There’s something magical about pulling apart a warm, gooey pull-apart bread, especially when it’s Christmas-themed and filled with little surprises. This Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe brings festive fun and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness all in one go—perfect for your holiday gatherings or a cozy winter breakfast.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Why They Work
- Make It Your Way
- Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Top Tip
- How to Serve Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Final Thoughts
- Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I’ve made this Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe countless times around the holidays, and every single time, it disappears in minutes. It’s super fun to make, looks so festive, and tastes decadent without being complicated. Plus, hiding Hershey Kisses inside adds a delightful surprise that always brings smiles.
- Easy Crowd-Pleaser: The pull-apart nature means everyone can grab a piece and enjoy without utensils or fuss.
- Surprise Inside: Each bite hides a soft, melty Hershey Kiss that adds that little extra holiday magic.
- Festive and Fun: Sprinkles plus cinnamon sugar coating make it look and taste like a Christmas celebration on a plate.
- Perfect for Gifting or Parties: It makes such a lovely centerpiece and is a sweet treat everyone remembers.
Ingredients & Why They Work
The ingredients here come together like a warm holiday hug. The biscuit dough serves as a tender, buttery base, while cinnamon sugar creates that irresistible sweet crust. Hershey Kisses inside melt into little pockets of chocolatey goodness, and the buttery brown sugar drizzle ties everything together beautifully.
- Refrigerated biscuit dough: Using pre-made biscuit dough cuts down on prep time but keeps the texture soft and pillowy.
- Christmas sprinkles: These add that pop of festive color and a subtle crunch—do pick your favorites!
- Hershey Kisses: Unwrapped so they melt snugly inside each ball, giving delightful, gooey surprises.
- Granulated sugar: Mixed with cinnamon to coat the dough pieces for that sweet, spicy crust.
- Ground cinnamon: The spice that makes everything feel like the holidays.
- Unsalted butter: Melted with brown sugar to create a rich, caramel-like glaze over the bread.
- Brown sugar: Packed tightly for deep molasses flavor that caramelizes as it bakes.
Make It Your Way
I love tweaking this Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe depending on who I’m serving. Sometimes I use white chocolate kisses or even peppermint ones for an extra holiday twist. And if you want a bit more texture, adding chopped nuts into the layers can be a nice touch.
- Variation: One year, I swapped the cinnamon sugar for pumpkin pie spice, which gave it a cozy autumnal vibe that my family adored.
- Dietary tweak: You can substitute butter with coconut oil for a dairy-free version, though the flavor shifts a bit toward tropical.
- Seasonal change: Switch out Hershey Kisses for caramel candies or mini marshmallows for a different gooey surprise inside.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Step 1: Prep Your Space and Ingredients
First things first, preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your bundt pan really well with non-stick spray. Trust me, you don’t want your beautiful monkey bread to stick! I like to have all ingredients ready on the counter — this dish moves fast once you start assembling.
Step 2: Cut, Fill, and Roll the Dough Balls
Grab those biscuit cans and quarter each biscuit with a pizza cutter—it really speeds up the process instead of using a knife. Flatten each quarter slightly, add a kiss and sprinkle in a few Christmas sprinkles, then roll into a tight little ball. This part is so fun! Each ball is like a tiny gift waiting to be discovered.
Step 3: Coat the Dough Balls in Cinnamon Sugar
Mix the sugar with cinnamon in a large ziplock bag, then toss in a few dough balls at a time. Shake it up until each ball is completely coated in that sweet-spicy mixture. This layer creates the signature caramelized coating that makes monkey bread so addicting.
Step 4: Layer Balls in the Bundt Pan and Add the Brown Sugar Butter Sauce
Carefully place the coated dough balls in your bundt pan until they're all nestled in. Meanwhile, melt the butter and brown sugar together on medium heat until smooth and combined. Pour this luscious sauce over the balls evenly so it seeps in while baking.
Step 5: Bake, Cool, and Flip
Bake for 30-40 minutes, keeping an eye out for a deep golden brown top—this means the sugar is caramelized and perfect. When it’s out of the oven, let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then invert the bundt pan onto a plate, and watch that beautiful, sticky bread release with a satisfying plop. I always add a little extra sprinkle on top for the festive look before digging in.
Top Tip
From my many times making this Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe, I’ve learned a few insider tricks that make all the difference between good and unforgettable.
- Use a pizza cutter: Quartering biscuits can get messy and time-consuming—trust me on this one, the pizza cutter makes it quick and neat.
- Don’t skimp on greasing: This bread is sticky in the best way, so a generous coat of non-stick spray on your bundt pan avoids any disaster when flipping.
