Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe

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Level up your monkey bread with this extra easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread.

We’ll use Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls to simplify the process. You’ll never make monkey bread the same way again!

– Ashton
Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Level up your monkey bread with this Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread. This recipe is extra easy because you don't have to start from scratch. Instead we'll use Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls to simplify the process. You'll never make monkey bread the same way again!

Ingredients

  • 3 cans Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls dough
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. honey

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400º. Grease a bundt pan well, and set aside.
  2. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a large zip to bag.
  3. Open the cans of cinnamon roll dough. Cut each cinnamon roll in 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place about half of them into the zip top bag. Shake to coat the dough.
  4. Place the coated dough balls in the bundt pan. Place the remaining dough balls into the bag and repeat coating. Place all of the dough in the bundt pan.
  5. In a small bowl, microwave the butter, brown sugar, and honey for 1 minute. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the dough balls in the bundt pan.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dough on the outside is brown and the center feels “set” when you lightly push on it.
  7. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and then invert onto a plate. Drizzle Cinnabon frosting over top before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 305

Monkey Bread Recipe – FAQ

What is monkey bread?

Monkey bread is a food consisting of small pieces of soft dough baked or microwaved with uncooked flour and melted butter, then mixed together and served warm.

Are there any other names for Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is similar to sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, and sticky buns. A type of bread, it is also known as Tennessee bread, Georgia biscuits, pull-apart bread, pinch-me cake or monkey puzzle bread!

Every cook has his own recipe, but generally, it consists of a similar mixture of ingredients. It is also customary to dip teacakes into tea or coffee. However, I would not recommend doing that with Monkey Bread!

The names “monkey bread” and “sticky bun” are used interchangeably in US English. The name may refer to the shape of the baked item or its appearance.

This pastry is also known as coffee cake in Western Pennsylvania; this may be the most common name in parts of the Midwest.

A similar confection in the United Kingdom is called “teacake”.

Shortbread is another name for sweet yeast-based doughs that are rolled out and cut into shapes before baking, but shortbread is usually dense and does not include uncooked flour.

What is the origin of monkey bread?

Although the origin of this dish is unknown, it has been suggested that it originated in Germany or Denmark, while others claim that it was invented by a baker from New York.

The German name for this pastry is “Schweinekrapfen”, meaning “pig’s dumplings” (it is unclear whether or not the name refers to those consumed by monkeys).

The Danes have a similar pastry named “Æbleskiver”, which translates as “apple slices”. This may be related to the use of apples in the American version.

Monkey bread was popular in the United States around 1970 and remains well known as a coffee cake served by restaurants and bakeries throughout the country. In New York and other places, coffee cake is a common term for desserts consisting of doughnut-like circles, chunks or slices.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_bread

Does monkey bread have to be made in a bundt pan?

Nope! You can make monkey bread in just about any type of baking dish. The bake time will vary based on the size and type of dish that you use, so be sure to account for that. 

How long is monkey bread good for?

Monkey bread can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to three days. Refrigerating it will not extend the shelf life any further; however, you can freeze it and heat it up whenever you feel like eating some monkey bread!

Do you put nuts in Monkey Bread?

You can put nuts in Monkey Bread. Whether you want to or not is up to you, but if you do decide to add them, I would recommend pecans.

What kind of sugar do you put on top Monkey Bread?

The best kind of sugar to use is white granulated sugar. This makes for a better-tasting dish, in my opinion. You can also use brown or raw sugar if that’s what you have; this will still taste good but not as sweet. However, I do not recommend using powdered sugar or anything else of the sort.

Monkey Bread is also sometimes served with maple syrup on top instead of granulated sugar. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can try adding some up to your liking. It tastes great!

They say that there are two kinds of people in this world: people who like sugar on top of their monkey bread, and people who don’t. I’m part of the former group, but if you are looking for more variety in your life, try adding some maple syrup to your Monkey Bread! If it is something you enjoy, there are plenty of ways to incorporate this tasty breakfast pastry into everyday life.

Source: http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/monkey-bread-recipe 

What is the difference between monkey bread and cinnamon rolls?

Monkey bread and cinnamon rolls are both pastries that consist of pieces (or “balls”) of dough, which are then baked until golden brown. The primary difference lies in the way they are created; whereas cinnamon rolls contain rolled-out dough that is then cut into individual portions, monkey bread contains balls of already-formed dough.

Monkey bread is most commonly baked in loaf pans, but it can also be made in muffin tins. The loaf pan produces a more uniform product; however, the muffin tin allows you to turn small pieces of dough into very large treats (think “brawling monkey”).

How do you make monkey bread from scratch?

I love a good shortcut recipe when I don’t have the time or energy to make it from scratch. But for those times you want truly homemade monkey bread made totally from scratch, I got you covered.

You can still follow the same basic outline of the recipe in this post; but instead of cinnamon roll dough, make a batch of this Quick Dough and cut the dough into small pieces before coating in the cinnamon sugar. Additionally, you’ll need to incorporate a little bit of time for the dough to rise if you want soft and fluffy bread.

How can you tell when monkey bread is done?

It can be a little tricky discerning when monkey bread is totally done. You don’t want the middle to be doughy, and you don’t want the outside to be burned. It’s a delicate line to walk, but it can be done! Fortunately, there is a simple way to tell.

Gently press the top of the monkey bread. Very little resistance (it should be obvious) means the center is still doughy and not done. Continue to bake and re-test for 5 minutes at a time.

Monkey Bread & Cinnamon Rolls Recipes

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58 thoughts on “Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe”

  1. That sounds great but you don’t tell us how to make the Cinnabon frosting that we are supposed to drizzle on top???

  2. I’m trying to pin or save this recipe via zip list so I can find it for Christmas morning but can’t seem to do it. Help!

