Monkey Bread Recipe (in a muffin pan) - Dessert for Two (2024)

Monkey bread recipe, made entirely from scratch! It's a small batch recipe baked in a muffin pan to make monkey bread muffins instead of a bundt pan.

I promised you lots of purple, green, and yellow sprinkles, and today, I'm delivering. If you're not as jazzed about Mardi Gras as I am, then you can certainly leave off the sprinkles. They're more for panache than actual flavor.

Monkey bread recipe is the first recipe I ever made by myself. I made it in home economics in middle school. In Texas, everyone (boys and girls) takes home ec. one semester, and then wood working the next semester. If I remember correctly, everyone liked home ec. better---even the boys. The reason is probably this monkey bread. Would you rather have splinters or monkey bread? The answer to that question is always sugar, isn't it?

This might be the world’s most perfect recipe: biscuits doused in butter, sugar and cinnamon, and then baked. You can’t mess this one up.

Monkey bread recipe:

However, most of the time, a monkey bread recipe calls for canned biscuit dough, and it makes a giant bundt pan-sized dessert. It's a delicious dessert, or even a great make-ahead brunch item, but I want to cure the monkey bread craving even without canned biscuits. If I cure a craving for something sweet and avoid making a giant batch, it's even better for me!

This recipe makes 4 monkey bread muffins in a muffin pan instead of a bundt pan. This is the small muffin pan I use now that has 6 cups. Personally, I can eat two muffins on my own, and my husband doesn't have any problems with the other two, ever.

I made homemade biscuit dough for this monkey bread recipe. There's hardly a store-bought biscuit package small enough to serve two, but also: homemade is always better, always. You can quote me on that.

I rolled the dough into twelve balls, each slightly smaller than a ping pong ball, doused them in cinnamon sugar, and popped 3 into each muffin cup. The recipe for the brown sugar butter sauce came to me in a dream one night, and it was destiny that they topped these cinnamon biscuit bites.

Monkey Bread Recipe

Monkey bread recipe from scratch, baked in a muffin pan.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
⅓ cup milk (I use 2%)

For the syrup:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Optional topping:

¼ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
purple, green and yellow sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375, and lightly grease 4 cups in a muffin pan.*
In a shallow dish, stir together the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and set aside.
Next, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Next, add the shortening and butter, and cut it into the flour with your finger tips or a pastry cutter. The fats should be evenly distributed throughout the flour, and no large pieces should be visible. We're essentially making biscuits.
Next, stir in the milk until a dough forms. Don't over work the dough; stir until it just comes together.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces (press it flat in the bowl, then score it with your hands into four pieces). Divide each piece into 3 balls. Roll the dough balls between your hands, then roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat for all of the dough.
Place 3 dough balls in each muffin cup. If there is any sugar-cinnamon mixture left, sprinkle it over the muffins.
Next, make the syrup by melting the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together. You can do this in the microwave or a small pan. Pour the mixture evenly over the 4 muffins, then bake for 14 minutes.
Finally, whisk together the optional topping (if using): whisk powdered sugar and milk together, and drizzle over the freshly cooked muffins. Top with colorful sprinkles and serve.

Notes

*See below for a small muffin pan.

Did you make this recipe?

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Monkey Bread Recipe (in a muffin pan) - Dessert for Two (2024)

FAQs

What can you use instead of a bundt pan for monkey bread? ›

I bake mine in one of the best Bundt pans, but a tube pan works, too. You could even bake it in a muffin tin for individual monkey bread "muffins." Wouldn't that be cute?! Just be sure to adjust the baking time.

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What American president made monkey bread popular by serving the dessert at the White House during Christmas? ›

During the 1980s, Nancy Reagan popularized serving monkey bread during Christmas by making it a staple of the Reagan White House Christmas. Mrs. Reagan acquired the recipe from her fellow actress Zasu Pitts.

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What is monkey bread made of? ›

Monkey bread is a sweet, gooey Bundt cake made from balls of dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. Arrange the dough balls in a Bundt pan, then top it all with a buttery brown sugar sauce before baking. Invert it onto a serving plate, then drizzle with creamy vanilla icing.

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Do I need to store monkey bread in the fridge? ›

™ Monkey Bread can be stored, tightly covered, on the counter for 1–2 days. To keep it fresh for 3–4 days, pop it into the fridge. And if you want to put a treat aside for future you, you can freeze monkey bread for up to two months.

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Can I use a 9x13 pan instead of a Bundt pan? ›

Can you bake a Bundt cake in a 13×9 pan? Yes—but don't overfill the pan. Be sure to leave about 1/2″ to 1/4″ of space at the top to give the cake room to grow. You'll also need to adjust your baking time.

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What is the real name of monkey bread? ›

Monkey Bread, aka Puzzle Bread, aka Hungarian Coffee Cake, may not have originated in the United States but in Hungary, where my paternal grandmother was born. And so, in my search for a dish that was previously unknown to me, I am somehow guided to an ancestral tradition. I think that grandmom would be pleased.

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What is a fun fact about monkey bread? ›

Recipes for the bread first appeared in American women's magazines and community cookbooks in the 1950s. During the 1980s, Nancy Reagan popularized serving monkey bread during Christmas by making it a staple of the Reagan White House Christmas.

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What nationality is monkey bread? ›

She heard the name monkey bread only after moving to Arkansas as a college student. Fazekas traced the dessert back to the 1880s, claiming that it was Hungarian immigrants who introduced it to the United States. Fazekas named Hungarian Jewish bakers as the heroes of the story.

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Why is my monkey bread doughy? ›

If the bottom of the pieces that haven't been exposed is still doughy, the bread needs to bake longer. If it's fully baked and no stretchy dough appears, it's ready.

Can you reheat monkey bread? ›

Reheating leftover monkey bread in the oven will yield the best results. Place monkey bread on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake at 250 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.

Can monkey bread go bad? ›

Storage: Monkey bread is definitely best served on the same day that it is baked, preferably fresh out of the oven! Any leftovers should be stored, covered tightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Who invented monkey bread? ›

Some say monkey bread evolved from Parker House rolls. Others attribute its creation to silent film actress ZaSu Pitts in the '40s.

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How do you preserve monkey bread? ›

Wrap cooled Monkey Bread tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil. If your have smaller leftover monkey bread sections, you can store them in airtight containers or freezer bags. Alternatively, you can freeze in smaller sandwich bags for individual servings. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Can I substitute loaf pans for a Bundt pan? ›

For almost all baking applications, you can freely substitute a bundt pan for a loaf pan, especially for quick breads like banana bread or pumpkin bread. I have often made my Thanksgiving cornbread in a bundt to get a more attractive presentation.

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Can I use a sheet pan instead of a Bundt pan? ›

Beautiful Bundt cake recipes can give the Bundt-less fear of missing out, or FOMO. Seeing an incredible Bundt recipe may lead some home bakers to ponder “Can you bake a Bundt cake recipe in a regular pan?” The short answer is a resounding yes!

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Can you substitute Bundt pan for regular pan? ›

The bottom line is, if the recipe is not for an angel food cake, chiffon cake or any filled cake, you should be safe converting a regular cake recipe into a Bundt cake recipe. And yes, you can make Bundt cake recipes in regular cake pans, too! Knowing these baking pan conversions is super handy.

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Can you substitute a Bundt pan for a cake pan? ›

Bundt pans have fluted sides and are less ideal for a chiffon cake or angel food cake, but are otherwise pretty interchangeable with tube pans, according to Lolley.

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