Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

I've never bought into that whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" jargon. My typical morning begins with me refusing to get out of bed for as long as possible (cue thoughts of do I really need a shower? and how many days has it been since I washed my hair?), and by the time I'm ready to leave home, I'm lucky if I can grab the bagel Husband toasted for me.

One of my favorite things about holiday gatherings is the breakfasts. Casseroles and fruit salads and extra-crispy bacon grazed over until lunch time.

When breakfast is good, it's so. stinkin. good.

And is there any better breakfast than monkey bread? That warm, caramely, doughy round is not only delicious, it's also quick and easy to make, and rather impressive-looking.

So if you're still entertaining this week, make this!

This monkey bread is just like your traditional gooey, caramel-dripping monkey bread BUT made with cinnamon roll dough. Throw some apple cubes in the mix to bake in that caramel-cinnamon goodness. And top it all off with the cinnamon roll icing.

Want to size this down to enjoy with a smaller crowd? Use one roll of cinnamon rolls and roughly third all the other ingredients. Follow recipe directions using adjusted ingredients, and check to see if it's ready after 25 minutes of baking.

Servings: 10
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
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Classic monkey bread gets an upgrade with cinnamon roll dough and apples.

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 (12.4 ounce) cans cinnamon rolls
2 small apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan. Set aside icing envelopes from cinnamon roll cans.
Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a gallon-size plastic bag. Separate cinnamon rolls and cut each into quarters. Add cinnamon roll dough pieces and apple cubes to plastic bag. Shake to coat and transfer to bundt pan, sprinkling any remaining sugar mixture over top.
Add the butter and brown sugar to a small pan and heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, and pour over cinnamon rolls.
Bake 30-45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Turn onto plate and drizzle with envelopes of icing. Serve immediately.

If not all cinnamon roll dough pieces and apples fit in the bag with the sugar mixture, shake in batches.

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread