Apple Pie Monkey Bread

Cinnamon-sugar dusted biscuits, smothered in homemade, from-scratch Apple Pie Filling. Caramelized apples, an gooey-gooey cinnamon sauce, and the perfect amount of warm spices, this Apple Pie Monkey Bread is a beautiful marriage of carbs and apple pie.

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As promised, another idea for what to do with this homemade, from-scratch, quick & easy stove-top Apple Pie Filling… make this Apple Pie Monkey Bread. We’re going to dive into the details in a minute here, just you wait.

But first, don’t forget about this Apple Pie Ice Cream. That’s another use for my Apple Pie Filling recipe. The ice cream base itself is only three ingredients, and then you’ll swirl it with the homemade apple pie filling, as well as some irresistible bites of cinnamon-sugar dusted pie crust. It’s a glorious dessert.

Also, I have a third option coming soon, so stay tuned. So many uses for homemade Apple Pie Filling. 

Especially one that’s as perfect as this particular filling recipe, and I do mean it’s perfect. It’s thick, sweet, slightly tart, ooey-gooey, and potent with fall spices and caramelized apples.

My Apple Pie Filling is unique, and I challenge you to find one that’s better. With most apple pie recipes, you merely toss sliced apples with cinnamon-sugar, and throw them in a crust. Our family Apple Pie recipe is different.

Here’s how: you actually cook a syrup on the stove-top — a sweet, spiced cinnamon syrup, and the apples get doused in it.

In a pie, the cinnamon syrup softens the apples as they bake, infuses them with goodness, and also makes the pie insanely ooey-gooey. But we’re not making a pie, we’re making a filling, and so we complete the filling entirely on the stovetop. The apples soften and caramelize in the syrup right on the stove.

My Apple Pie Filling is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, and you’ll want to eat a whole bowl of it all on its own.

But don’t… instead we’re going to smother it over cinnamon-sugar coated biscuits in a big bundt pan, and make it into Apple Pie Monkey Bread. The filling settles into all the nooks and crannies turning this whole thing into the ultimate combo of carbs and apple pie.

While this Apple Pie Monkey Bread utilizes a homemade filling, we do take a short-cut, and that’s with the monkey bread itself. This uses refrigerated biscuits – the big flaky ones. I personally really love refrigerated biscuits, and find them delightful.

Versus creating a dough from scratch with yeast and the whole shebang. Nah, skip it. 

I like to make yeasted breads from scratch when I have the time and can take a more leisurely approach to baking, but around the holidays, why spend more time in the kitchen than you need to?

You don’t need a lot of ingredients for this Apple Pie Monkey Bread, and it’s easy to assemble. It’s got a few steps, but they’re easy-breezy and beginner-friendly.

This Apple Pie Monkey Bread is also substantial in size. It will definitely feed quite a good crowd, so it’s great for holiday brunches or a dessert at casual get-togethers around the holidays.

I love short-cut monkey bread recipes, so I’ve got others. Still wading through Halloween candy? Check out this Candy Bar Monkey Bread, Snickers Monkey Bread, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Monkey Bread.

A few others that would be excellent for brunches include this Peanut Butter & Jelly Monkey Bread, this Honey Cinnamon Monkey Bread, or this Lemon Blueberry Pull-Apart Bread.

Oh, I almost forgot about this Pumpkin Pecan Pull-Apart Bread. Perfectly seasonal.

Last, but not least, if you want cinnamon apples that can be a side dish on their own, or that you can use as a sauce over pork chops, something like that, these Crock-Pot Cinnamon Apples are sooooo popular! I’ve spiked them with Fireball too. 🙂

Apple Pie Monkey Bread

Sarah

Cinnamon-sugar dusted biscuits, smothered in homemade, from-scratch Apple Pie Filling. Caramelized apples, an gooey-gooey cinnamon sauce, and the perfect amount of warm spices, this Apple Pie Monkey Bread is a beautiful marriage of carbs and apple pie.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Course Bread

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

For apple pie filling:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tbsp. butter divided
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup water, apple cider, or apple juice
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice

For monkey bread:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice
• 2 16 oz. cans refrigerated biscuits, 16 total biscuits (I used Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Butter)

For glaze:

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. water or milk

Instructions

 

For apple pie filling:

• In a large stock pot over medium heat, combine the apples, brown sugar, and 2 tbsp. butter.
• Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until apples begin to soften and become tender.
• Reduce heat to low, and add the granulated sugar, flour, salt, water, and apple cider vinegar.
• Stirring frequently, cook until the mixture is thick, bubbly, and syrupy, 4-5 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 2 tbsp. butter, as well as vanilla, cinnamon, and apple pie spice.
• Allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare biscuits.

For monkey bread:

• Generously spray a 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice.
• Using kitchen scissors, cut each biscuit in quarters.
• Working in batches of 5 or 6, roll the balls in the sugar & spice mixture, coating them thoroughly.
• Arrange 1/3 the dough balls in the bottom of the pan.
• Spoon 1/2 the filling over the dough balls.
• Arrange another 1/3 dough balls in the pan, cover with remaining filling, and cover with remaining dough balls.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, and when you press toward the center, it should feel 'set' and not doughy. I use the end of a wooden spoon to press lightly toward the center of the bundt to check for doneness. You don't want it to feel doughy toward the middle.
• Remove from heat, and cool in pan for 20 minutes - not much longer, or bread will want to stick to the pan. Run a knife or small rubber spatula along the edges to loosen the bread.
• Invert onto a serving platter. 

For glaze:

• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water or milk until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar, if needed, to achieve desired consistency. I wanted this to be a relatively thin glaze that drizzled easily, but adjust to your preferences.
• Serve warm, drizzled with glaze.
• Individual servings reheat easily in the microwave for 20-30 seconds!

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