Who doesn’t like thing small and cute? Add sweet to that descriptive and you have a home run.
Small children at their cuddliest peak are always adorable, the ability to wear clothes in smaller sizes is enviable (read: small does not mean so short you need a ruffle) and small bites are all the rage.
Enter Mini Monkey Breads.
The cabin’s last view of fall before the snow flies (via iPhone and VSCO)
Last weekend we were at the cabin celebrating my man’s birthday with friends. With the air turning crisp and the need for a fire burning throughout the day, I knew I’d be hankering to get my bake on.
But with no stand mixer on hand—I certainly wasn’t hauling mine all the way there just to bake a homemade batch of rolls—I planned ahead, foraged through the freezer and tossed an easy substitution into the travel cooler: bake and serve rolls.
This recipe is similar to the one my mom makes every year for Christmas brunch, caramel covered nuts and sugary sweetness. But her recipe makes far more than I knew we’d be prepared to gorge ourselves with. So I went with a mini version so cute in their petite little tins.
Using a muffin tin, I tossed a couple of balls in each cup—2 points and score!—and topped the holey o’s with an easy to pull together coating of Plum Jam, butter, Karo and a touch of ginger, cooked down to a thick coating.
The ultimate topper of pecans and taaaaa-duuuuuuum, BACON, (don’t pretend you weren’t waiting with baited breath for the B-word) was the perfect salty foil to the sweetened, jammy coating.
The hardest part of the recipe? Not eating all the bacon before they went into the oven. The second hardest part? Letting them cool before burning the roof of my mouth because I simply couldn’t resist tasting the smell.
Bacon and Jam Mini Monkey Breads
PrintIngredients
- 4 tablespoons butter divided and at room temperature
- ½ cup plum or apricot jam or marmalade
- 1 tablespoon light Karo syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 12 frozen dough balls I used Rhodes Bake and Serve White Dinner Rolls
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 4 slices cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Butter a 6 cup muffin tin with 2 tablespoons of butter. Place 2 frozen dough balls into each cup. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add jam or marmalade, Karo syrup and ginger and cook for 3 minutes or until flavors are blended. Add cream and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon evenly over dough balls. Top with chopped nuts and crumbled bacon.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in height or for about 5 hours.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and remove from pan and serve.
Notes
Who would have thunk there were so many other blogger versions of mini monkey breads. Call them pull-aparts, call them muffins. Doesn’t matter because all you’ll be doing is calling them delicious. Click on through and get the recipes on these talented food blogger’s sites.
It’s that entertaining time of year, when everyone’s looking for a great dip for big and little alike. Gaby goes international style on an mini scale with What’s Gaby Cooking’s recipe for Italian Style Mini Pizza Monkey Bread.
Not even letting her sister’s wedding prep stand in the way of the duties of blogging when sweet dough, sweet cinnamon, a sweet glaze and a sweet baker all turn out perfectly mini Monkey Bread Muffins from Melissa of The Faux Martha.
With this recipe Shumalia certainly isn’t going to be contributing to a slow-down in pumpkin related recipes, she’s just adding to the squashalicious lot! Combining classic pumpkin pie flavors inspired by this recipe and this blog makes for a finger-licking treat with The Novice Housewife’s Pumpkin Pull-Apart Muffins.
Little mini loaves of love with nutella fudge sauce or pecan-caramel—you can take your pick! Izy packs a ton of flavor in a self serve, no-knead portion with Top With Cinnamon’s Quick Mini Monkey Breads.
Creating individual tastes with ramekins, Alexandra gangs doughy goodness with butter and dill for an easy dinnertime entertaining side dipper thanks to Confessions of a Brighty-Eyed Baker’s Buttery Dill Monkey Bread.
Related Recipes
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Mountain Fresh Peach Pie Recipe
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Deepak Kumar
I loved your recipe. Will definitely try it at home. Yesterday I read Red Sauce Pasta Recipe and tried to make it. It was so yummy! I just can’t explain the taste
Billy Parisi
This is me to the T. WANT!
EatFormula
Great food recipe. I will try to make this . Beside this, I will try tom make this Jerk Chicken Pasta First. Which is really wonderfull..
Why not you try?
Veronica Bullard
This sounds delicious! I’m not this adventurous with bacon but I can see how it would work. Keep up the good work!
Shumaila
Thanks so much Heidi for featuring the pumpkin pull aparts with such great recipes! Your monkey breads look great!
Adam
You had me at monkey bread, then you added bacon, then you added jam, then you made them mini. These looks yummy. Gorgeous photo too.
Kristen
These are so beautiful. I actually made a version of monkey bread today that was so delicious! Wish I had some of yours now too!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
O M G you’re kidding me….or killing me. Send help. I need these asap.
Mandie @ Oh So Decadent
The bacon mini monkey bread stopped me in my tracks. I’m not lying, I read the title and instantly stopped breathing. This is probably one of the most amazing recipes to ever grace this earth.
Russell van Kraayenburg
Holy moly look at all that amazing bread. I like yours the best though. You know, because bacon.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
OMG, LOVE this post! so many great recipes! I have to try them all!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
I have yet to attempt to make Monkey Bread. I think it is time! I am loving that pizza monkey bread and your bacon and jam monkey bread! I would probably burn my mouth because I have a hard time waiting for things to cool too!
Yep, I’m thinking that Pizza Monkey Bread is coming out for a Halloween party or football fest.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Holy bacon, this looks amazing! Gorgeous pictures!
Miss McBooty
This screams, “SEXY!” ;)
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Heidi they’re gorgeous and adorable and just perfect! Love that they’re mini. And as always amazing pics…which just seem to get even more fabulous with each post!
Kathryn
You are like some kind of monkey bread genius! That topping sounds amazing.
Emily
I am reading this at 1am and now I absolutely need these rolls!