Quick Maple Pecan Monkey Bread

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/3 cup maple or pancake syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Two 12-ounce cans buttermilk biscuits
(refrigerated type)
One 8-ounce brick cream cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 12-cup bundt cake pan or 10-inch angelfood cake pan (tubed type) with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle pecans evenly in prepared pan and set aside.

2. Melt 2 tablespooons of the butter in small microwaveable bowl.  Add syrup and stir until well blended.  Drizzle over pecans and set aside.

3. Melt remaining butter and set aside.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in saucer or shallow dish and set aside.

4. Cut cream cheese brick into 20 cubes, roll cubes in cinnamon-sugar mixture until evenly coated all over.

5. Place one cream cheese cube in the middle of each biscuit round and gather up sides to enclose filling. Press edges together to seal, then dip the top of each ball in butter, then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

6. Arrange half the balls, cinnamon-sugar side up in the prepared pan.  Repeat with a second layer of balls.  Drizzle balls with any remaining butter and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar.

7. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cook 1 minute in pan before inverting onto serving plate.  Scrape remaining pecans out of the pan and spoon over bread.  Serve warm.