- Shake gently but thoroughly: Toss your dough balls in cinnamon sugar with care so each piece is fully coated but doesn’t lose its shape.
- Let it cool briefly before flipping: Pushing your luck and flipping too soon causes it to fall apart—patience really pays off here.
How to Serve Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Garnishes
I love sprinkling extra festive sprinkles on top for that sparkle effect. Sometimes I dust with powdered sugar for a snowy look, or drizzle with extra melted chocolate if I’m feeling indulgent. The little extra touches make it feel like a holiday treat worth savoring.
Side Dishes
This monkey bread pairs wonderfully with creamy hot chocolate or a spiced coffee. For a brunch spread, I serve it alongside scrambled eggs and fresh fruit to balance out the sweetness. If it's dessert, a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream works beautifully.
Creative Ways to Present
One year, I placed the monkey bread on a festive cake stand surrounded by pine branches and twinkle lights—instant holiday centerpiece! You can also pop little candy canes or edible glitter on top for extra sparkle. It’s fun to make the presentation as joyful as the bread is tasty.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I usually cover leftover monkey bread tightly with plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature—it stays fresh and soft for a day or two. If it starts to lose a bit of its freshness, reheating helps revive that warm, gooey magic.
Freezing
Freezing works surprisingly well for this recipe — I wrap it tightly in foil then plastic wrap. When you’re ready, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm gently in the oven. The texture stays pretty close to fresh, which is perfect for busy holiday planning.
Reheating
To reheat, I pop individual pieces or the whole loaf in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes, covered lightly with foil to prevent over-browning. This warms through the chocolate and softens the bread again without drying it out.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Homemade biscuit dough works wonderfully if you want to make your Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe from scratch. Just make sure it’s firm enough to handle filling and rolling without tearing.
Grease your bundt pan generously with non-stick spray or butter, and you can also dust it lightly with flour or sugar to create a barrier. Letting the bread cool for about 10 minutes before flipping helps release it cleanly.
Definitely! Mini chocolate chips, caramel candies, or even small marshmallows can be used, though melts like Kisses give the best gooey pockets without leaching too much liquid.
You can assemble the dough balls and store them covered in the fridge for a few hours before baking. Just let them come back to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before baking so they cook evenly.
Final Thoughts
This Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe has truly become a holiday staple in my kitchen. It brings out the nostalgic joy, the excitement of surprise, and the warmth of shared moments around the table. You’re going to love creating this festive treat, and I can’t wait for you to experience the smiles and happy messes it brings—you’ve got to try it for yourself this season!
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Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This festive Christmas Monkey Bread is a delightful pull-apart treat made with cinnamon-sugary biscuit dough balls filled with Hershey Kisses and colorful holiday sprinkles. Baked to golden perfection and coated with a buttery brown sugar sauce, it’s an irresistible holiday dessert perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Dough Filling
- 2 packages refrigerated biscuit dough, such as Pillsbury Grands
- Christmas sprinkles, as needed
- Hershey Kisses, unwrapped (any flavor), about 24 pieces
Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Sauce
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃). Spray a bundt pan thoroughly with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Prepare the Dough Balls: Cut each biscuit into quarters using a pizza slicer or knife. Slightly flatten each quarter, place a few Christmas sprinkles and one unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the center, then roll the dough around to form a ball. Set each ball aside and repeat with remaining biscuit quarters.
- Mix Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon in a large resealable plastic bag. Shake to evenly mix the cinnamon and sugar.
- Coat Dough Balls: Add a few dough balls at a time into the cinnamon sugar bag. Close the bag and shake gently to coat them thoroughly. Remove coated balls and place them into the prepared bundt pan. Continue until all dough balls are coated and placed inside the pan.
- Make the Sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 cup unsalted butter together with ½ cup packed brown sugar, stirring frequently until fully melted and combined.
- Pour Sauce Over Dough: Pour the warm butter and brown sugar sauce evenly over the coated dough balls in the bundt pan, making sure they are well covered.
- Bake: Place the bundt pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the monkey bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place a serving plate on top of the bundt pan and carefully invert it to release the bread onto the plate. Sprinkle additional Christmas sprinkles over the top for garnish. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Using a pizza slicer makes quartering multiple biscuits easy and quick.
- Make sure to allow the monkey bread to cool for 10 minutes before inverting to avoid burns and ensure it releases cleanly.
- For extra flavor, you can add chopped nuts or use flavored Hershey Kisses like peppermint or caramel.
- If you want a crispier top, broil for 1-2 minutes at the end of baking but watch closely to prevent burning.
- This monkey bread is best served warm on the day it’s made for optimal softness and gooeyness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
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