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Christmas Morning Monkey Bread

Alycia Johnson
VP of Merchandising, Kitchen Division

Description

I’ve spent my whole career in retail, which means the holidays have always been a blur of long days, bright lights, and busy stores. Cooking? Let’s just say it rarely made the priority list in December.

But when I became a mom, I wanted to start a simple Christmas morning tradition—something that smelled amazing, tasted even better, and didn’t require me to spend hours in the kitchen. That’s when a little holiday magic found me in the form of a semi-homemade Monkey Bread recipe from my kid’s childcare provider.

Now, every Christmas morning, while the coffee brews and wrapping paper starts to fly, the smell of warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter fills our kitchen. It’s become the heart of our holiday morning—easy, indulgent, and absolutely delicious.

What follows is the recipe that’s now a Johnson household staple.

Ingredients

24 unbaked frozen yeast dinner rolls (I use Rhodes frozen dinner rolls)

1 (3-ounce) package cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)

½ cup packed light brown sugar (dark works too)

¾ cup chopped pecans

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure

1. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan—cooking spray with flour works great.

2. Sprinkle the pecans evenly in the bottom.

3. Arrange the frozen rolls over the nuts, stacking them loosely.

4. Sprinkle the dry pudding mix over the rolls.

5. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth, then drizzle over the rolls.

6. Cover lightly with a damp towel or loose plastic wrap and let rise:
o Overnight (fridge): about 24 hours, covered
o Quick method: 2–3 hours at room temp, then 8–10 hours in the fridge
o Same-day: 5–6 hours at room temp

7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet (trust me on the drips!) and bake 35 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

8. Cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Serve warm and ideally while still in pajamas.