Fitness / April 15, 2023

Easy Monkey Bread

Get ready to go bananas when you sink your teeth into Monkey Bread — soft and sweet little balls of dough sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with icing sugar.

Table of Contents

Where were you when you discovered Monkey Bread? These are the moments that stick with you. Speaking of “stick” (see what I did there?), your fingers will be coated in icing sugar and cinnamon within seconds of these treats coming out of the oven. If you’ve always had a soft spot for the softness of Pillsbury’s baked goods, you’ll love this recipe for Monkey Bread.

Why is it called Monkey Bread? Yeah, the jury is still out on that one. Maybe because it’s a communal dish that everyone pulls apart — similar to how monkeys eat their food? It doesn’t matter. What DOES matter is that you try this recipe immediately. Soon you’ll be bringing it to pot lucks and putting it out for your own parties. Between bites your guests can come up with their own theories as to why it’s called Monkey Bread. It’s a dessert AND a conversation starter. How many baked goods can boast that!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This monkey bread is the ultimate party snack for the crowd! The cinnamon-spiced biscuits are irresistible and will make everyone want more — especially the kids!
While it tastes the best when eaten on the same day, leftovers take on a denser texture, which I absolutely love (and you will too!)
It takes next to no time to make and only requires a handful of ingredients, making it the perfect last-minute dessert for when you’ve been racking your brain for party treats and have nothing to show for it.

Is This Healthy?

It’s a sugar-coated dessert so no, it shouldn’t become a part of your daily diet. That said, there are few ingredients and generally, the simpler the recipe, the better the dish. And while it is coated in sugar, it is also coated in cinnamon, a spice that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. I’ve also done you a solid by adjusting the recipe for traditional monkey bread, as it will not be cooked and soaked in sugar syrup.

INGREDIENTS

See? Only a few ingredients, 4 of which I promise you you already have in your kitchen.

The Dough:

1 can biscuit dough (Pillsbury Grand)
2 tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tbsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt

the Cream-cheese glaze:

½ cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cream cheese
½ tbsp milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 6 muffin cups with parchment paper.

Mix

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon powder, and salt. Set aside.

Coat

Cut the biscuits into bite-sized pieces. Pour the melted butter into a bowl. Dip each biscuit dough piece in the melted butter then coat with cinnamon sugar.

Bake

Fill each muffin cup with the coated biscuit pieces. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven until the biscuits are cooked. Transfer the monkey bread muffins to a cooling rack and let them cool down.

Combine

Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese glazing. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and melt over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and serve warm.

Variations

One of the benefits of such a simple recipe is that it grants you room to play with the ingredients (not literally. I’m not suggesting you play catch with the dough.). But what you CAN do is add fresh fruit (berries work best) or chocolate chips to your monkey bread (one of these options is considerably healthier than the other; I’ll let you figure out which is which). Also, if you like gooey desserts, forgo the sugar coating and replace it with caramel sauce. Or if you want that jolt that only sugar can provide, use both!

FAQs

How do I know when the bread is done cooking?

The cooking time will vary depending on the size and shape of the pan. I recommend placing the pan in the middle of the oven and cooking until the top is golden brown. You can also use a thermometer. The internal temperature should show 190°F.

What is monkey bread exactly?

Monkey bread is a bite-sized piece of dough baked with sugar and cinnamon. The most common variation is bread made with butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

How do you eat monkey bread?

You can just slice the bread into bite-sized pieces. No need to complicate this one: just pull apart pieces from the bread and eat them with your fingers.

How to Store Monkey Bread

Let the monkey bread come to room temperature then place it in an airtight container. It’s recommended the bread is stored on the counter; storing it in the fridge will accelerate the staling process. That said, if you want to store it for much later, you can freeze monkey bread. First wrap it in aluminum or plastic then put it in an airtight container. It should keep for up to 3 months. To warm it up, let it thaw for a few hours at room temperature then place it on a baking sheet or in an oven-safe dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Heat it in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes.

Easy Monkey Bread

Get ready to go bananas when you sink your teeth into Monkey Bread — soft and sweet little balls of dough sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with icing sugar.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings

Calories 942kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

The Dough:

1 can biscuit dough Pillsbury grand
2 tbsp butter melted
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tbsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt

The Cream-Cheese Glaze:

½ cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cream cheese
½ tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 6 muffin cups with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cut the biscuits into bite-sized pieces. Pour the melted butter into a bowl. Dip each biscuit dough piece in the melted butter then coat with cinnamon sugar.
Fill each muffin cup with the coated biscuit pieces. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven until the biscuits are cooked.
Transfer the monkey bread muffins to a cooling rack and let them cool down.
Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese glazing. Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and melt over MEDIUM-HIGH heat.
Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and serve warm!