This Apple Fritter Monkey Bread makes your kitchen smell amazing. Cut-up biscuits get covered in cinnamon sugar, mixed with fresh apples, and baked till they're all sticky and sweet. Perfect right out of the oven for breakfast or dessert.
Why Make This
It's an easy way to make something that tastes fancy. Store-bought biscuits do the hard work for you. The apples get soft and sweet while baking. Everything sticks together in gooey, pull-apart bites. Makes regular breakfast feel special, and nobody can resist dessert that tastes like apple pie.
What You Need
- Biscuits: 2 tubes (16 count) buttermilk biscuits. Keep them cold until you're ready
- White Sugar: 1 1/2 cups regular granulated. Need extra for sprinkling
- Cinnamon: 3 tablespoons ground. Make sure it's fresh - old cinnamon loses flavor
- Brown Sugar: 1 cup packed tight. Dark or light both work
- Butter: 2 sticks unsalted. Leave one out to get soft
- Apples: 3 large firm apples. Should feel heavy and have no soft spots
- Lemon: 1 fresh lemon. Need both juice and zest
- Powdered Sugar: 2 cups for glaze. Sift it to remove lumps
- Milk: 1/4 cup whole milk. Keep cold until mixing glaze
- Vanilla: 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Real stuff, not imitation
- Extra butter: For greasing the pan really well
- Bundt Pan: 10-inch size works best
How to Make It
- Start here:
- Heat oven to 350°. Rub butter all over your bundt pan - get in every crack so nothing sticks.
- Fix the apples:
- Wash and peel 3 big apples. Cut out the cores. Chop into small bits, about the size of a sugar cube. Squeeze lemon juice over them and mix. Add 2 big spoons sugar and 1 big spoon cinnamon. Stir it up.
- Cook those apples:
- Melt 1 stick butter in your biggest pan. Turn heat to medium. Drop in all the apples. Cook about 8-10 minutes. Stir them around until they're soft but not mushy. Take the pan off the heat. Let them cool while you work on the dough.
- Get dough ready:
- Pop open both tubes of biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. They don't have to be perfect - just roughly the same size.
- Make coating:
- Mix 1 cup sugar and 2 big spoons cinnamon in a big bowl. Stir it up real good.
- Coat the dough:
- Drop 6-8 dough pieces in the sugar mix. Roll them around till covered. Do this with all the pieces.
- Start filling pan:
- Put half your dough pieces in the pan. Spread half the cooked apples on top. Add rest of dough, then rest of apples.
- Make sweet sauce:
- Put 1 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar in a pot. Turn heat to medium. Stir until it bubbles - about 3 minutes. Pour it all over your dough.
- Time to bake:
- Put pan in the middle of your oven. Bake 35-40 minutes. Top should look brown, not burnt. Stick a knife in - if it comes out clean, it's done.
- Let it rest:
- Pull it out. Let it sit 10 minutes - no cheating or it'll fall apart!
- Make it pretty:
- Mix 2 cups powdered sugar, 3-4 spoons milk, and a cap full of vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour over the warm bread.
Getting the Sugar Right
The sugar coating makes this bread special. Mix it in small batches - it stays dryer and sticks better to the dough. If it gets clumpy, make a fresh batch. Save some cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top before the glaze.
Picking Good Apples
Granny Smith apples work best - they don't turn to mush. Get apples that feel hard when you squeeze them. Big ones are better - you'll need less peeling. Cut them all the same size or they won't cook even. If the apples look brown, they're too old - get fresh ones.
Making The Best Glaze
Start with fresh powdered sugar - old stuff gets hard. Put 2 cups in a bowl. Add milk one spoon at a time. Keep stirring. You want it thick like honey - not too runny. Add vanilla last. Pour it in circles over the hot bread. If it's too thick, add a tiny bit more milk. Too thin? Add more sugar.
Fixing Common Problems
Bread stuck to the pan? Next time use more butter to grease it. Dough not cooking in the middle? Tent with foil, bake 5 more minutes. Apples too hard? Cut them smaller next time. Glaze too thick? Warm it up with a splash of milk. Bottom burning? Move pan up one rack in the oven.
Keeping It Fresh
Let bread cool one hour before covering. Put in a container with a tight lid. Keeps 3 days on the counter, 5 in the fridge. To warm up, put a piece in the microwave for 15 seconds. For parties, make it the same day - tastes best fresh. Freeze extra pieces wrapped in foil - good for 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use different dough?
You've got options! Regular bread dough works - just cut it in chunks. Crescent roll dough is good too, maybe even better than biscuits. Pizza dough can work in a pinch - cut it small and roll in butter first. Frozen bread dough is fine if you let it thaw. Just avoid super soft doughs like croissants - they get too mushy. Whatever you pick, make sure it's about room temp before you start. Each type needs different bake times, so watch it close the first time you try something new.
- How do I make it without wheat?
Look for gluten-free biscuits in the freezer section - Pillsbury and Annie's both make good ones. Or mix up gluten-free pancake mix a bit thick and drop it in chunks. The key is getting the dough firm enough to hold its shape. Add an extra egg to help it stick together better. You might need to bake it about 10 minutes longer since gluten-free stuff takes more time to brown. Line your pan really well - gluten-free dough likes to stick!
- Best way to keep leftovers?
Put any extra in a box with a tight lid. It stays good 2 days on the counter if it's wrapped up good. Don't put it in the fridge - gets hard and dry. Want to keep it longer? Cut in chunks, freeze on a pan, then put the frozen pieces in a freezer bag. Warm pieces in the microwave 30 seconds or in the oven at 300° for about 5 minutes. The glaze might get a bit runny when warm, but still tastes great!
- Can I get it ready the night before?
Sure can! Cut everything up, layer it in the pan, cover tight with wrap, and stick it in the fridge. Next morning, let it sit on the counter while the oven heats up (about 20 minutes). You might need to bake it 5-10 minutes longer since it starts cold. Don't make the glaze ahead - it gets too thick. Mix that up fresh while it bakes. Great for holiday mornings when you don't want to mess up the kitchen early!
- What else can I use besides apples?
Pears work great - use firm ones, not too ripe. Peaches are good in summer, but pat them dry first or they make it soggy. Some folks like using canned fruit - drain it super well if you try that. Fresh plums are nice in fall. Even mixed berries work if you toss them in a bit of flour first to soak up juice. Whatever fruit you pick, cut it about the same size as the apple chunks in the recipe so it cooks even. And maybe add extra cinnamon with pears, or use nutmeg with peaches!
Some More Ideas
Love this treat? Try some apple pie muffins next time. Or make cinnamon rolls with apple bits inside. Even plain pancakes taste great with warm apple topping. All these use the same yummy apple-cinnamon combo.