Oh, friend, do you ever just crave that feeling of pure, simple joy in the kitchen? The kind that takes you back to childhood mornings, filled with warmth, laughter, and the irresistible scent of something sweet baking? Well, pull up a chair, because I’m about to share a recipe that encapsulates all of that and more: Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread! This isn’t just a recipe; it’s an experience, a memory in the making. It’s surprisingly easy, incredibly quick to assemble, and trust me, once you pull apart those warm, gooey, chocolate-filled biscuit bites coated in cinnamon-sugar and drenched in a buttery caramel sauce, your kitchen will become everyone’s favorite spot. It’s the perfect way to make any morning feel extra special, or to bring a show-stopping dessert to your next gathering!
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread
- Fast: Using refrigerated biscuits means less prep, more yum!
- Easy: No complicated steps or fancy techniques required.
- Giftable: Package it up for a thoughtful, homemade present.
- Crowd-pleasing: Who can resist warm, chocolatey, caramel-drenched bread?
Ingredients
Gathering your ingredients for this Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread is like assembling a dream team of deliciousness. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 3 cans (16.3 ounces each) Flaky Biscuits: These are your shortcut to success! The flaky layers bake up beautifully and make for those perfect pull-apart bites.
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar: For that irresistible sugary coating that clings to every piece.
- 4 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon: The warm, inviting spice that truly defines Monkey Bread. Don’t be shy with it!
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter: Because butter makes everything better, especially when it’s melting into a rich caramel sauce.
- ½ cup Brown Sugar: This gives our caramel sauce that deep, molasses-rich sweetness and gorgeous color.
- 1 package Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped: The star of the show! These little chocolate morsels melt into gooey pockets of happiness inside each biscuit ball. Feel free to experiment with different Kiss flavors like milk chocolate, dark, or even peppermint for a festive twist!
- Christmas Sprinkles: Totally optional, but oh-so-fun! They add a delightful pop of color and holiday cheer.
How to Make Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread
Ready to get started? This recipe comes together so quickly, you’ll wonder why you haven’t made it sooner!
- First things first, let’s get that oven preheated to 350°F (175°C). While it’s warming up, take a moment to lightly grease your bundt pan with cooking spray. You want to make sure your beautiful monkey bread slides out easily later.
- Now, open up those cans of flaky biscuits and lay them out on a clean cutting board.
- With a sharp knife or even a pizza cutter, cut each biscuit into quarters. Don’t worry about being perfect; rustic is part of the charm!
- Gently flatten each biscuit quarter just a little bit. This makes it easier to tuck in the chocolate.
- Here’s where the festive fun begins! If you’re using them, sprinkle a small amount of Christmas sprinkles onto the center of each flattened biscuit quarter. This is my personal tip for adding that extra holiday magic right into every bite!
- Place one unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss right in the center of each sprinkle-dusted biscuit quarter.
- Carefully roll the biscuit quarter around the Hershey’s Kiss, forming a neat little ball. The key here is to pinch the seams tightly to seal in that chocolatey goodness. You don’t want any melted chocolate escaping during baking!
- Keep going until all your biscuit quarters and Hershey’s Kisses have been transformed into perfect little chocolate-filled balls.
- Next, it’s time for the glorious caramel sauce! In a medium saucepan, melt the 1 cup of unsalted butter and ½ cup of brown sugar over medium heat. Stir it constantly until it’s beautifully combined and smooth. It should look like liquid gold!
- Spoon just a thin layer of this warm caramel sauce into the bottom of your prepared bundt pan. Just enough to coat it and create a sticky, sweet base.
- In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the 1 cup of granulated sugar and 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon. Give it a good shake to mix everything evenly.
- Add several biscuit balls to the bag at a time (don’t overcrowd it!). Seal the bag and shake gently until each ball is perfectly coated with that fragrant cinnamon sugar.
- Remove the coated balls and start arranging them in your bundt pan. Continue coating and arranging until all the biscuit balls are snuggled into the pan.
- Now, pour the remaining caramel sauce evenly over all the biscuit balls in the bundt pan. This is what makes it so wonderfully gooey!
- Bake for 40-55 minutes, or until your monkey bread is a deep, gorgeous golden brown and cooked all the way through. Keep an eye on it – ovens vary!
- Once it’s out of the oven, let it cool in the pan for no more than 5 minutes. This is crucial! If you let it cool too long, the caramel might stick.
- Place a serving plate upside down over the bundt pan, and with a quick, confident flip, carefully invert the monkey bread onto the plate. Stand back and admire your masterpiece!
- If you’re feeling extra festive, sprinkle additional Christmas sprinkles over the warm monkey bread.
- Serve warm and watch it disappear! There’s truly nothing better than pulling apart these sweet, chocolatey bites.
Substitutions & Additions
One of the best things about Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread is how forgiving and adaptable it is! Here are some ideas to make it your own:
- Chocolate Choices: While Hershey’s Kisses are classic, feel free to use chocolate chips (mini ones work great!), chopped chocolate bars, or even tiny squares of your favorite caramel candies for a different surprise.
- Spice It Up: Beyond cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, or even a touch of ginger can add extra warmth and depth to your sugar coating.
- Toppings Galore: Before serving, drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze (powdered sugar + milk), a dollop of whipped cream, or some chopped toasted pecans or walnuts for a nutty crunch.
- Citrus Zest: Add a teaspoon of orange or lemon zest to the cinnamon-sugar mix for a bright, unexpected flavor.
- Make Your Own Dough: For the ambitious baker, you could certainly use a homemade biscuit or sweet roll dough. If you love baking from scratch, you might even enjoy trying your hand at our homemade honey butter biscuits recipe as a base, although it will add a bit more prep time!
