Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by General Mills, but all opinions are my own.
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread takes minutes to make, and you probably won't have leftovers!!
I have a huge weakness for cinnamon rolls, I must say. They are my all time favorite breakfast. If I order a breakfast pastry from the grocery store or a restaurant, it will be a cinnamon roll, every time!
Over the years I developed my own homemade recipe for traditional cinnamon rolls, which I have memorized from so many batches. The only downside to cinnamon rolls…we all know what it is…they take forever to bake!
To me the obvious solution to this dilemma was my slow cooker of course! The key was creating something gooey, covered in icing, and didn't require an hour of working in the kitchen. I was able to find these Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon Cinnamon at Sam's Club. They are easy to find in the refrigerated section!
Assembling the Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
The primary ingredient for this Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is regular store-bought cinnamon roll dough! I do prefer the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon Cinnamon.
You need a total of 16 small cinnamon rolls for this recipe, which is 2 cans.
This recipe is so great for this time of year, since I really enjoy baking in general. A special breakfast to take to church or to work rarely leaves any leftovers.
This Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is actually more popular than cookies, it seems. I think the days leading up to the holidays just call for cozy breakfasts and delicious treats!
I've always loved baking but honestly don't need all this at home for just a couple people, so it's the perfect time to Be a Merry Maker for the holidays.
Assembling Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread:
Open two of your cans on a large cutting board. I just open one can at a time.
Have your slow cooker ready with parchment. If you don't have parchment, keep in mind the cinnamon rolls may get pretty crispy around the edges!
Keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't get overdone.
You will then take a sharp knife, large enough to cut through each roll. Cut each roll into 4 quarters.
Keep the icing packages and set aside.
Before the cinnamon roll pieces go into the slow cooker, however, they are going to get a bit more flavoring first!!
Add Butter, Cinnamon and Sugar:
In the recipe I noted there are two ways to mix your cinnamon and granulated sugar. You can toss it in a large Ziploc and shake, or use a bowl. It's your preference, but you do only need one mix of cinnamon and granulated sugar.
The cinnamon and granulated sugar will be to coat your dough pieces before they go into the slow cooker. If you use a bowl, toss a handful of the dough pieces in at a time and gently toss to coat them in the cinnamon/granulated sugar mix.
In a second microwave safe bowl, melt your butter or maragarine.
It's debatable on which is better for cinnamon rolls, butter or margarine. Since you're using the pre-made store-bought biscuits on this recipe, you really do not need to worry too much. You can use what you have in the fridge…this recipe won't mess up. 🙂
Next, in a third small container or measuring cup, have your brown sugar ready.
The butter and the brown sugar will be used as a layer, which you will just pour between layers of the dough.
This might be the “lazy” version of Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread. I see a lot of recipes that mention coating each dough bite in butter. That takes me forever, y'all. We are already saving time using pre-made dough, so we don't want to stand in the kitchen dipping each bite in butter!
This recipe is all about getting breakfast cooking so you can go about the rest of your busy morning!
Assemble Monkey Bread in the Slow Cooker:
Finally, everything should be ready to go in the slow cooker. Add half of your dough bites right in. I do spray the parchment to give it some extra help not sticking!
Pour half of your melted butter or margarine over the dough, and then sprinkle half of the brown sugar.
Repeat for a second layer.
Turn your crock pot on low, and cook for two hours. I always check after one hour, and generally keep an eye on it as I am walking through the kitchen while it's cooking.
All crock pots are different, and bread dough can be one thing that really varies with differences in heat on the crock pot. So, just make sure not to forget it or leave the house, for best results.
Add Icing and Serve!
After your Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is done in the middle, you can serve immediately.
Open lid and add the icing that comes packaged with the cinnamon rolls, evening out so the entire top is coated. Return lid and turn crock pot to OFF setting.
Even if you're not eating the bread immediately, the WARM setting may dry these out over time.
Why Shop at Sam's Club for the Holidays?
I have a lot of extended family, and as I mentioned, I love taking the opportunity to bake and share the festive, traditional flavors of the holidays. With hosting comes larger shopping trips, of course!
Sam's helps me limit those store trips during the busy holiday season, and just grab larger sizes of my must-haves like the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, flour, sugar, butter, and of course staples like milk and bread.
I do use my Scan and Go app to avoid crowds, which to me is a priority during the holidays! Hope you can try this amazing recipe soon!
Print your Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe:
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
This short cut to traditional Monkey Bread is made entirely in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 2 Cans Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls 8-ct
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
1. Place Granulated Sugar and cinnamon in a gallon size baggie or small bowl. Mix well.
2. In a glass bowl melt butter. Then mix in the brown sugar and stir well.
3. Line your 5-7 quart slow cooker with parchment paper. ( if you don't have any, spray your crockpot with cooking spray). I like to use coconut oil spray.
4. Cut Cinnamon Rolls into quarters on large cutting board.
5. Place Cinnamon roll pieces into bag and seal shut. Shake thoroughly to coat.
6. Place 1/2 of the pieces of cinnamon rolls to the bottom of the slow cooker.
7. Next pour 1/2 of the melted butter/brown sugar mixture over the bottom layer. Then repeat adding the rest of the cinnamon roll pieces and the butter mixture over the top.
8. Take 3 sheets of paper towels over the top of the slow cooker and place the lid on top to hold the paper towels in place. (This will catch any moisture that forms on the lid)
7. Cook on low for 2 hours. Because slow cookers can be different , I always check it after the first hour. If the edges are brown and the middle looks a little gooey, just do the toothpick test because it should be fine that way.
8. Turn off your slow cooker and let it stand for 5 minutes.
9. Pour over the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls over the top and serve.
Notes
When using the parchment paper it keeps the dough from sticking to your slow cooker as much for easy clean up.
Optional : Sprinkle a 1/2 cup of chopped nuts.
My Royal Kitchen has several DIY spice mix recipes, now available! See our Pasta Fagioli Dry Soup Mix Recipe!
More Delicious Pie & Cobbler Recipes
- Canned Apple Pie Filling Recipe
- Mason Jar Lid Pies
- Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker Cherry Cinnamon Cobbler with Red Hots
- Easy Grilled Blueberry Pie
- Mason Jar Peach Crumble
- Recipe for Peanut Butter Pie
- Cast Iron Skillet Blueberry Cobbler
- Guiltless Pumpkin Pie
- Pecan Pie Cobbler
- Mini Chocolate Pie Recipe
- Homemade Peach Cobbler Recipe
- Crockpot Apple Crisp
- Chocolate Meringue Pie
More Holiday Favorites
- Eggnog Cake Recipe Bundt Cake
- Savory Oyster Cracker Recipe
- Candy Cane Kisses Puppy Chow
- Instant Pot Hot Chocolate Recipe- Tuxedo
- Easy Peppermint Pretzel Bites
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Cake Mix Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies Recipe
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies: With Cake Mix!
- Festive Cranberry Orange Chex Mix Recipe
- Peanut Butter Blossoms Cookie Recipe
- Buckeye Candies
Two contradictory instructions are shown in this recipe/article, which is right?
1. Video says 2 cans of dough, written instructions say 4 cans
2. Listed instructions says 2 hours on high, while the narrative article says 2 hours on low
Which instruction is correct for these two scenarios? Additionally, if it’s 4 cans, is the quantity of the other ingredients correct?
Please clarify….thank you.
Always follow what the blog post says, videos are not full recipes and are just a fun intro to watch , hope that helps 😉