There’s something truly magical about pulling apart warm, gooey pastry dotted with chocolate surprises, and that's exactly why I adore this Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe. It’s festive, fun, and the perfect centerpiece to any holiday breakfast or snack time.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Why They Work
- Make It Your Way
- Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Top Tip
- How to Serve Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Final Thoughts
- Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe is a fun twist on a classic monkey bread that makes your kitchen smell like holiday heaven. Plus, hiding those melty Hershey Kisses inside brings an extra dose of joy you won’t forget.
- Surprise Chocolate Centers: Each bite has a sweet Hershey Kiss center that melts perfectly in the warm dough.
- Festive Look and Taste: The sprinkles make it colorful and fun, perfect for Christmas morning or a party.
- Easy to Make: Using refrigerated biscuit dough means less prep and more time to enjoy with family.
- Pull-Apart Fun: Everyone loves pulling apart monkey bread, making it interactive and exciting to share.
Ingredients & Why They Work
This recipe balances sweet, buttery flavors with a touch of cinnamon spice that brings everything together beautifully. The refrigerated biscuit dough is a lifesaver for busy days, and those classic Hershey Kisses add that nostalgic chocolate touch.
- Refrigerated biscuit dough: The base for this recipe—it’s soft, buttery, and rises nicely without fuss.
- Christmas sprinkles: Adds festive color and a tiny bit of crunch; pick your favorites for a personal touch.
- Hershey Kisses (unwrapped): Choose any flavor—milk chocolate, peppermint, or even caramel for extra holiday flair.
- Granulated sugar: Coats the dough pieces and works with cinnamon for that classic sweet-spicy combo.
- Ground cinnamon: A must-have for that warm, comforting aroma and flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Melts into a rich, caramel-like sauce with the brown sugar.
- Brown sugar (packed): Adds depth and molasses notes, making the sauce luscious and irresistible.
Make It Your Way
What I love most is how easy this recipe is to personalize. Whether you want to mix up the sprinkles colors or swap out Hershey Kiss flavors, it’s all about making it your own cozy holiday treat.
- Variation: One year, I used peppermint Hershey Kisses and added a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar for an extra festive twist—everyone raved!
- Dietary swap: Try dairy-free butter and a vegan biscuit dough if you're making this for someone with dietary needs; it still works beautifully.
- Seasonal changes: You can switch sprinkles for other holidays, like pastels for Easter or red-white-blue for 4th of July celebrations.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Dough
Start by preheating your oven to 350℉. I always spray my bundt pan with a generous layer of non-stick spray; this step is crucial because the sticky caramel glaze alone won’t release it easily. Then, cut each biscuit into quarters—I find using a pizza slicer here is a total game changer. Flatten each piece slightly and sprinkle a few festive sprinkles on top.
Step 2: Add the Hershey Kiss Surprise
Place one unwrapped Hershey Kiss right in the center of each flattened biscuit piece, then roll it back up into a little ball, sealing the edges gently around the chocolate. This ensures every bite has a melty center waiting to be discovered.
Step 3: Coat With Cinnamon Sugar
Pour your granulated sugar and cinnamon into a large zipper bag and shake to mix. Add a few dough balls at a time, seal the bag, and shake again until each is coated evenly. Toss the coated balls into your prepared bundt pan. Repeat this process till all the dough balls are nestled in the pan like holiday crowding!
Step 4: Make the Brown Sugar Butter Sauce
On the stovetop, gently melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbly—kind of a quick caramel base. Pour this sauce evenly over the dough balls in the bundt pan, making sure it drips into all the nooks and crannies.
Step 5: Bake and Flip for Serving
Bake your monkey bread for 30-40 minutes until the top is a gorgeous deep golden brown and the kitchen smells heavenly. Let it cool for about 10 minutes—the hardest part is waiting! Then place a plate over the top of your bundt pan and invert it carefully to reveal your masterpiece. Add a few more sprinkles to finish things off and dive in.
Top Tip
Making Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe is super forgiving, but these tips will really ease the process and boost your success.
- Pizza Slicer Hack: It makes quartering biscuits fast and uniform, which helps the dough cook evenly and keeps the chocolate enclosed.
- Don’t Skip the Spray: I learned the hard way that without a solid non-stick spray layer, the gooey bread sticks like crazy and ruins your beautiful pull-apart effect.
- Seal Cookies Well: Pinch the dough edges tightly around the Hershey Kiss because they can leak if the dough isn’t sealed, making a sticky mess.
