Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread (Printable)
Soft pull-apart cinnamon-coated dough baked in a bundt pan, finished with buttery brown sugar and vanilla icing.
# What You'll Need:
→ Bread Dough
01 - 2 cans refrigerated biscuit or cinnamon roll dough (approximately 28 ounces total)
→ Cinnamon Sugar
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
→ Butter Mixture
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
05 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Icing
07 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
08 - 2 tablespoons milk
09 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a bundt pan with unsalted butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Open the canned biscuit or cinnamon roll dough. For biscuits, cut each round into quarters. For cinnamon rolls, unroll and cut each into bite-sized segments.
03 - Combine granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Toss dough pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat all sides.
04 - Arrange the cinnamon-sugar coated dough pieces evenly in the prepared bundt pan.
05 - Mix melted butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour evenly over the dough in the pan, ensuring even distribution.
06 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown and the interior is set.
07 - Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a serving plate.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the warm monkey bread before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- You can sneak tastes of gooey, cinnamon-topped bread way before it cools—just don’t get caught.
- It’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser, whether you’re feeding sleepy brunch guests or grinning kids with icing on their noses.
02 -
- If you rush the cooling and try to flip too soon, you risk a monkey bread avalanche—patience is rewarded here.
- I discovered that adding the icing while the bread is just barely warm creates those dreamy pooled edges instead of dry streaks.
03 -
- Don’t panic if a few pieces stick—just patch the loaf together and drape icing over as camouflage.
- My not-so-secret trick: use real vanilla extract and don’t hold back on cinnamon for bold flavor throughout.