Monkey bread is typically a sweet, pull-apart treat, made either with a homemade yeasted dough, or more commonly these days, store-bought biscuits (one of my favorite indulgences). Using store-bought biscuits for monkey bread makes a recipe like this very easy and quick to pull together.
As it turns out, the origins of monkey bread are rooted in a Hungarian cake called Aranygaluska, which was brought to the United States by the Hungarian Jewish community.
While this recipe strays from from the original, it is a playful interpretation, using cream cheese and/or melty American cheese stuffed inside the dough, then topped with melted butter and everything bagel spice. This pull-apart creation is ideal for snack time, game-watching, Yom Kippur break fast or the next time you are hosting brunch.
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Ingredients
- 2 cans store-bought biscuits
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 scallions, green and white parts, diced
- 3 slices American cheese, cut into squares
- everything bagel spice
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- cooking spray
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a Bundt baking pan (you can also use any round baking pan you like).
- Remove biscuits from tins, separate, and cut each biscuit in half. Using your fingers, gently stretch each biscuit piece slightly.
- Place a small piece of cream cheese and scallions inside half the biscuit pieces. Pinch up the sides of the biscuit to close over the filing and then gently roll into balls.
- With the other half of the biscuit pieces, place a few tiny squares of American cheese inside the round and close. Roll into a ball.
- Dip each ball into the melted butter and then into as much (or as little) everything bagel spice as you want. (You can also alternate between sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried onion or dried garlic pieces instead of the everything bagel spice mix).
- Place balls in Bundt pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes uncovered. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is oozing slightly.
- Allow to cool 5 minutes, then run a small spatula or knife around edges to help dislodge monkey bread. Place a large plate or platter on top of the bundt pan and gently turn over.
- Serve warm with additional cream cheese for dipping, if desired.
