These monkey bread muffins are delicious, easy to make, and kid-friendly. These muffins are great to eat any time of year and would make the perfect Christmas morning breakfast!

Three Monkey Bread Muffins on a white plate. A fork and striped napkin rest near the plate.

It’s been a while since I sat down to write a blog post. Sometimes it’s hard to get the words to flow and taking a short break was definitely what I needed. But, I’m glad to be back and sharing this easy and delicious recipe with you all!

Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with recipes to share. I mean there’s a million different things I could cook or bake, but for some reason, there are times when I just feel like I can’t think of anything. But when I saw some buttermilk biscuits at the store over Thanksgiving break, it inspired me to make these monkey bread muffins.

Growing up, it was almost guaranteed that we had buttermilk biscuits in our fridge. Whenever we were craving something sweet, but didn’t want to have to make a trip out of the house, my mom would always make monkey bread for us to eat. Not only was it quick to make and delicious, but it was easy enough that we could help too. I still remember making this in the kitchen with my mom and sister all of the time.

I actually called my Mom to ask her if she had an actual recipe for the monkey bread we used to always make. Her response? “Yeah, it’s easy. Just cut up some biscuits, dip them in butter, roll them in brown sugar and cinnamon, and bake it.”

Oh ok, well thanks, Mom. But in all honesty, it really is that easy to make these monkey bread muffins. I’ve made it a little easier and actually measured out everything you will need.

Three pull apart Monkey Bread Muffins on a white plate. A pan of muffins rests in the background.

Ingredients for This Recipe

Making pull apart monkey bread with biscuits requires very few ingredients. Here’s what goes into these muffins: 

  • Homestyle buttermilk biscuits: I used Pillsbury biscuits for this recipe. 
  • Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter since the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between different brands. 
  • Brown sugar: Sweetens the monkey bread and adds a slight caramel flavor. 
  • Cinnamon: Flavors the money bread muffins. 
  • Confectioners’ sugar: Used to sweeten the glaze. 
  • Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
  • Milk: Any kind of milk is fine. You may need to add a little more milk to the glaze than the recipe calls for to achieve the correct consistency. 

Overhead view of raw biscuit dough on a cutting board.

How to Make Monkey Bread Muffins

To start, you’ll want to cut up each biscuit into six equal size pieces. I used Pillsbury brand homestyle buttermilk biscuits which has eight biscuits per can, so I ended up with 48 pieces total.

After you roll up each piece of dough, you’ll dip it into the melted butter, and then into the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.  You can be generous with the sugar and cinnamon as well. Depending on how much you use, you may need a little extra.

Then you’ll press four pieces of dough into each muffin cavity and bake. Easy, right? The dough will rise quite a bit in the oven as well.

These monkey bread muffins with canned biscuits are perfect for breakfast (Christmas morning breakfast, anyone?!) or even for a sweet treat.  

A ball of raw dough coated in cinnamon-sugar being held aloft.

Storage Instructions 

Leftover monkey bread muffins can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days. You may also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer bag or freezer-friendly storage container. Thaw to room temperature before serving. 

Can I Double This Recipe? 

Easily! Simply double the ingredients list and use two muffins tins instead of one. 

A pan of baked Monkey Bread Muffins on a wood surface.

Baking Tips 

  • Monkey bread is sometimes baked with a butter and brown sugar mixture (or caramel sauce) added on top. You can definitely feel free to add one if you prefer.  I kept these simple and just added a simple glaze to them, because who doesn’t love a little extra sugar?
  • You can likely use gluten-free biscuits and achieve the same results. 
  • Feel free to add extra spices to the cinnamon-sugar mixture to amp up the flavor. I bet pumpkin pie spice would taste delicious here too! 

More Holiday Breakfast Recipes to Try! 

Monkey Bread Muffins

4.86 from 7 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
These monkey bread muffins are delicious, easy to make, and kid friendly. These muffins are great to eat anytime of year and would make the perfect Christmas morning breakfast!
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Ingredients

Servings: 12 muffins
  • 1 (16.3 oz.) can homestyle buttermilk biscuits (I used Pillsbury)
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup (200 grams) light or dark brown sugar
  • 1.5 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioner's sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk (or more as needed)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray each muffin cavity of a 12-count muffin pan well with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined.
  • Open the can of buttermilk biscuits and cut each biscuit in half, then cut each half into thirds. You want a total of 6 equal size pieces from each biscuit. Roll each piece of biscuit dough into a ball.
  • Dip each piece of dough into the melted butter, making sure to shake off any excess butter. Roll each piece of dough in the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture, you can be very generous with the sugar. You may need a little extra brown sugar and cinnamon depending on how much you use.
  • Press four pieces of the sugar covered dough into each muffin cavity. If you have any of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture left, you can sprinkle it evenly over the top of each one.
  • Bake for 15 to 17 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then remove from the pan.
  • While the muffins are cooling, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and milk until well combined.
  • Drizzle the glaze evenly over all of the muffins. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Storage instructions: Leftover monkey bread muffins can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
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