This monkey bread with cream cheese frosting is going to be your new favorite thing! The dough pieces are coated in a buttery cinnamon-sugar mixture and drizzled with rich cream cheese frosting.
What is Monkey Bread?
Monkey bread is a sweet and gooey bundt cake made from stacked small pieces of dough that are coated in cinnamon sugar. The cake is made in this way so you can enjoy your sweet sticky bread pull-apart style — like a happy hungry monkey!
Monkey bread is commonly served for holidays like Christmas, but it can be enjoyed all year round. Once you and those lucky enough get a taste of this pull-apart bread, you’re gonna need some willpower not to eat the whole thing (we’re speaking from experience).
why you’ll love it!
- It’s a simple recipe made in only 35 minutes.
- The cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement.
- It’s a fun recipe to do with the kids. They’ll LOVE it.
- It’s amazing served for brunch or dessert!
Monkey Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Butter: butter is mixed with sugar and brown sugar to make a delightfully rich and sweet base for the monkey bread.
- Sugar & brown sugar: you really can’t have monkey bread without sugar and brown sugar. It’s a staple!
- Cinnamon: you just need a teaspoon of cinnamon with the sugar to make the flavor of this monkey bread pop!
- Frozen dinner rolls: we used Rhodes brand dinner rolls and let them thaw before starting the recipe. You can use whatever brand you like!
- Cream cheese: a necessary ingredient to make the rich and creamy cream cheese frosting. Be sure to allow it to soften first.
- Powdered sugar: adds just enough sweetness to balance out the tartness of the cream cheese.
- Heavy cream: heavy cream is what makes the cream cheese frosting super creamy and fluffy.
How to soften cream cheese
Looking for a quick method to soften cream cheese? Check out our post – How to Soften Cream Cheese – 4 Ways! Here you’ll learn 4 unique (and quick!) methods to soften cream cheese to the perfect amount for baking and cooking.
How to Make Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
PREHEAT OVEN
Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
COAT BUNDT CAKE PAN
Next, melt the butter in a bowl. Add ½ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated sugar, mixing until the sugars are completely incorporated.
Then spread the butter and sugar mixture along the bottom of the bundt pan. Set aside.
COAT DINNER ROLLS
Mix the remaining brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Roll the halved dinner rolls in the sugar mixture and place them into the bundt pan.
BAKE MONKEY BREAD
Bake your monkey bread for 20 to 25 minutes. Once baked, allow it to cool for 5 minutes before flipping it onto a cutting board or large plate.
PREP CREAM CHEESE ICING
While the monkey bread is cooking, prepare the icing. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream in a bowl and mix using an electric hand mixer.
DRIZZLE, SERVE, + ENJOY!
Now for the best part, the cream cheese frosting! Drizzle your icing over the monkey bread before serving. Pull apart and enjoy!
Top Tips
- If you don’t have a bundt pan, a bread pan, cookie sheet, ramekin, or loaf pan will work just fine.
- You’ll know when your monkey bread is done cooking when the internal temperature has reached 190°F, or the top starts to crisp and turn golden brown.
- If you’re struggling to get your monkey bread out of the bundt pan, give it a few love taps, and it should slide right out.
try it!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Our cream cheese buttercream frosting would be a great way to jazz up this monkey bread recipe. Enjoy!
Can you make monkey bread ahead of time?
Yes! The recipe is pretty quick and easy to whip up on the spot, but if you’d like to make it ahead, just prepare the recipe as instructed and stop at the baking step. Then place your uncooked monkey bread in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to bake.
Just keep in mind that you may need to increase the cooking time if you don’t allow the dough to get to room temperature before baking.
Storage
Store your leftover monkey bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (if it even lasts that long!).
To freeze your monkey bread, allow it to cool completely before storing it in a freezer-safe container or wrapped tightly with foil for 3 to 4 months.
Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter ~1 stick
- ¾ light brown sugar divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 24 oz. frozen dinner rolls thawed and halved (we used Rhodes brand)
- 4 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a bowl. Add ½ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Mix until the sugars are completely incorporated. Spread the butter and sugar mixture along the bottom of the bundt pan. Set aside.
- Mix the remaining brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Roll the halved dinner rolls in the sugar mixture and place them into the bundt pan.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and flip onto a cutting board or large plate.
- While the monkey bread is cooking, prepare the icing. Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream into a bowl and mix using an electric hand mixer.
- Drizzle the icing over the monkey bread before serving.
