Chocolate-Peanut Butter Monkey Bread

This monkey bread is stuffed with chocolate-peanut butter cups, coated in a sugary butter glaze, and drizzled with more chocolate and peanut butter. In a word, it's decadent.

Tender crescent dough envelopes miniature peanut butter cups, and each of the doughy bundles is stacked high in a Bundt pan. We liked crescent dough for this recipe instead of biscuit dough, because the dough is extra buttery, flaky, and tender.

A caramel sauce is poured over the dough pieces before the whole thing is put in the oven. The sauce caramelizes as it bakes, so you get hint of caramel in each bite. The butter sauce also gets into all the crevices and gaps between the dough balls to create a crisp outer layer and making it easier to pull apart.

But if that wasn't rich enough, once the monkey bread is flipped out of the Bundt pan, it's drizzled with melted chocolate and peanut butter, which help to drive home the peanut butter cup flavors of this breakfast or brunch treat. Be sure to eat it warm, when the cups and drizzle are still warm and melty.

Why Is It Called Monkey Bread?

You might have been expecting to see bananas in this recipe, but the reason this beloved treat is called "monkey bread" is for another reason entirely. Also called plucking cake, pull-apart bread, or bubble bread, monkey bread originated in the 1950s or 1960s as a pull-apart bread made with balls of dough coated in cinnamon sugar, creating a sticky-sweet finish when baked. It may have been fashioned after the Hungarian dessert arany galuska, a dessert made with balls of dough dipped into butter and sugar before being baked until golden.

Monkey bread is typically served as a breakfast or brunch treat, although more decadent versions can also be enjoyed for dessert. The method of eating it, by pulling it apart piece by piece with your hands, is similar to how a monkey eats (thus the name). The name may also be due to its resemblance to the leaves of the Araucaria araucana, the "monkey puzzle tree."

Ingredients for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Monkey Bread

Refrigerated crescent dough sheets are an invaluable shortcut in creating this over-the-top monkey bread, and 60% bittersweet chocolate and peanut butter sail in to dominate the flavor profile. To make chocolate-peanut butter monkey bread, you'll need:

• Baking spray with flour: To prevent the monkey bread from sticking to the pan.
• Refrigerated crescent dough sheets: A shortcut base, offering a flaky, tender texture.
• Miniature peanut butter cup candies: For filling each piece of the monkey bread, and sprinkling over the top as garnish.
• Unsalted butter: Melted with brown sugar to create a gooey, sweet sauce that caramelizes and coats each piece of the monkey bread.
• Light brown sugar: Sweetens the buttery topping.
• 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bar: Melted with peanut butter to create a chocolatey glaze.
• Creamy peanut butter: Adds a nutty depth to the glaze to complement the flavor of the peanut butter cup candy filling.
• Table salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the glaze, balancing the sweetness of the dessert.

How To Make Chocolate-Peanut Butter Monkey Bread

The whole family can get involved when it comes time to make this monkey bread. Even little hands will love folding the crescent dough over the peanut butter candies to seal (if they don't gobble down too many in the process). Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Step 1. Prepare oven and pan: Preheat oven, and spray to coat a Bundt pan.
• Step 2. Cut and fill dough: Unroll dough sheets and cut each into 12 pieces (36 total). Place 1 candy in center of each piece. Gently fold dough over candy, and pinch edges to seal. Layer balls into pan, and set aside.
• Step 3. Top with butter and sugar: Heat butter and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring, until melted. Pour evenly over dough balls.
• Step 4. Bake and cool: Bake until golden brown and bubbling. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate and let cool slightly.
• Step 5. Glaze and serve: Microwave chocolate and peanut butter to melt, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in salt. Drizzle over monkey bread. Cool slightly, and garnish with chopped peanut butter cups before serving.

Our Tips for the Best Chocolate-Peanut Butter Monkey Bread

For the most decadent monkey bread, keep these tips in mind:

• Grease the pan: Monkey bread can be sticky, and of course that can spell disaster when it comes to unmolding. Make sure to grease the pan, and unmold after just a short rest time after baking.
• Use a ruler: To make sure your balls are consistent in size, use a ruler and knife to mark the crescent roll dough before cutting all the way through.
• Layer, don't press: When placing the dough balls into the Bundt pan, layer evenly but don't press to flatten. As they bake, they'll naturally adhere together for the perfect pull-apart consistency.
• Choose your favorite chocolate: While we prefer 60% chocolate for the monkey bread glaze, feel free to choose any type of chocolate you prefer, including dark or milk chocolate varieties. Using chocolate bars is best (they'll melt more easily), but chocolate chips can also work in a pinch.
• Bake until golden brown: Bake until golden brown and bubbling to make sure the monkey bread is nicely baked all the way through.
• Don't overheat: When heating chocolate in the microwave, make sure to heat in small spurts, stirring often, to keep it from scorching.

Can I Make Monkey Bread Ahead?

This monkey bread can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead. Prepare as directed through Step 2, then wrap and chill. Before serving, preheat the oven, top with the butter-sugar mixture in Step 3, and bake as directed. You can also freeze the assembled monkey bread for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then top and bake as directed.

How To Store and Reheat Leftover Monkey Bread

Store leftover monkey bread well-wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat, covered, in a preheated 350°F oven or in the microwave until warmed through. Consider pairing leftovers with a scoop of ice cream (for additional moisture, of course).

More Crescent Dough Recipes You'll Love

When it comes to tried-and-true shortcuts, crescent dough is a old favorite. These savory and sweet recipes make great use of that buttery, flaky pastry:

• Cheesecake Crescent Rolls
• Mini Chicken Pot Pies
• Apple Dumplings
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Spiced Rum-Peach Dumplings
• Resurrection Rolls

Editorial contributions by Katie Rosenhouse.