- Aim for Even Coating: Shaking dough balls in the bag with cinnamon sugar in small batches ensures consistent, sweet coverage every time.
How to Serve Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
Garnishes
I like to sprinkle a handful of extra festive sprinkles right after flipping it out, and sometimes dust a tiny bit of powdered sugar for that extra holiday sparkle. It’s a simple touch but really elevates the presentation—plus, who doesn’t love a little sugar dusting?
Side Dishes
This monkey bread pairs perfectly with a hot cup of cocoa or coffee for a cozy morning treat. If serving at a holiday brunch, I also like fresh fruit or a light yogurt parfait to balance the richness of the bread.
Creative Ways to Present
For holiday parties, I’ve wrapped the bundt pan in festive kitchen towels and served it right from there—inviting everyone to pull apart straight from the pan. You can even add mini candy canes around the edges or serve with a small bowl of whipped cream for dipping. It turns breakfast into a celebration!
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
I store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days—it stays surprisingly fresh and still warm up nicely. Just keep it sealed well to avoid drying out.
Freezing
If you want to make it ahead of time, you can freeze the assembled but unbaked monkey bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as usual. I’ve done this for holiday mornings when I had little time, and it works like a charm.
Reheating
To reheat, I pop a slice or two in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then finish in a toaster oven or regular oven at 300℉ for 5-7 minutes to bring back that crisp outside and gooey inside.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Homemade biscuit dough works just as well, though the texture and rise might vary slightly — but it’ll still be delicious and uniquely yours.
That can happen if the dough isn’t sealed tightly around the kisses. Make sure to pinch the edges closed well to keep the chocolate inside its little dough bubble during baking.
Yes! You can assemble the dough balls, coat them, place in the pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Bring it to room temp before baking so it cooks evenly.
Use a heavy non-stick cooking spray or grease the pan thoroughly with butter. Some people also dust with a little flour or sugar after spraying to create a barrier.
Final Thoughts
This Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe is one of those treats that feels just as much like a gift as it does a dessert. Every year, making it brings back warm memories, laughter, and a little bit of chocolate-covered magic. I can’t recommend it enough for your holidays—trust me, once you try it, this is going to be your new go-to crowd-pleaser.
Print
Christmas Monkey Bread with Hershey Kisses Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This festive Christmas Monkey Bread is a fun and delicious treat, perfect for holiday gatherings. Made with flaky biscuit dough rolled with colorful sprinkles and a hidden Hershey Kiss in each piece, it’s coated in a cinnamon sugar mixture and topped with a buttery brown sugar glaze for a sweet, gooey finish.
Ingredients
Dough and Filling
- 2 packages refrigerated biscuit dough (such as Pillsbury Grands)
- Christmas sprinkles (about ¼ cup)
- 12 unwrapped Hershey Kisses (any flavor)
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Brown Sugar Sauce
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying it generously with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Prepare Dough Balls: Cut each biscuit into quarters using a pizza slicer for ease. Flatten each quarter slightly, then add a few Christmas sprinkles and one unwrapped Hershey Kiss. Roll the dough around the Kiss to form a ball. Repeat this process with all biscuit quarters until all are filled.
- Coat Dough Balls: Mix granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a large zipper bag and shake to combine evenly. Add several dough balls at a time to the bag, seal, and shake to coat each ball completely with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Arrange in Pan: Remove coated dough balls from the bag and place them evenly in the prepared bundt pan. Continue until all dough balls are layered in the pan.
- Make Brown Sugar Sauce: Melt the unsalted butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and fully melted.
- Pour Sauce: Pour the warm brown sugar sauce evenly over the dough balls in the bundt pan, ensuring coverage for maximum flavor.
- Bake: Bake the monkey bread for 40 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and the bread is cooked through.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and let cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes. Place a plate over the bundt pan, invert the pan to release the monkey bread onto the plate, sprinkle additional Christmas sprinkles on top and serve warm.
Notes
- Using a pizza slicer makes cutting multiple biscuits into quarters quick and uniform.
- Make sure to let the monkey bread cool slightly before inverting to prevent burns and sticking.
- Substitute Hershey Kisses with other small chocolates or candies for variation.
- To make cleanup easier, line the bundt pan with parchment paper before spraying.
- Use a sturdy bundt pan to support the sticky and heavy dough balls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 370 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
Leave a Reply