I hosted brunch at my house last weekend and used the opportunity to tick off some of the pins on my "Breakfast for Every Meal" Pinterest board.  Number one on my list was to make monkey bread because friends have raved about it - both for its taste and for its simplicity.  Rather than making a whole loaf, I thought it would be fun to make individual servings. There are tons of recipes out there for this, even "skinny" versions, and I decided to go with the one direct from Pillsbury (not skinny!).

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cans (7.5 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare muffin cup pan with nonstick cooking spray
3. Mix butter and brown sugar together well and spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each muffin cup (save some if you can because I learned that the half that baked on top got a little dry, so pour all leftover butter/sugar syrup on the top before baking, or make extra syrup for this purpose)
4. Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bag or bowl.  Cut biscuits into 6-8 pieces, then cover in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Place enough pieces in the muffin cup to fill it
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
6. Cool 1 minute then turn upside down.  Serve warm

This Glazed Donut Muffin recipe comes from Sweet Pea's Kitchen.  If you're expecting a real glazed donut-y taste, you may be disappointed because this is much more of a muffin with cinnamon and nutmeg spices than a puffy, cake donut flavor.  I actually found myself wishing that I had a nice cinnamon muffin top to eat, since that is usually my favorite part of a muffin like this.  But the buttery glaze was a nice alternative.

Ingredients

For the muffins:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the glaze:
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp hot water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together softened butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until creamy
3. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat mixture
4. On low speed, add baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla until just combined, making sure not to overmix
5. Alternate between the flour and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour, until just combined - again don't overmix
6. Fill muffin cups with the batter and smooth tops
7. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden color and springy - about 15-17 minutes.  Rotate halfway through the baking time for even baking
8. Cool muffins in the pan for up to 5 minutes, then allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before glazing
9. Prepare the glaze by whisking the ingredients together in a bowl until they are smooth
10. Dip the muffin tops into the glaze and let drip, upside down, until lightly covered
11. Allow to harden, then consider dipping a 2nd time if desired

These muffins can be made a day in advance of a brunch.