Monkey Bread Muffins… quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten!

Published February 9, 2012. Updated January 5, 2024

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Breakfast or dessert, you need to make these soft, delicious Monkey Bread Muffins! These fluffy, cinnamon-sugar-coated biscuit-like muffins are finished with a sweet vanilla glaze that you’ll want to lick off the plate. I promise it’s one of the tastiest muffin recipes you’ll ever eat!

These muffins are quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten! I love sitting down with a warm Monkey Bread Muffin when I need a moment to pause life. You’ll want to take in everything this muffin has to offer as you pull apart one of its delicate, tender, fluffy, buttery, crystallized sugar-and-cinnamon-coated pieces and gently bite into it. While luxurious, Monkey Bread Muffins are also super kid-friendly. Kids LOVE pulling each little bite from the muffin and popping them into their mouths!

I created these muffins because I was craving Monkey Bread and didn’t have the traditional bundt pan.  I know many monkey bread recipes use store-bought biscuit dough, but I wanted these to be from scratch—isn’t everything that much better when it’s made from scratch?  For the dough base, I started a very similar dough to the one I used for my 15 Minute Donuts from Scratch and I think it’s perfect. You can always use canned dough in a pinch (it’s always useful to keep some in the fridge!).

I won’t lie, when I first pulled these out of the oven the presentation wasn’t what I was looking for.  For me, presentation is an important part of good food, so I thought “hmm what can I do to make them pretty?  Ah, yes indeed, glaze!”  It adds a delicate touch to these delightful muffins.  Enjoy, try not to eat the whole pan at once, because warm Monkey Bread Muffins are heavenly.

Pro Tip: don’t wash your muffin pan until you’ve eaten all those delicious cinnamon sugar chips off of it, yum!

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5 from 2 votes

Monkey Bread Muffins

Soft, cinnamon sugar coated biscuit-like muffins finished with a sweet vanilla glaze! One of the tastiest muffin recipes you'll ever eat!
Servings: 12
Prep30 minutes
Cook18 minutes
Ready in: 48 minutes

Ingredients

Glaze

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a muffin tin, set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour buttermilk, 1/3 cup milk and melted butter into flour mixture. Stir with a fork or clean hands just until mixture comes together (don't overmix, key to fluffy muffins).
  • Pour 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a medium container that has a lid to cover. Scoop dough out 1 even teaspoon at a time and drop into container in an even layer, working in batches (I fit 18 dough balls in at a time). Then cover container with a lid and shake to coat. Drop 6 sugar coated dough balls into each muffin cup. Repeat this process until all muffin cups are filled.
  • Whisk together 6 Tbsp melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until well combine. Pour about 1 scant Tbsp brown sugar mixture evenly over each muffin. Place muffin tin on a cookie sheet and Bake 18-19 minutes until golden. Allow to cool 5 minutes in muffin tin before removing muffins (I lifted mine out with a fork).
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp milk until well blended. Pour mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag, snip a small tip off the end of the bag and drizzle glaze over each muffin.

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47 Comments

  • Leslie

    I have rolled these in raspberry jello as well as cinnamon and sugar and they give them a little different taste. We love them.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Leslie – that sounds delicious!! I LOVE raspberry anything so I need to try that, thanks for the idea!

    • Jaclyn

      Yes I know my blog is old school and I need many things updated, so I am in the process of switching over to wordpress and it will have a print friendly button right along with the recipe. For now the best thing to do is copy and paste to word, sorry for the hassle but watch for the new site =)!

    • Jaclyn

      I didn’t use it but you could most definitely add it to either the dough batter or the glaze.

  • ZsMomma

    Thank you for a no-rise version of monkey bread! My youngest saw a picture of this treat and asked me to make it for breakfast tomorrow. Now, I don’t have to get up an hour early on a Saturday to give my sons a special breakfast treat! God bless!

  • Joann

    I have been making this for years, I use the store bought biscuits, cut into quarters then i mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a zip lock bag, put the biscuit quarters in a few at a time shake to coat then place in a bundt pan. Then i pour the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture into the melted butter mix well then pour over the top of the biscuits then bake.

  • Anonymous

    I would never have the time or go to the trouble of dough from scratch. When I do monkey bread I usually do it in a loaf pan with refridg biscuits and I dip each little dough ball in OJ and then sugar/cinn mixture. Works great and less fat!

  • Anonymous

    Jessica, try using frozen yeast bread dough; just thaw according to package directions and voila!