Monkey bread is a delicious dessert (or breakfast, if we’re being honest) that originates from Hungary, where it is often served as a coffee cake. In the States, monkey bread is more of a caramel-y dessert hybrid between cinnamon buns and cake.
There are many ways to dress this dessert up: Add chopped nuts! Add raisins! Add a chocolate drizzle! ...but that being said, I like mine plain and simple and very cinnamon forward.
You can also absolutely make this completely from scratch, but as most of us are often short on time, I am presenting an easier shortcut version:
You will need:
2 cans uncooked biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands)
½ cup white sugar
4 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie seasoning
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick of butter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Choose a cooking vessel* and grease liberally.
Cut the biscuits into quarters**. In a large resealable bag, add the white sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Working in batches, place the cut up biscuits into the bag, zip, and toss in the sugar mixture until coated. Place these in the greased pan.
Melt butter in a sauce pan over very low heat so as not to burn. Once the butter is completely melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the brown sugar. Pour this mixture over the sugared biscuits.
Bake for 20-30 minutes- you’ll need to keep a close eye on this to avoid burning. The monkey bread is done when the biscuits have browned and the pan does not wobble in the middle.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then use a spatula to loosen the sides of the dessert from the pan. Flip the bread out so the beautiful caramel topping can be seen and served. I like mine warm with a cup of coffee!
*Most recipes recommend a bundt style pan, but I prefer my bread to have an even distribution of caramel coating, so I use a standard 13 x 9 baking pan.
**If you’re doing this with kids, they can tear the biscuits into pieces and it will be just as delicious!
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