When I asked for ideas for using up canned biscuit dough a few days ago, I never quite expected to get over 450 responses! I almost wished I’d picked up more than 12 cans as now I have biscuit dough recipes running out my ears.
But alas, I only had 12 cans, so I decided on making Melt In Your Mouth Coffee Cake and Monkey Muffins since I had all the ingredients on hand to make both of those. We had a dinner to attend last night so I figured those would be perfect to bring to it.
The Monkey Muffins were so easy to make–especially with my handy-dandy kitchen scissors!
The Melt In Your Mouth Coffee Cake was a snap to make as well. But word to the wise: be sure to put a pan underneath your pie plates. I made two of these and they leaked brown sugar goop all over the bottom of the oven.
Do you know what brown sugar goop does when it leaks onto the oven floor? That’s right, it catches on fire.
I wasn’t paying much attention and all of a sudden happened to notice an orange glow emanating from the oven window. The brown sugar goop was ablaze!
After sequestering the children far away from the oven, I pulled the almost-baked coffee cakes out, turned off the oven, shut the oven door, and waited to make sure the fire went out. All the while, my 5-year-old daughter was hollering “There’s an e-mer-gen-ceeee!!” all throughout the house. It was a prime opportunity to reiterate what you are supposed to do when there’s a fire.
The coffee cake turned out wonderfully, despite the fire. My husband called it delicious–and I was even pretty impressed that canned biscuits could turn into something so scrumptious.
Now I just have to figure out how to get my oven to stop stinking and smoking!
Hannah says
I’d like to know how to get a good deal on biscuit dough. The only coupons I can find are usually 35 cents on two, and even when a store has triple coupons I can’t even get one of the two for free with that coupon.
Kelly says
There are silicone oven liners that work great – you put them under your oven coil and if anything spills, once cooled you just take out the liner and rinse it off in the sink. I found some at the Christmas Tree Shop for $5.
jennifer says
Is it wrong to say that I am glad to read this. I caught my oven on fire this morning making a piece of toast. YES TOAST!!!
My Hubby called me in to the other room, and I forgot. Now my house smells too!
Great minds blunder alike!!!! LOL!!
Kimberly says
This is a funny story. My husband and I both volunteer at our local fire department. This made me wonder, especially with the age of your kids, does your family have an “escape plan” just in case? Do your kids know what the smoke detector sounds like? You could use this experience as a way to help make your family safer!!
chefjuls says
hummmm #8 of the coffee cake says to use cookie sheet under incase it leaks…SMILE. My ADULT son has caught my oven on fire twice that I know of.He has issues with pizzas and NEW ranges…sigh.
Jennifer says
I buy the 2 pack of cookie-sheet sized foil pans at the Dollar Tree, (*unwrap* them ;o) leave them stacked) and place them on the bottom rack of my oven. I leave them there at all times so if something should spill over all I have to do is throw the top one away! They’ve come in handy many, MANY times. =o]
Heidi says
My favorite thing to do with biscuts is to make doughnuts. The only ingredients, biscuts, oil, and coating. The coating can be powdered sugar, cinnamon&sugar, sugar, whatever…
Just roll out each biscut and make a small hole in the middle for the doughnut hole. I usually use a melon ball end to make my middle cut. Heat oil (canola, veggie) on the stove and add a few doughnuts at a time. You will not want to leave them in the oil long, just long enough to brown slightly. Flip over and do the same thing. Then drain on paper towels. While still warm place doughtnuts and doughnut holes in a plastic or paper bag and coat with you favorite coating. I just give then a few shakes and then pull them out. YUM!! These are a Saturday morning favorite at my house.
Annette says
Thanks for the monkey muffins recipe! My hubby loves anything resembling cinnamon rolls, so I’ve been experimenting making them instead of buying the premade ones. I made these this morning and they were a hit! I can usually get the biscuit dough cheap, so this is a great option. 🙂
MamasPeyton says
this post was hilarious! Thank you for the laugh today. Happy cooking!
Cassie says
I had this happen about two weeks ago and I happened to be on the phone with my friend, she told me about this great product from WS, I need to order it, but she said you just put it on the bottom of your oven and it comes out when you have a spill and cleans up super easy…GREAT!
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/nonstick-oven-liner/?pkey=x%7C4%7C1%7C%7C4%7Coven%20liner%7C%7C0&cm_src=SCH
MrsD05 says
A few summers ago, within one month my oven caught on fire three times. I had been cooking for years and it hadn’t happened up to that point and it hasn’t happened since. I don’t know WHAT was going on with me!
Glad everything worked out and everyone is ok! It is so scary when that happens!!
