Description
This easy Monkey Bread recipe features fluffy biscuit dough coated in a cinnamon-cardamom sugar mixture, layered with pecans, and doused in a homemade caramel-like sauce before baking to golden perfection. Perfect for a sweet breakfast or dessert, it’s best served warm and offers a delightful mix of soft, sticky, and nutty flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
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 cardamom
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For Greasing
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
Caramel-Like Sauce
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (or salted butter, omit salt)
- 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 Bundt pan with softened butter using a pastry brush or crumpled parchment paper, ensuring full coverage to prevent sticking. Sprinkle ½ cup of pecans evenly on the bottom of the pan and set aside.
- Prep the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit into 4 quarters using a pizza wheel or knife. Optionally, roll each quarter into a ball for fluffier, more uniform pieces.
- Coating and Layering: In a freezer-size plastic bag, whisk together granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Working in batches of about 12 biscuit balls at a time, add them to the bag and shake well to coat evenly. Layer the coated biscuit balls in the Bundt pan, scattering pecans between layers and offsetting pieces so they don’t pile directly on one another. Reserve leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture for sauce.
- 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 butter melts and mixture boils. Remove immediately from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and continue stirring until sugars fully dissolve.
- Drizzle the Sauce: Pour the warm caramel sauce evenly over the layered dough balls in the Bundt pan, shaking and tilting the pan occasionally to ensure even sauce distribution reaching the bottom.
- Bake: Place the Bundt pan in the center of the oven and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until dough is cooked through; an instant-read thermometer should register 190°F to 200°F in the center.
- Cool and Invert: Allow the Monkey Bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a large plate. If any sauce remains at the bottom, brush or spoon it over the top. Serve warm for best results.
Notes
- Use the Pillsbury Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits that do not advertise "flaky layers"; flaky biscuits won't hold together well for this recipe.
- If you prefer nut-free Monkey Bread, omit pecans entirely.
- Rolling biscuit quarters into balls is optional but helps achieve a fluffier, more uniform texture.
- Ensure thorough greasing of the Bundt pan to prevent sticking, especially in the pan’s crevices.
- Leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture can be reserved to adjust sweetness or add extra topping after baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
