience takes a backseat to quality), we start with fresh, homemade dough, made with nutty whole-wheat flour and delicately sweetened with orange juice and honey. In place of the stick of butter, each bite is dipped in a combo of milk and butter, then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. A finishing drizzle of cream cheese icing sends this treat over the top in taste—with about 80% less sodium and saturated fat than the original.
THE CLASSIC
556 calories per serving
960 milligrams sodium
13 grams saturated fat
THE MAKEOVER
234 calories per serving
184 milligrams sodium
2 grams saturated fat
