Name: Monkey Bread Cupcakes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 26 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 cup Sugar; 1 tbsp Cinnamon; 1 can Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls (5 large rolls); 1/2 cup butter, melted; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1 tbsp Cinnamon

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Monkey bread cupcakes are a twist on traditional monkey breads, but are great for serving up at tailgates, homegates, picnics, or other large crowds.

These monkey bread cupcakes are also great as a dessert in addition to a breakfast or brunch tailgate.

They are so easy to make, you can bring in even little kids to help.

Table of Contents

What is Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is a pull apart bread, named after how a monkey eats.

Have you ever seen a monkey eat? It’s like they take small bites, picking apart a fruit.

And that’s what you do with monkey bread.

Most monkey breads are made with regular biscuits, but I make mine with cinnamon rolls. Because yummy! Who doesn’t want that extra cinnamon baked right into the middle of the dough. But if you only have some biscuit dough that you need to use, you can use that too.

Monkey Bread Cupcakes are Great for Tailgating and RV Breakfasts

Monkey bread is traditionally made in a large bundt pan like the one on the right.

But who wants to store a bundt pan in the RV? Muffin pans are bad enough, but bundt pans are pretty bulky and it is hard to pack them in small spaces. That’s why monkey bread cupcakes are a winner over a traditional monkey bread.

Also, cupcakes are a lot easier to serve up to a crowd than a bundt cake is. Each person can take their own monkey bread cupcake instead of having to pull apart a serving from a larger group.

And now that we are all a lot more conscious about people touching our food and possibly contaminating it, the fewer serving spoons and people touching it the better, amiright?

Let’s Get to Baking

This is a really easy recipe.

Before you get started: You’ll want a pair of kitchen scissors (make sure they are clean, in case someone used them from the kitchen and put them back before washing them) and a small bowl to mix your dough in cinnamon sugar. Then a muffin pan with cupcake liners. A small microwavable bowl to melt the butter and prepare the glaze. A few measuring spoons, and you’ll be ready to go.

Oh yeah, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cutting the cinnamon roll in half with kitchen scissors to make monkey bread cupcakes

Line the muffin pan with 8 muffin liners.

Mix up the cinnamon and the sugar in a small bowl.

Then cut a cinnamon roll into eight pieces – cut in half, then in half, and then in half again.

Roll each piece into a small bowl and dump into the cinnamon sugar bowl.

Mix the monkey bread pieces in cinnamon and sugar.

Mix the pieces up really well so that they are covered in cinnamon sugar.

Then place five of the small cinnamon roll balls into each cupcake tin.

Repeat with each cinnamon roll.

Adding brown sugar, cinnamon and metled butter to the top of each monkey bread cupcake before putting in the oven to bake

In another small bowl, melt your butter, add the brown sugar, and more cinnamon. Mix well and then spread evenly over the monkey bread cupcakes.

Pop these babies into the oven for 20 minutes on 350 degrees or until the cinnamon rolls are cooked through. (Don’t be surprised when your RV starts to smell like cinnamon and sugar. You will be so hungry by the time these are done baking! I warned you!)

Then, take them out of the oven and while still hot, add a dollop or two of icing to each muffin.

You can serve them up right away. And everyone will love them, trust me!

Making Monkey Bread Cupcakes for a Crowd

If you are going to be making multiple batches of monkey bread, there’s good news… you don’t need all the sugar and cinnamon from the “batter” for the additional batches.

You’ll have plenty of cinnamon sugar leftover from the first round.

However, leave the cinnamon rolls refrigerated until you are ready to cut them up and prepare the dough. The cinnamon becomes sticky and the whole mess is harder to work with as they warm up to room temperature.

Monkey Bread Cupcakes

Yield: 8 Cupcakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 26 minutes

Easy and delicious breakfast option, great for on the go tailgates.

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 can Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls (5 large rolls)
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir to mix well.
Cut cinnamon rolls into 8 pieces (half, in half and in half again). Roll each piece into a ball.
Place cinnamon roll balls into cinnamon sugar and coat well. Place 5-6 pieces in each cupcake liner.
Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and the last tablespoon of cinnamon. Drizzle over cupcakes.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Top with icing from Grands! Cinnamon Rolls.
Enjoy!