Amy says
That is crazy. I really thought oven fires were just for tv, and who would have thought that your baked goodies would cause a fire? Learn something new everyday I guess.
heather horton says
hey! I caught my oven on fire two weeks ago when I tried to make filet mignon at home for our “Dave Ramsey style” date night. Was in disbelief when I saw the flames! You made me feel much better. You’re my hero!
Laura Martin says
Another tip for quick oven clean-up… I have the bottom of my oven lined with wide heavy duty aluminum foil… when I have a spill… out comes the “gooped up spill” and in goes a new sheet of aluminum foil!
AnneStrawberry says
I started putting a baking sheet under my muffins and cupcakes so they would cook more evenly but now I do it with just about everything- cobblers, cakes, etc- because overflowing and cleaning the oven in the worst! Glad everyone was okay! 🙂
Jennifer says
@AnneStrawberry,
In case you don’t see my post below… I buy the 2 pack of cookie-sheet sized foil pans at the Dollar Tree, (*unwrap* them ;o) leave them stacked) and place them on the bottom rack of my oven. I leave them there at all times so I only have to remember everytime!
Rae says
Aww that’s cute. When in the world did that girl get so big? She’s 5 already? :O
Candi says
So funny! This happened to me last month during cooking day…except it was on TOP of the stove in a burner…something was in there, still not sure what it was, it charred beyond recognition.
As for getting the goop out, I used to clean apartments for a living and the best thing to do is get a stainless steel scrubber from the store (Chore Boy is one of the brands, I think) and a razor blade. Not the most glamorous cleaning tools but they work 🙂
Marie says
You are so funny! “The brown goop was ablaze…”
jeanne says
Canned biscuits = Bubble pizza at my house.
Just spray a 9×13 dish. Tear 2 cans of biscuits into small pieces bake for 12- 15 minutes according to temp on can. Take out of oven top with favorite pizza toppings– Can freeze at this point — then bake for another 12- 15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!
Lucky says
Oh no! I’ve been there too — twice in 2 weeks actually. I got it cleaned up using the self clean thing, but the smoke smell took a while to go away. I made a few baked goods and my husband asked me why they tasted like grilled steak.
Jennifer Kaiser says
Lol! That sounds just like a scene from a movie 🙂 Fire, child running around yelling…. 🙂
You’ll probably have to totally clean your oven, or else put up with smoke and a burnt smell the next few times you use your oven.
Elizabeth says
Just a reminder: if you have a fire in your oven, turn off your oven but DO NOT open the door. The fire will burn itself out from lack of oxygen, but opening the door can make the fire much worse. It’s hard to remember in the middle of an oven fire NOT to open the door, but it’s important!!!!!
fairydust says
ROFLOL!!!!!! Great story – glad everything worked out okay 🙂
Jen@balancing Beauty and Bedlam says
OH NO!!! I am SO GLAD you loved the recipe, but yep, it does go all over if you fill the recipe to the brim….hmm….so I must have left that off my directions. Oops. That’s what I get when I make up recipes. 🙂
Claire says
Thanks for posting what you made! Glad you enjoyed the two you tried out. I hope the oven recovers!
Lisa says
Do these freeze well? I am new to coupons, freezer cooking, etc, and don’t want to mess this up! LOL!
Abundant Living says
You are not alone! I, too, had a kitchen fire. You can always throw baking soda on it, and it will put it out. I did the self-cleaning oven, and then I used baking soda and water to get the rest up.
Also, if you stick cinnamon sticks in a glass of water, it naturally deodorizes a smoke smell. The school I taught at had a fire, and the smell had leaked into my classroom. A lady stuck a glass of water with cinnamon sticks, and it seriously worked. =)
jenny says
I was going to say use baking soda–but I see several have suggested it as well. I am amazed by the cleaning power of baking soda and it is very budget friendly as well! Also, I line the bottom of my oven with two sheets of Aluminum foil–if I ever have a spill over all I have to do is pull out the foil and throw away.
Jessi says
Yummy!
When we caught our (electric) oven on fire, DH used a fire extinguisher to put it out. (It was a grease fire from onion rings). Maybe just turning it off and shutting the door would have worked, but how can you second guess someone’s decision to stop the house from burning down?
Anyway, fire extinguisher dust was EVERYWHERE, and we found that vinegar will clean everything. Maybe that will help you get your gunk out of the oven? (Also- our oven became the cleanest it’s ever been.)
The only thing we had to get rid of after cleaning the entire house of the dust (man that A/C works fast to circulate air) was the toaster. We couldn’t figure out how to clean it.
Liz says
Sorry for your misfortune…but thanks for making me laugh first thing in the morning!
Ellen says
Glad that everything is fine. I’ve had that happen to me too and once on top of our flat cooktop stove. Something dripped onto the heating element (I had already taken my pan off) & a little flame appeared. Even that little flame caused a moment of panic.
