Gluten Free Monkey Bread

CORRECTION:  I am really sorry, but I seemed to have given credit to the wrong blog for this wonderful recipe.  I got this monkey bread recipe from Paleo Parents.

This past weekend we went to a friend's house for dinner, and we were all supposed to bring something that would be good for brunch.  I knew I wanted to make something sweet, but I did not have anything in mind.  Then I thought about the one time (at least that I remember) that my mother make a recipe called monkey bread.  I was 10 years old, and I had never heard of such a thing.  She made it for a Temple function, and it was so delicious!  I remember that it was fun to pull it apart.  I went online, and I found that Paleo Parents had a monkey bread recipe.  This is my version.

Gluten Free Monkey Bread

2/3 cup dried dates, pureed
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vanilla

almond flour (divided into 1 1/2 cups and 1 cup)
1 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt

3 egg whites

1/3 cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons shortening (cut and divided)
3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the bottom of a bundt pan with grapeseed oil.

Puree the dates, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in a food processor until it is combined.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of almond flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt.  Make sure that all of the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.  Add this to the date mixture, and whisk together until it forms a batter that is thick and dry looking.  Set this aside.

Separate 3 eggs and save the egg whites.  Whip them with a whisk until they form soft peaks.  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until the eggs are spread evenly throughout the batter.  Then gently mix in remaining almond flour using 1/4 cup increments, until the the mixture turns into a sticky dough.*

Sprinkle the bottom of the bundt pan with walnuts, 2 tablespoons of shortening, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. In a shallow bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.  Roll the dough into about 1 inch balls and drop it into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Roll the balls around the cinnamon/sugar until they are coated.  Add the balls to the bundt pan.  When all the dough is in the pan, top it with remaining shortening and cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  When it is done, allow it to cool for 20 minutes.  Turn the monkey bread out on a serving platter.  It can be eaten warm or at room temperature.  Since I was bringing it to a friend's out, I served this at room temperature.  It was absolutely delicious.

This recipe was made with a lot of help from my son.  My husband and daughter went out to run a few errands, so I asked my son if he wanted to help me.  He promptly agreed.  So, I put on some music and we got down to business.  We had a lot of fun working together, and the results were amazing.  My friends said the monkey bread reminded them of cinnamon and sugar donuts.  They did not taste like they were made with almond flour.  I was extremely pleased with these results.  I hope you enjoy making this recipe with your family and friends.

Enjoy!

-Cassidy

*My son was helping make the monkey bread, and I realized that this was the perfect time for an impromptu math lesson.  I showed him that we needed four 1/4 cup measurements of flour to equal 1 cup.  I took out a small plastic container and filled it with water.  I gave my son a 1/4 cup measuring cup.  I had him count how many times it took for him to fill 1 cup.  This was a great visual lesson to introduce my son to fractions.