Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Recipe (2024)

Published: May 23, 2019 · Modified: Jun 9, 2021 by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

Monkey Bread with cream cheese hiding inside! Stuffing the dough with gooey-ness makes a delicious treat. Prepare to WOW your guests!

Why This Recipe Works

I’m certain there is not a soul on the planet who doesn’t love monkey bread. People trip over themselves just to get to the plate before everyone else.

A few years ago I had the delicious thought to combine two of my favorite food in the same recipe: cream cheese and monkey bread. That was the day this delicious little recipe was born.

Monkey bread is the perfect recipe for breakfast gatherings or brunches or even dessert. It’s always the first thing to go because of its addicting qualities.

Imagine your guests’ surprised faces when they bite into a chunk of monkey bread only to taste that there is gooey cream cheese surprise waiting in the middle! It’s a little piece of heaven!

How To Make Monkey Bread With Cream Cheese

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine 2/3 cup each of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar and cinnamon. Mix well.

Melt 3/4 cup salted butter in the microwave.

Step 2

You’ll start with an 8-oz. package of cream cheese and two 12-ounce tubes refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits. Use a sharp knife to cut the cream cheese into 20 same-size pieces.

Slice 10 discs of biscuit dough from each tube of biscuits.

Set the discs onto a flat surface and set one cube of cream cheese in the center of each piece of dough. Wrap the edges of the dough up and around the cheese so all that is visible is the top side of cream cheese cube.

Place 10 cheese-stuffed pieces of dough, cheese-side-up, into bottom of the prepared pan.

Step 3

Top with half of the sugar cinnamon mixture and half of the melted butter. Top with the remaining dough pieces, cheese-side-down, the remaining sugar and remaining butter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter and serve.

Recipe Notes

• Buy full-fat cream cheese and don’t skimp! Super cheap blocks of cream cheese do not melt as well as ones that cost just a little bit more.
• It is definitely ok to use a different variety of biscuit dough. I love the flavor and flakiness of the flaky buttermilk biscuits, but the monkey bread will still taste great if a different variety is used.
• Light brown sugar can replace dark brown sugar without much flavor altering. The dark brown variety adds a nice rich depth to the sugars.
• To tell if the monkey bread is done, the top pieces should be uniformly golden brown. Gently remove a piece from the center. If the dough is fully cooked, the recipe is done baking!

How To Make Monkey Bread Without a Bundt Pan

The rounded corners of the bundt pan will allow for uniform baking, but if you don’t have a bundt pan a tube pan or angel food cake pan will work. If you don’t have any of these pans, a 9×9 or 9×13 pan will work, too!

Place the dough as evenly as possible in a layer in the pan and start checking for signs that the bread is done when it has been in the oven for 30 minutes.

Here’s another little trick. If you have a spring form pan (typically used to bake cheesecake) or a large round cake pan (9 inches), place an empty can in the center, surround it with the dough and bake!

FAQ About Monkey Bread

Salted Butter vs Unsalted Butter

Ahh, the great baking debate. Many bakers use unsalted butter in their baked goods in order to avoid over-salting. I, however, believe that there is no such thing as “over-salting.”

I always use salted butter in my baked goods (and for everything else under the sun) because it gives everything I make an extra touch of salty deliciousness. If you go the unsalted route, keep in mind that you may need to add a bit extra salt to the recipe!

Monkey Bread Variations

• Finely chop some pecans or walnuts and place them in the middle layer of the cream cheese and dough balls.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips into the middle and on the top before baking.
• Add sliced apples, pears or berries to the middle layer.
• Drizzle a simple icing over the top, just before serving!

Sweet Breakfast Treats

I love a good savory breakfast, but there is something so special and yummy about a nice sugary breakfast, am I right? Kids especially go bananas over pancakes and cinnamon rolls and any breakfast food that contains sugar.

Here are a few delicious ideas to make any day of the week or for the next time you host breakfast or brunch!

• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
• Banana Crumb Muffins
• Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
• Apple Coffee Cake

What To Serve For Brunch

• Homemade Bagels require only 5 ingredients and in 20 minutes from start to finish! NO YEAST or rising or waiting required. These easy bagels are soft, flavorful and taste great with savory or sweet toppings.
• Enjoy breakfast the healthy way! Whip up a batch of these healthy breakfast muffins as a perfect on-the-go meal or snack to stay on track throughout the day. Even kids love them!
• Combine eggs, broccoli, tomatoes and a bit of garlic to create a delicious and filling meal and an EASY, healthy eggs and veggies dish to start your day. Change the veggies up if you so desire!
• Save some cash by making your own delicious Vanilla Iced Latte at home! Use your Nespresso machine to get the job done quickly and easily.
• Easy chocolate chip muffins require only a handful of ingredients and they are all probably sitting in your kitchen! Super moist and yummy.

Party Food Recipes

• The classic, crowd-pleasing Fruit Pizza has a cookie dough crust, dreamy cream cheese frosting and a colorful top layer of fruit and a tasty glaze.
• Taco Ranch Pasta Salad – This delicious pasta salad gets totally devoured at gatherings, no matter the season.
• Sausage Cheese Dip is easy to make (let your crockpot do the work for you!), cheesy, flavorful and totally irresistible! Serve as an appetizer at your next party and it won’t last long.
• This is the best 7-Layer Taco Dip you’ll ever meet! It’s the perfect appetizer and party food and it is always the first thing to get devoured.
• Crockpot Meatballs require only a few ingredients with only a few minutes of prep. They are SO EASY to make, totally packed with delicious flavor and great for game-day parties or holidays.
• Spinach Artichoke Dip is a party staple! People always get excited about this dip and its so easy to make! It’s a filling, cheesy snack or appetizer that you can put on pita squares, crackers or chips.

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