Description
This Easy Monkey Bread recipe features soft, fluffy biscuit dough pieces coated in a warm cinnamon-sugar-cardamom mixture, layered with chopped pecans, and drizzled with a rich caramel-like sauce made from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Baked to golden perfection in a Bundt pan, this indulgent treat is perfect for breakfast or dessert and best served warm.
Ingredients
Scale
Biscuit Dough
- 2 16 oz. packages refrigerated biscuit dough (Pillsbury Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits, not flaky layers)
Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Caramel Sauce
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (or salted and omit salt)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Other
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter for greasing the pan
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, ensuring all nooks and crannies are covered to prevent sticking. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped pecans on the bottom of the pan and set aside.
- Prep the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit into 4 quarters and roll each quarter into a ball to form fluffy, evenly shaped dough pieces.
- Coating and Layering: In a freezer-size plastic bag, whisk together granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Working in batches of about 12 dough balls, add them to the bag and shake to coat evenly in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Layer the coated balls evenly in the Bundt pan, adding pecans between layers 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. Immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract until sugars fully dissolve.
- Drizzle the Sauce: Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the dough balls in the pan, shaking and tilting the pan occasionally to distribute the sauce thoroughly and ensure it reaches the bottom.
- Bake: Place the Bundt pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes until the dough is cooked through; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the biscuits should read between 190°F and 200°F.
- Cool and Invert: Let the monkey bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a large plate. Use a pastry brush or spoon to brush any remaining caramel sauce from the pan over the top. Serve warm for best enjoyment.
Notes
- Use Pillsbury Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits that are fluffy, not the flaky layers variety, to ensure the dough holds together well.
- The bundt pan should be heavily greased to prevent the caramel from sticking in the crevices.
- Rolling biscuit quarters into balls is optional but creates fluffier and prettier pieces.
- Adding pecans is optional but provides a nice crunch and flavor contrast.
- If leftover caramel sauce remains after baking, brush it on top to enhance sweetness and moisture.
- Serve the monkey bread warm for the best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
