4.77 from 13 reviews

Apple Cinnamon Rum Monkey Bread

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monkey bread made with fresh apples and rum

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.

cinnamon rolls on a cutting board
First step is to quarter the cinnamon rolls.

What you’ll need for this recipe:

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

  • Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls (the 17.5 oz size)
  • Granny Smith Apples
  • Brown Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Rum
  • Butter
  • That’s it!
apples and cinnamon in a large white bowl
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!

apples and cinnamon bread in a bundt pan
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!

pull apart monkey bread in a bundt pan
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!

apple cinnamon monkey bread on a white plate

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!

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 the cooking time since you are 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.

apple cinnamon monkey bread on a white plate with glaze

Drooling yet?! Let’s get to baking!

What name do you call this type of dessert?

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

apple cinnamon monkey bread on a white plate
4.77 from 13 reviews

Apple Cinnamon Rum Monkey Bread

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 people
A delicious Christmas Morning treat! Apple Cinnamon Rum Monkey bread filled with brown sugar cinnamon.

Ingredients

  • 3 (17.5 oz.) cans Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (Grands!) (save the glaze)
  • 2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced small
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 Tbsp. Rum

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Grease the bundt pan by spraying evenly with nonstick baking spray or you can spread softened butter all around the inside of the pan, and shake 1-2 Tbsp. flour around to coat. (Pro tip: Save your butter wrappers and use them to grease the loaf pan).
  • Open the cinnamon roll packages (reserve the frosting for later) and separate the rolls. Cut each cinnamon roll in fourths, place in a large bowl and set aside.
    3 (17.5 oz.) cans Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (Grands!)
  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
    3/4 cup brown sugar, packed, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • Place diced apples in medium sized bowl. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar mixture into the apples and stir.
    2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced small
  • Mix the remaining brown sugar mixture with the cinnamon roll pieces. Coat them evenly.
  • Place half of the apples down in the bundt pan first, followed by half of the cinnamon roll pieces. Add the remaining apples and followed by the rest of the cinnamon rolls in an even layer.
  • Mix melted butter and rum together, pour on top of monkey bread.
    1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, 3 Tbsp. Rum
  • Bake for 45 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully flip bread onto a plate and drizzle with reserved frosting. Enjoy warm!

Video

Notes

Recipe inspired by Pillsbury 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

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26 Comments
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LeeAnn

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how good this would be using storebought Pillsbury rolls. I was proven wrong! This is an excellent recipe and my family devoured this monkey bread!

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Allesandra

Wow we absolutely loved this over here! Never would’ve thought to add rum or even apples to monkey bread. This is a winner for sure.

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Traci W

Delicious and super easy to put together! Great for company.

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Christine

I used a silicone bundt cake pan to make this, and it was really doughy in the middle. I had to put it back in the oven. It looked beautiful though as you can tell from the picture! I loved the apples in this the best!

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Cheryl

My family so enjoyed this Thanksgiving morning! Will be making it again for sure!

Emily Liao

Oh my gosh, this was so delicious! The texture turned out perfectly fluffy and the cinnamon apple flavor was to die for.

Patty at Spoonabilities

I love the addition of apples in this monkey bread! I’m definitely making this for Christmas morning!

Anita

Using a can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls to make this is genius! I’ve never baked a monkey bread any faster. 😉

Cate

Love how simple and delicious this bread looks!! So flavorful and easy to make, saving to make soon!

Anjali

Omg this looks so comforting and delicious! My family would love to wake up to this treat on Christmas morning!