Theresa R says
Just made the Monkey Muffins (still licking my lips). They were scrumptious! Didn’t have sweetned condensed milk so I mixed confectioner’s sugar and milk and drizzled it over the top. My hubby loved ’em!!!
April says
Leave it to our children to turn an event like a burning oven into a funny memory. 🙂 At least your coffee cake still came out good!
Lacey says
I didn’t have a bundt pan, but wanted to make monkey bread. So, I instead used an angel food pan. Same result as yours! The sauce seeped out at the bottom and started a fire!!
Sherri says
@Lacey, Been there, done the exact same thing. Freaked me out BIG time! Thankfully, my oven was near the kitchen door so I could air out afterward.
Denise C. says
If your oven is really sticky and goopy, use Easy Off oven cleaner. There is a fume-free version. Make sure your oven is COLD. Spray the cleaner and let it sit .The longer it sits, the easier it will be to clean up. The monkey muffins look delicious! 🙂
ruth swartz says
hey i just read your post and i too had my oven on fire a few weeks ago and it was bad. only problem i had bread in the oven that was by no means done yet so i just wanted to share a tip with you. when you have a fire or grease spill or any spill for that matter just carefully open the oven and sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the drippings and it will stop the fire . it smothers it. use a long spoon or just dump from the box. and then here’s the neat thing. when you are done baking your item turn you oven off and pour enough vinegar on the charred remains and soda to wet it . let it sit 10 minutes or longer and every thing should come right off your oven floor. no harsh chemicals needed. reapply soda and vinegar if you did not get it all the first time. i love your site Ruth Swartz
Laura Jane says
Oh my! That story actually makes me feel a little better because last Saturday we were having company and I was making an Earthquake Cake. I’d made it several times, but this time the sticky butter/cream cheese/sugar mixture leaked out all over the oven, onto and all around the heating element, and, yes, there was a small fire. To make matters worse, I still had to bake the lasagna that we were having for dinner. The kitchen and living room were filled with smoke. We had to open all the windows and put fans in them to get it out.
Connie says
“There’s an e-mer-gen-ceeee!!” – OMG, that made me laugh! My hubs is a fire fighter so he’s always putting a fire extinguisher on the kitchen counter when I start cooking. He thinks it’s funny 🙂 I’ve not gotten flames yet, but lots of smoke.
So glad everything and everyone was ok, but from now on I’m going to hear, ““There’s an e-mer-gen-ceeee!!”” in my head every time the smoke detector goes off! 🙂
Denise Gee says
I’m a Box Tops coordinator, so I couldn’t help but notice the Box Tops on the cans of biscuits. Do you cut off the Box Tops and give them to someone who saves them? They are worth 10 cents each to a school or other non-profit organization.
Sandy says
Just a helpful hint. The next time you make monkeybread, wrap the bottom of the pan in foil. The butter/brown sugar will stay in the foil but no fire! (I learned the hard way too)
Heidi says
salt. lots and lots of salt poured on the stuff and then once it cools it should scrape right off with minimal scrubbing. It worked on some nasty cheese and whatever else mixture I spilled and burned to the bottom of my oven!
Beeb says
That’s hilarious! I’m glad that it all turned out OK. I think the mess in the oven should burn out eventually? Maybe try some of that special foam oven cleaner?
Marie says
That coffee cake looks delicious!
Very funny story – loved the part where your 5-year-old daughter was hollering “There’s an e-mer-gen-ceeee!!” all throughout the house.
Nicole says
I need to clean my oven as well. I am going to try the baking soda (with water or vinegar) method.
Holly says
Oops! Just found them! Click on the names and it takes you to the recipe!! THANKS!!!
Sirena G says
yes i would love the recipes, i just went out and bought 6 cans 🙂
Holly Lawson says
Can you post the recipes?
Kristin Call says
lol first time I made an apple pie….flames. 🙂 thanks for reminding me of that. http://www.callmekristin.com/down-in-flames/
kelley says
great memory to write in the book! use baking soda on the oven!
Wendy says
@kelley, I actually bought a Wilton oven liner at Kohl’s that you put on the bottom rack of your oven, it catches all the overflow, and is a breeze to clean! I don’t remember the cost, but with a coupon it was pretty reasonable and worth every penny! Just a thought all you fire-catchin’ spillers!!! 🙂
Challice says
Two days ago my daughter put her wooden blocks in the oven trying to bake some bread. I thought I had removed all of them until I smelled some sort of sickening burnt rubber smell. Yep, she had stuck one of her blocks in a ziplock bag and it had melted everywhere. I still cant get it cleaned out. Everytime that oven is on I smell it. My hope is that its only been two days… surely the smell will dissapate soon enough right?