  3. This looks fantastic! However, if, for some crazy reason, I was reading your lovely blog from Australia, what would be a good substitute for 3 cans Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls dough? Hope you can help! Thanks for your time! 🙂

  4. Quick question. Can the prep be done the night before? Want to make Christmas morning but don’t want to be working while opening presents!! Thanks.

  5. Someday you will be a diabetic. It’s a sure thing, mark my words!
    But, lol, I’m on this site because I’m a rebellious diabetic already!

  6. Quick question – if I think 3 cans of this stuff will be WAY too much for my little family, and want to scale it down, what sort of pan do you think would work for 2 cans? Just a smaller cake pan maybe? Thanks!

  7. Love your idea of frosting, any good frosting (white) drizzled over monkey bread after done would be great. I have been making monkey bread from a recipe I found in newspaper 25,yrs ago or more. I use four cans pillsbury dough. Here in californiavpillsbury has a 4 pack just for use monkey bread lovers. I am makingv 3 of them for Christmas gifts. I am gonna frost one &try it. Main key is to stay with the oven at 15 min. & keep watch on it don’t cook much more than 20 -25 mins. If you have an acurate oven less is betters so it is gooey. I made one for my sons work & the small staff & w owners ate it & my son called us in few mins of dropping it off saying they ate it all and wanted more & he didn’t get ny. He said someone btrought one they made &. It was horrible. He told them his mom made killer monkey bread. They keep begging so I am taking 2 over for them fresh made & hot…….love your recipes & website….keep up the good work.i am from Tennessee & my mom moved back there & made my monkey bread. & everyone thought it was amazing…….. Merry Christmas & thanks. ………Linda waters

  8. Ok – YES DELICIOUS!!!
    And makes the house smell so wonderful on Christmas morn!!!
    Many wonderful memories and conversations will be made over this monkey bread in our family.

    Thanks for posting this, I totally pinned it.

    -Patty (fanta4two.com)

  9. Well my new years resolution was going well…until this made it onto my pinterest feed. Worth the entertainment for my two little girls, though…it’s in the oven baking. Can’t wait to indulge!

  10. I really like the recipe, except that after 25 minutes the dough is still raw…so far mine has been cooking for 40 minutes and it still wont stay together

    • I have found there can definitely be some variation with different bundt pans and even between gas vs electric ovens! I’ve baked it for up to an hour and 10 minutes in a gas stove when I used 4 packs of cinnamon rolls instead of 3. If you cover it with foil and continue to bake it, testing for doneness with a toothpick every ten minutes (after about 50 minutes), it’ll turn out alright!

  11. Hi, I had 3 different cinnabon packages in my store, did you use the 5 roll packs (not grands), the ten roll packs (not grands), or the 5 roll pack that are grand biscuits? Thanks in advance!

    • Honestly… I’m kind of thinking it was an 8 pack… which doesn’t match up to what you said, so I’m probably remembering wrong! But, really, it doesn’t matter too much. Just be sure to cut the dough down into approximately 2″ chunks, and don’t fill the bundt pan more than halfway with dough 🙂

  12. Did this yesterday using Cinnaon’s new mini bites and it was a huge success! Didn’t have to cut them p and ended up with lots more little bites. Thanks for this easy and awesome recipe!!

    • Hard to answer this as I NEVER feel like the store bought rolls are dry! I didn’t think this turned out dry either…. but I’m thinking you and I may have different dry “meters” 🙂 Sorry I can’t be more help!

  13. These came out so gooey, and delicous. I didn’t add the canned frosting, because they were perfect as is. Thanks for the great recipe!

  14. Made this last night DELICIOUS!!! Looking for more great recipes on it site. Thanks for the recipe an it was easy.

  15. I made this recipe tonight with my 4 year old daughter, and I have to say… This turned out AMAZING!!! Thank you for this creative and fun recipe! The only change I made was using maple syrup instead of honey, honestly because I was out of honey and it was too late to run to the store again. I’m excited to have this in my recipe files! Thanks again!

  16. Of course! It’s in the Pillsbury biscuits case with all other doughs (pizza dough, cookie dough, Grands biscuits). It’s called Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Cinnabon Style…some have cream cheese icing, some don’t. Look for it!

  17. I had a lot of cinnamon & sugar left over after coating the dough. I wondered if you did as well & what, if anything did you do with it…throw it out?

  18. I think it would serve a lot of people better if you link (you don’t even have to create) a recipe on how to make the cinnabon dough from scratch. Thanks!

    • That’s a totally different recipe than what I’m trying to showcase here. If you’d like, I have two from-scratch doughs in my sidebar that could be used in place of the canned dough 🙂

  19. This is the most delicious monkey bread recipe I have ever tried and I’ve tried lots of them. I have made it many times and it’s often requested by my adult daughter when she wants something special cooked by mom. My office co-workers are always excited when it’s my turn to bring the “treats” to our Friday morning meetings because I usually bring this. Yumm!!

  20. Thank you for sharing this recipe – it is absolutely the best!! I came across the recipe probably about 4 months ago and have made it at least a dozen times or more for family, friends & co-workers and everybody has raved about it. It’s so easy and tastes so good!! Thanks again for sharing it!

  21. do we have to use the brown sugar/butter glaze!? just wondering cuz im pregnant, its late and dont wanna run to grocery store just for brown sugar lol 

  22. Hello! I made this last night and it was a huge hit! One problem I had though was I thought there was too much of the brown sugar sauce on it and it made it too caramely. Is that normal for it to harden up like that or did I do something wrong?? Everyone else liked it anyway, but I’m wondering if there’s a way to fix that problem. Thanks in advance. 🙂

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