This Easy Maple Pecan Monkey Bread is layered with cinnamon-sugar coated biscuit pieces, chopped pecans and an irresistible maple butter glaze that keeps them coming back for more!
This Easy Maple Pecan Monkey Bread is everything you want in a brunch recipe. From the cozy cinnamon aroma that fills your house while it bakes, to the warm, gooey and totally luscious pull-apart bread that comes out of the oven. It is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. And, you won’t believe how easy it is to make.
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Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Canned biscuit dough is the key to making this recipe quick, easy, and absolutely fuss-free. The end result is gorgeous and super tasty and requires far less time and effort than making a homemade dough. No bowls and no mixer means easy cleanup!
FAQ and Valerie’s Tips
Monkey Bread is a delicious breakfast pastry that is made with little pieces of sugar coated dough that are layered and baked together with a sweet, gooey, buttery mixture. It’s known by many other names including Hungarian coffee cake, bubble loaf, sticky bread, monkey brains, and more.
This pull-apart bread is typically served so that you can pick it apart with your fingers the way a monkey would.
This recipe is so quick and easy to make that I recommend assembling it just before baking. If you’d like to get some of the prep out of the way you can assemble the bread in advance but don’t add the melted butter-brown sugar mixture. Instead, cover and refrigerate it overnight in the baking pan and add the topping just before baking.
A nonstick 12-cup Bundt pan is the best choice for baking monkey bread. Bundt pans are a type of tube pan with fluted sides that give cakes and breads a decorative edge. A standard tube pan with flat sides will work but the result won’t be as pretty. If you use a standard tube pan with an uncoated finish, be sure to coat it generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Ingredient Notes
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Canned biscuits – You’ll need two 8-count cans of refrigerated biscuits for a total of 16 biscuits. I use Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits which are the size and type of biscuit dough I’ve found to work best for this recipe.
- Pecans
- Pure maple syrup – For the best flavor you want to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup which is comprised mostly of corn syrup.
- Brown sugar
- Melted butter
How to Make Maple Pecan Monkey Bread
- Remove the biscuit dough from the cans, separate them and cut each biscuit into quarters.
- Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a gallon sized plastic storage bag. Drop in 4 of the biscuit pieces and toss them around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat them well.
- Place the sugar coated biscuit pieces in a Bundt pan that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle in some chopped pecans.
- Repeat this process with the remaining biscuit pieces, sprinkling in the pecans as you go.
- Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and pure maple syrup.
- Spoon this luscious mixture over the top of the monkey bread.
- Pop it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven.
- To invert the monkey bread on to a serving dish, place a large plate over the top of the Bundt pan. Wearing oven mitts (the pan will still be warm), carefully flip the pan over. The pan should lift off easily and all that good stuff you poured over the bread works its way down to the bottom and gets all caramelized and gooey.
Monkey Bread Variations
- Nuts – Try it with walnuts or cashews instead of pecans. Or you can leave the nuts out altogether if you want.
- Spices – The cinnamon sugar mixture is classic for coating the dough but try adding a little pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice for a seasonal twist.
- Add-ins – Sprinkle in some raisins or dried cherries. Or for an indulgent treat, layer the biscuit pieces with mini chocolate chips.
Check out my entire collection of easy breakfast recipes for more menu inspiration.
Storage Tips
Leftovers should be covered and stored at room temperature and for the best quality, consumed within 24 hours. For longer storage leftover monkey bread can be refrigerated for up to a week. Warm leftovers briefly in the microwave before serving.
Easy Maple Pecan Monkey Bread
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cans (16.3 ounce) refrigerated canned biscuit dough, like Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a gallon-size plastic storage bag.
- Remove the biscuit dough from the cans and separate into 16 biscuits. Use a sharp knife to cut each biscuit into quarters. Place 4 biscuit pieces in the bag and shake it up to coat the pieces well. Arrange them in the prepared pan and repeat with the remaining biscuit pieces, sprinkling with chopped pecans as you layer.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and pure maple syrup. Spoon the mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow the monkey bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a serving plate and serve warm.
Notes
- Nuts – Try it with walnuts or cashews instead of pecans. Or you can leave the nuts out altogether if you want.
- Spices – The cinnamon sugar mixture is classic for coating the dough but try adding a little pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice for a seasonal twist.
- Add-ins – Sprinkle in some raisins or dried cherries. Or for an indulgent treat, layer the biscuit pieces with mini chocolate chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Brunch Recipes
This post was originally published on February 6, 2013. It has been updated with new text and images.
The only problem with this is that I would eat the entire pan, without sharing, in one sitting 🙂
Val, this is a great morning treat!
Monkey bread is so incredible! It’s like all the goodness of sticky, gooey cinnamon rolls without any of the hassle… I’ve never tried it with canned biscuit dough, but that’s a great way to make it even quicker and easier. Love it!
We love monkey bread! This variation sounds perfect!
I will be making this this weekend!
Oh yes, monkey bread — I love it and who would say no to your beautifully glazed monkey bread. 🙂
This sounds absolutely fabulous! I adore monkey bread!
Oh how wonderful it looks! You have convinced me to try monkey bread 🙂
This bread look so scrumptious and decadent! Amazing recipe, Valerie!
LOL…”Maybe it’s because my house is full of monkeys.” Too funny!
I’ve never made a Monkey Bread but this is really making me want to!
Nice job Val. My boys bring me real maple syrup from Canada all the time so now I have another use 🙂
I love monkey bread!!! This recipe is very similar to my aunt’s (whose I adoooore)-looks gorgeous and delicious!