This recipe just makes me happy, that’s all there is to it. You take my love of Monkey Bread and add in my favorite Christmas baking cherries? Oh my. It’s happiness on a plate for brunch! If you want some ideas, I have a list of Christmas breakfast recipes! The idea from this is straight from one of you, my readers and I thank Sharon Thomas for her comment on my original Monkey Bread recipe that said her mom used to make monkey bread with mixed peel and candied cherries. What a fabulous idea for Christmas morning and I can’t believe that I didn’t think of it!
This turned out better than I thought it would. The cherries stuck in place and made it so gosh darn pretty and perfect for Christmas morning and the toasted pecans are a delight.
I almost wish we were home Christmas morning to serve this because it’s just that amazing. Almost. I’m sure that the food on our upcoming Disney cruise is going to be amazing too!
The secret to making this look good is starting out with some cherries and pecans on the bottom of your well-greased bundt pan.
Then, when you cut up those little beauties of dough, you dip them in the butter, roll them in the sugar mix and place them on top. Those cherries will then be on top of your monkey bread all beautiful and ready to eat!
The recipe with very detailed step by step instructions is below and while you can use canned dough for this one, let me tell you how amazing this recipe is. Nothing will compare.
If you are going to use candied cherries and pecans and place this on your Christmas breakfast table, I can’t recommend enough that you make it from scratch. This recipe has become a permanent fixture of our Christmas mornings and now this version with the Christmas cherries will be exactly what I make every Christmas!
More Monkey Bread Recipes for You to Try
I have a ton of monkey bread recipes on this site! Try some of these:
Who is getting seriously excited for the big day? I’m completely vibrating with excitement!
Don’t worry, there will be a whole post detailing it. I’ll be sharing what it’s like to be in the middle of the ocean on Christmas surrounded by Disney everything. I’m such a Christmas freak that I’m bursting at the seams with anticipation!
Thanks for stopping in!
Love,
Karlynn
Christmas Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Sweet Dough
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup milk warmed to 115°F
- ⅓ cup water warmed to 115°F
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour plus extra for your work surface
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup toasted pecans
- ½ cup chopped red and green Christmas candied cherries
Brown Sugar Coating
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup of melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven for rising, turn it on to 175 degrees then turn it off when it's heated, this is as warm as it should get.
- In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.
- This recipe is as easy to do by hand as it is by mixer, so pick your poison.
- If you would like to use a stand mixer, mix flour and salt into the mixer bowl that is fitted with a oiled dough hook. Oiling the hook makes sure the dough doesn’t climb the hook and go all crazy on you.
- Using the lowest setting, start the dough hook going and slowly add the milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and let your dough hook do the work until the dough is shiny and smooth, about 6 to 7 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but if it is too wet to come together into a ball, add an additional 2 tablespoons flour. It should just barely stick to your hands, nothing more. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form a smooth, round ball.
- If you want to do this by hand, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then add the milk mixture, pouring into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough is difficult to stir and it’s almost a ball in the middle of the bowl. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and begin to knead, incorporating any loose scraps back into the dough. Knead until dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes, giving those arms a workout and a half! Shape into a round ball.
- Take the ball of dough and place in a well oiled bowl, covering it up. Put it the oven and let the dough rise until doubled in size, anywhere from 45-60 minutes.
- When that is done, grease your bundt pan, place a few cherries and pecans in the bottom and set aside.
- Take out the dough and on a lightly floured work surface roll it into a 8 inch by 8 inch square.
- Once you have that 8×8 square, mark off 8 sections, each way, so you are ending up with 64 lovely little squares.
- Cut the squares apart,making sure to separate them as you cut, they love to stick back together which defeats the purpose entirely.
- Melt the ½ cup of butter in a bowl.
- In a larger bowl combine the brown sugar and 2½ tsp of cinnamon.
- Roll a dough square into a ball, dip it in the butter, dip it in the sugar mix then place it in the bundt pan.
- Stagger the layers. Build like you would build a brick wall, staggering the piece like bricks so that the seams are not in the same place ever, building a lovely wall of dough. Sprinkle a few cherries and pecans between each of the layers, however you want.
- In about 45-50 minutes the dough will rise almost to the top of the pan.
- Time to bake! After you remove the pan from the oven preheat it to 350 degrees then get those babies back in there to bake.
- This took about 22-25 minutes in my oven.
- The bread will look slightly dark- watch out, you can overcook this!- and crisp on the outside.
Notes
Nutrition
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Dawn McLeod says
I have made this recipe several times. It is delicious every time. I have also made other monkey bread recipes but stumbled across this one when I misplaced mine. From scratch does not compare to using store bought crescent roll dough. Don’t waste the calories on stroe bought 🙂
I make it year round and not just for Christmas. I just don’t add the cherries and only sometimes make it with pecans. I also add cream cheese icing but it isn’t necessary. I use the dough hook on my KitchenAid mixer for the kneading.
For those who have never made it, It is a cinnamon buns but in little balls – kind of like eating the soft centre part of the cinnamon bun only.
Elaine says
Can part of this be done the evening before so we could have it for an early breakfast? All the monkey bread recipes look wonderful!!
The Kitchen Magpie says
It’s super good!
Sharon Thomas says
Unless you’re dieting :/
The Kitchen Magpie says
Two is better than one!
Sharon Thomas says
I usually make a braided Stollen for Christmas morning,, but I might make this one too! Thanks!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Isn’t it though? I love it for Christmas morning !
The Kitchen Magpie says
Isn’t it SO festive? Even if the kids pick out the cherries I don’t care. It makes for a gorgeous Christmas breakfast! Sorry about the calories lol!
Melanie Harmsma says
YAGH!!! SO PRETTY! Everyone LOVED the monkey bread I made! I am SO making this!!! I love you!!!! You make me so happy!!!! (and a wee bit fatter – no thanks for that 😉
Sheryl L McDonald says
Its so pretty!!
patticolwell says
Karlynn,
WOW! Thanks you so much for this recipe. It is the BEST monkey bread I’ve ever made. And I’ve tried them ALL. (canned biscuits, crescent roll dough, pizza dough) NONE of them even come close to this one. WOW. I can’t say it enough. WOW. My children enjoy the THOUGHT of monkey bread with all the butter ahd cinnamon goodness. But none of us like the undercooked goo that we ended up with. Your recipe baked up perfectly. I mean, PERFECTLY! I love love love this recipe. I used my stand mixer. Let it knead for the entire time. Followed your directions exactly. The result was glorious bread that melted in your mouth. Not an undercooked bite in the whole batch. THANK YOU THANK YOU
Patti
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/29045740/" ns="true">patticolwell So glad that you loved it!
SandiMac says
Best thing I’ve ever made with my stand mixer. Worked perfectly. Eating my second one now. Thank you.
thekitchenmagpie says
@SandiMac Glad that you liked it!!
AngelaMount says
Um, HECK YES I WANT TO EAT THIS! Wowza. SEriously amazing!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/24809656/" ns="true">AngelaMount Hahah try it!!! Let me know!