Easy Monkey Bread Muffins Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar

These monkey bread muffins are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat!

Individual servings of the traditional cinnamon-sugar monkey bread that’s made in a large bundt pan, these little treats make a perfect breakfast, brunch or sweet dessert. 

Ingredients

You’ll only need 5 simple ingredients to make this easy recipe:

• Canned biscuits (I recommend using Pillsbury Grands). It’s important to get a large kind of biscuit dough for this recipe, which is why I recommend Grands. Also, don’t get the buttermilk kind. Regular biscuits – large ones – are the right answer.
• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Cinnamon

How to make Monkey Bread Muffins 

Prepare the Dough Balls

The first thing to do is cut each refrigerated biscuit into 6 small pieces of dough.

Roll each piece into a little ball and coat it in cinnamon sugar. Then, place about 7-8 dough balls into each muffin cup.

Make the Brown Sugar Butter

Now, melt the butter and brown sugar together on the stove. Drizzle each muffin with the brown sugar mixture. Try to make sure that every separate dough ball is coated. 

Now, they’re ready to bake!  

Make the Vanilla Glaze

The vanilla glaze is an easy mixture of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Simply whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. 

Wait until your mini monkey breads are cooled to room temperature, then carefully remove them from the muffin pan and drizzle on the glaze. 

Watch how to make Monkey Bread Muffins!

Why is it called Monkey Bread?

Traditional monkey bread gets its name because of the way it is eaten. You pick off the sweet little balls of dough and it resembles how a monkey looks when he is grooming his friend or mate.

If you’ve ever watched Animal Planet or visited a zoo, you know what I’m talking about. Kind of weird to name a food after this, but also kind of funny.

Variations

Here are some fun monkey bread muffin recipes to try:

1. Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Muffins. Take the decadence factor over the top by using refrigerated cinnamon roll dough instead of biscuit dough. Drizzle the cream cheese icing that comes with the cinnamon roll dough over the top for more heavenly goodness.
2. Sticky Bun Monkey Bread Muffins. Make the miniature version of my classic monkey bread by adding plump raisins and either pecans or walnuts to this recipe. The sweetness of the raisins and the texture of the nuts make every bite an adventure! 
3. Chocolate Lover’s Monkey Bread Muffins. Every kid’s favorite, this version incorporates mini chocolate chips into the layers of biscuit dough. Finish the cooled muffins off with a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce.
4. Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread Muffins. A fun treat for fall! Sprinkle diced apples into the layers of biscuit dough for a sweet treat that tastes like homemade apple pie.
5. Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread. There’s nothing better during pumpkin season! Add premade pumpkin spice or a homemade blend of nutmeg, ginger and cloves to the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top these muffins off with a drizzle of gooey caramel sauce. 
6. Gingerbread Monkey Bread Muffins: Amazing for Christmas breakfast, these muffins have gingerbread spice mixed into the cinnamon-sugar for a true taste of the holidays.

Do you need to refrigerate Monkey Bread Muffins? 

You don’t need to refrigerate these monkey bread muffins. Either keep them in the muffin pan, covered tightly, or transfer them to an airtight container.

They will be good on the counter top for 2-3 days. 

How to Store Monkey Bread Muffins

Store any leftover muffins right in the muffin pan that you baked them in. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Alternatively, transfer the muffins to an airtight container. They will be good at room temperature for 2-3 days. 

To reheat, microwave for 15-30 seconds. 

When you make these monkey bread muffins, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more muffin recipes, try these:

• Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
• Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
• Bakery Style Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Coconut Corn Muffins