Appetizers & Snacks

Apple Cinnamon Rum Monkey Bread

Name: Apple Cinnamon Rum Monkey Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 people
Ingredients: 3 17.5oz cans Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (Grands!) (save the glaze); 2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted; 3 Tbsp. Rum

monkey bread made with fresh apples and rum

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The easiest, “adult” version of monkey bread you’ll love this holiday season.

The holidays are all about traditions, right? Often times, these traditions fall around food. My mom makes Monkey bread, or pull apart bread, every Christmas morning. We open our stockings, head to the tree and then she brings out the warm, cinnamon-y monkey bread that none of us can get our hands off of. I think one Christmas morning she made an egg bake, and it was tasty, but we wanted the monkey bread back!

In honor of this tradition, I wanted to share a recipe of my own. I made this bread an “adult” version by adding rum, but you can of course leave the rum out if you wish.

I am almost positive my mom used a Pillsbury recipe, which is where I got the inspiration from for this recipe too. It’s just too dang easy and too good not to use their cinnamon rolls! Plus, with all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season easy recipes are always best.

First step is to quarter the cinnamon rolls.

What you’ll need for this recipe:

Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls (the 17.5 oz size)
Granny Smith Apples
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Rum
Butter
That’s it!

Wash, peel, dice apples and mix with brown sugar/cinnamon.

Other options: Using canned apples instead of fresh. Using whisky instead of rum. Using granulated white instead of brown. It’s totally customizable! I’ve even added in raisins & nuts before too!

This recipe makes A LOT of monkey bread. I’d say if your family has 8-12 people this would be enough for everyone.

And it’s so easy to make which I always love. Prep time is minimal and during the 45 minutes it’s in the oven everyone can open their stockings!

Prepare your bundt pan. Place apples down and start to layer cinnamon rolls on top.

If the monkey bread doesn’t disappear the day you make it, it can last up to 2 days. After that, it starts to get a little hard and not very tasty. But trust me, there won’t be very many leftovers!

You’ll bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

What if I don’t have a bundt pan?

You can make this in a loaf pan, baking dish as well, or a round cake pan.

This can be enjoyed at breakfast or for dessert too. I like to serve it warm with vanilla bean ice cream – it’s kind of like apple pie, right?! I feel like I’ve been eating a lot of chocolate lately so this recipe is a nice break from that!

In preparation for this recipe, I came across other names people call monkey bread. It’s also referred to as Monkey puzzle bread, sticky bread, Hungarian coffee cake, golden dumpling coffee cake, pinch-me cake, bubble loaf, bubble bread, or pull-apart bread! I had never heard of bubble loaf, that one cracked me up!

Say hello to your CHRISTMAS MORNING BREAKFAST! You'll fall in love with this monkey bread! #krollskorner #monkeybread Click To Tweet

Make them into MINIS!

Feeling overwhelmed this?? Grab your muffin tin and make them into individual mini monkey breads! The recipe is the same, just adjust your cooking time since you’re cooking smaller monkey breads.

Can I cook this in the crockpot instead?

Yes! That is how my mom sometimes made it as well. You just need to be sure there is enough liquid so the bread does not stick or dry out. I would double the butter and the rum, add 1-2 Tbsp water, and cook on high for 2 hours.

Drooling yet?! Let’s get to baking!