Tips for Success
Making Monkey Bread is pretty straightforward, but a few little tricks can make all the difference:
- Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on your monkey bread. Overbaking can lead to dry biscuits and crunchy caramel instead of soft, gooey perfection. The top should be deep golden brown.
- Seal Those Kisses: Make sure you pinch the biscuit dough tightly around the Hershey’s Kisses. This prevents the chocolate from oozing out into the caramel too much, though a little leakage is totally fine and delicious!
- Timely Inversion: Seriously, don’t let it cool for more than 5-10 minutes in the pan. The caramel hardens quickly, and you want that glorious pull-away action. If you’re a fan of super easy-to-release sweets, you should also check out our easy graham cracker toffee recipe, which is another simple sweet treat that comes out perfectly every time.
- Grease Generously: Really make sure that bundt pan is well-greased. Nothing is more frustrating than a sticky situation!
- Prep Ahead: You can cut the biscuits and even mix your cinnamon sugar ahead of time. Store the cut biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for a day, and then just assemble and bake when you’re ready for fresh, warm goodness.
How to Store Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread
While this Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread is best enjoyed warm and fresh from the oven, you can definitely store leftovers (if there are any!).
- Room Temperature: Store any leftover monkey bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. The caramel will be a bit firmer, but it’s still delicious.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: To enjoy that warm, gooey experience again, reheat individual portions in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or pop the whole thing back into a 300°F (150°C) oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Freezing: Freezing isn’t ideal for monkey bread as the texture can change quite a bit, making the biscuits a little tougher and the caramel less gooey upon thawing. I personally recommend making it fresh whenever possible!
FAQs
Got questions? I’ve got answers!
Can I use chocolate chips instead of Hershey’s Kisses?
Absolutely! Mini chocolate chips work wonderfully. Just make sure to use enough so you get a nice chocolatey burst in each bite. You could also try other chocolate varieties if you’re interested in baking with different kinds of chocolate, just like we explore options when baking brownies in a bread pan.
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
You can definitely do some prep work in advance! You can cut the biscuits and mix the cinnamon sugar the day before. However, for the best results, I recommend assembling and baking the monkey bread fresh. The magic truly happens when it’s warm and gooey right out of the oven!
Why is it called Monkey Bread?
The name “Monkey Bread” comes from the way you eat it – by pulling apart the individual sticky, sweet pieces with your fingers, just like a monkey would!
What kind of biscuits should I buy?
Look for “flaky” or “layered” refrigerated biscuits. These tend to create the best texture for pull-apart monkey bread, soaking up all that delicious caramel sauce.
For more delicious recipes and baking inspiration, be sure to follow us on Pinterest!
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread
Craving a taste of childhood joy? This surprisingly easy and quick Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread, with warm, gooey, chocolate-filled biscuit bites coated in cinnamon-sugar and drenched in a buttery caramel sauce, is the perfect holiday morning treat or show-stopping dessert.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease your bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Step 2: Open the cans of flaky biscuits and lay them out on a clean cutting board.
- Step 3: With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut each biscuit into quarters.
- Step 4: Gently flatten each biscuit quarter slightly.
- Step 5: If using, sprinkle a small amount of Christmas sprinkles onto the center of each flattened biscuit quarter.
- Step 6: Place one unwrapped Hershey's Kiss right in the center of each sprinkle-dusted biscuit quarter.
- Step 7: Carefully roll the biscuit quarter around the Hershey's Kiss, forming a neat little ball. Pinch the seams tightly to seal in the chocolate.
- Step 8: Continue until all your biscuit quarters and Hershey's Kisses have been transformed into chocolate-filled balls.
- Step 9: In a medium saucepan, melt the 1 cup of unsalted butter and ½ cup of brown sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until beautifully combined and smooth to create the caramel sauce.
- Step 10: Spoon just a thin layer of this warm caramel sauce into the bottom of your prepared bundt pan.
- Step 11: In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the 1 cup of granulated sugar and 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon. Shake well to mix evenly.
- Step 12: Add several biscuit balls to the bag at a time (don't overcrowd). Seal the bag and shake gently until each ball is perfectly coated with cinnamon sugar.
- Step 13: Remove the coated balls and start arranging them in your bundt pan. Continue coating and arranging until all the biscuit balls are snuggled into the pan.
- Step 14: Pour the remaining caramel sauce evenly over all the biscuit balls in the bundt pan.
- Step 15: Bake for 40-55 minutes, or until your monkey bread is a deep, gorgeous golden brown and cooked all the way through.
- Step 16: Once out of the oven, let it cool in the pan for no more than 5 minutes before inverting.
- Step 17: Place a serving plate upside down over the bundt pan, and with a quick, confident flip, carefully invert the monkey bread onto the plate.
- Step 18: If you're feeling extra festive, sprinkle additional Christmas sprinkles over the warm monkey bread.
- Step 19: Serve warm and enjoy pulling apart these sweet, chocolatey bites!
Notes
Substitutions & Additions: For chocolate, use mini chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bars, or caramel candies. Enhance the spice with a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, or ginger in the sugar coating. Top with a powdered sugar glaze, whipped cream, or chopped toasted pecans/walnuts. Add orange or lemon zest to the cinnamon-sugar mix for a bright flavor. Ambitious bakers can use homemade biscuit or sweet roll dough.
Tips for Success: Avoid overbaking to prevent dry biscuits and crunchy caramel. Ensure biscuit dough is pinched tightly around Hershey's Kisses to prevent chocolate from oozing out. Invert the monkey bread from the pan within 5-10 minutes of baking to prevent the caramel from hardening and sticking. Grease the bundt pan generously. You can prep by cutting biscuits and mixing cinnamon sugar ahead of time; store cut biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or the whole thing in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed. Freezing is not recommended as it can alter the texture.