Monkey Bread – this easy version uses canned biscuits, butter, and brown sugar for an easy breakfast! A sweet treat for breakfast

monkey bread piece

WHAT IS MONKEY BREAD?

Monkey bread is a pull-apart bread made with biscuit dough coated with sugar and cinnamon and baked with a buttery brown sugar sauce in a Bundt pan. You could just use a 9×13 pan if you don’t have a Bundt pan.

HOW TO MAKE MONKEY BREAD

canned biscuitsStart with biscuit dough. Quarter each biscuit.

biscuit doughIf you’re making gorilla bread, fill the center with cream cheese. The difference between monkey bread and gorilla bread is that each biscuit is stuffed with some cream cheese.

canned biscuitsRoll each ball in cinnamon sugar.

canned biscuitsPlace them in a Bundt pan.

canned biscuits with brown sugarPour your brown sugar/butter mixture on top.

monkey breadBake for about 30 minutes then let cool for a few minutes before inverting.

MONKEY BREAD WITH CREAM CHEESE

In 2005, I was living at my moms with Austin trying to save money while John was in Miami trying to secure a spot on the team. For four months I lived there. In order to maintain my keep, I pitched in cooking when I could.

There were seven of us in transition living with my parents at the time so we had quite the crew to cook for. My mom and I tended to get in ruts with the same old meals so every Thursday she dubbed “Fantastic Thursday” in which we had to venture out and make something new that we found online or in a cookbook.

I remember on a certain Fantastic Thursday we attempted this Gorilla bread for dessert. Gorilla bread is monkey bread stuffed with cream cheese.

As we were opening the biscuits my mom’s can exploded and biscuits rained all over the kitchen. She screamed like a little girl! We laughed so hard.

gorilla bread

GORILLA BREAD

Gorilla bread is monkey bread on steroids. Cream cheese is stuffed inside the biscuits then the outside is covered in butter, cinnamon sugar, and nuts.

OTHER BREAKFAST RECIPES:

monkey bread

Monkey Bread

5 from 1 vote
Monkey Bread - this easy version uses canned biscuits, butter, and brown sugar for an easy breakfast! A sweet treat for breakfast.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits, quartered
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, (optional for gorilla bread)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, (optional)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • If making gorilla bread: Cut the cream cheese into 24 equal cubes. Press the biscuits out with your fingers and place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit, wrapping and sealing the dough around the cream cheese.
  • Sprinkle nuts on the bottom of the pan if using. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll each of the biscuit pieces in the cinnamon sugar. You can even put them all in a bag and shake them with the cinnamon sugar. Place balls in the Bundt pan. Keep leftover cinnamon sugar for the next step.
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of leftover cinnamon sugar over low heat, stirring well; set aside. You just want to barely dissolve the sugar. Pour over biscuits.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate on top and invert to serve. Serve warm.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
gorilla bread
monkey bread