Pull-Apart Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

3/4 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
1/3 cup maple-flavored or pancake syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cans (12 oz. each) refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cut into 20 cubes

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly on bottom of prepared pan; set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in small microwaveable bowl. Add syrup; stir until well blended. Drizzle over pecans in pan; set aside.

MELT remaining 6 Tbsp. butter; set aside. Mix sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish; set aside. Separate dough into 20 biscuits; press each slightly to 1/4-inch thickness. Roll cream cheese cubes in cinnamon sugar mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Place 1 cream cheese cube in center of each biscuit circle; gather up sides of dough to enclose filling. Press edges of dough together to seal; roll into a ball. Dip top of each ball into remaining butter, then into cinnamon sugar. Arrange half of the balls, cinnamon sugar-sides up, in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining balls to form a second layer. Drizzle with any remaining butter; sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon sugar.

BAKE 30 min. or until golden brown. Cool 1 min. in pan; invert onto serving platter. Scrape any remaining pecans left in pan; spoon over buns. Serve warm.

*kraftfoods