Description
This Easy Monkey Bread recipe features soft, fluffy biscuit dough coated in a cinnamon-cardamom sugar mixture, layered with chopped pecans, and drizzled with a buttery caramel-like sauce. Baked to golden perfection in a Bundt pan, it's a delightful, shareable treat perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Pan Preparation
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter for greasing
Dough and Coating
- 2 (16 oz.) packages refrigerated biscuit dough (Pillsbury Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits - non-flaky)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Caramel-Like Sauce
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (or salted butter, omit salt below)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heavily grease a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan with softened butter using a pastry brush or crumpled wax/parchment paper to cover all crevices. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and set aside.
- Prep the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit into 4 quarters using a pizza wheel or knife, then roll each quarter into a small ball for fluffier and more uniform pieces.
- Coating and Layering: In a freezer-size plastic bag, whisk together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Working in batches of about 12 biscuit balls, add them to the bag and shake well to coat them evenly. Line the coated dough balls in the Bundt pan, layering pecans between the dough balls and offsetting pieces so they do not stack directly on top of each other. Reserve leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Make the Caramel-Like Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine half a cup of the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Remove immediately from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and continue stirring until sugars dissolve fully.
- Drizzle the Sauce: Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the dough balls in the Bundt pan. Stop occasionally to tilt and shake the pan gently to ensure the sauce covers all dough and reaches the bottom.
- Bake: Bake in the center of the oven at 350°F for 35 minutes until the dough is cooked through. Check with an instant-read thermometer; biscuits should reach an internal temperature of 190°F to 200°F.
- Cool and Invert: Let the bread cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a large plate to release the monkey bread. If any sauce remains in the pan, use a pastry brush or spoon to glaze it over the top. Serve warm for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Use Pillsbury Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits labeled as 'fluffy' rather than 'flakes' for best results; flaky biscuits may fall apart during baking.
- This recipe yields 8 servings, making it perfect for sharing at brunch or as a dessert.
- Letting the monkey bread cool slightly before inverting helps it hold its shape and prevents burning from hot caramel sauce.
- Chopped pecans are optional but add a nice crunch and nutty flavor.
- If you use salted butter for the caramel sauce, omit the additional salt to prevent over-salting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
