This decadent Oreo monkey bread recipe combines refrigerated biscuit dough, whole Oreo cookies, cinnamon sugar, and a bubbling brown-sugar caramel sauce in one irresistible pull-apart dessert. Each of the 16 soft biscuit pieces surrounds an Oreo, then bakes in a generously greased 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan until deeply golden and fully cooked.
Prep takes about 20–25 minutes, baking takes 35–45 minutes at 350°F, and the finished bread rests for 5–10 minutes before it is inverted. The result is warm, tender, buttery, cinnamon-sweet, and filled with creamy chocolate-cookie flavor, with an optional vanilla glaze adding an extra ribbon of sweetness.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
Oreo monkey bread is the kind of bake that makes everyone gather around the serving plate. Instead of slicing a traditional loaf, guests pull away tender biscuit bundles to discover a whole chocolate sandwich cookie tucked inside.
The cinnamon-sugar coating melts into the buttery caramel sauce as the bread bakes. The outside becomes sticky and golden while the centers stay soft, creating a wonderful contrast between biscuit, cookie cream, and rich brown sugar.
This recipe also feels special without requiring a complicated dough or long rising time. Refrigerated biscuits keep the preparation quick, making this a practical choice for a weekend breakfast, birthday dessert, holiday brunch, or movie-night treat.
If cinnamon bread is a favorite in your home, you may also enjoy this cinnamon bread alternative for another cozy baking project.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The recipe uses two cans of refrigerated large biscuits, with about 16.3 ounces in each can and 16 biscuits total. Choose biscuits large enough to flatten around one Oreo while still pinching closed without thin spots.
- Biscuits: These form the soft, fluffy bundles that hold the cookies and caramel.
- Oreos: Use 16 cookies, placing one inside each biscuit.
- Cinnamon sugar: One cup of granulated sugar mixed with two teaspoons of ground cinnamon coats every piece.
- Caramel sauce: One cup of unsalted butter and one cup of packed light brown sugar create the glossy coating.
- Flavor additions: Vanilla and salt are optional in the caramel, but they add extra balance and depth.
- Glaze: Powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla make an optional finishing drizzle.
Unsalted butter gives you control over the seasoning, which is why the recipe lists a quarter teaspoon of salt as optional. If you prefer a less sweet finish, the glaze can be omitted without changing the bread’s texture.
For another fruit-forward baking idea, keep our strawberry banana bread on your recipe list for a tender loaf with fresh produce flavor.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare the Bundt pan before opening the biscuit dough. Grease every part of a 10- to 12-cup pan generously, including the center tube, grooves, bottom, and inner sides, because the caramel may cling as it cools.
Step 2: Add the granulated sugar and cinnamon to a large resealable bag or a wide bowl, then stir or shake until evenly combined. A wide coating station makes it easier to roll each dough ball without crushing its shape.
Step 3: Separate the biscuits and flatten each one into a round that is large enough to hold an Oreo. Keep the dough fairly even in thickness so the cookie is surrounded completely during baking.
Step 4: Place one Oreo in the center of each flattened biscuit. Pull the dough up and around the cookie, then pinch the seam firmly closed so no cookie edges or open gaps remain.
Step 5: Roll each sealed dough ball through the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated on all sides. Arrange the pieces evenly in the greased Bundt pan, distributing them around the center tube rather than packing them into one area.
Step 6: Add the butter and packed light brown sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth and begins to bubble lightly, then remove it from the heat and stir in the optional vanilla and salt.
Step 7: Pour the warm caramel mixture over the dough balls as evenly as possible. Let it flow into the spaces between the pieces so the bottom and sides will become glossy and syrupy after baking.
Step 8: Bake for 35–45 minutes at 350°F. Look for a deeply golden top, but check the center carefully with a skewer or thin knife because dough beneath the center tube can remain underbaked even when the surface appears ready.
Step 9: If the top becomes dark before the center is cooked, loosely cover the pan with foil and continue baking. Once finished, allow the monkey bread to cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes.
Step 10: Place a serving plate over the Bundt pan, then carefully invert the bread in one controlled motion. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla for the optional glaze, drizzle it over the warm bread, and serve while the caramel is soft.
Pro Tips for Perfect Oreo Monkey Bread
The most important preparation detail is sealing every biscuit around its Oreo. If the seam is loose, the cookie may leak out, and the biscuit pieces may separate or expose dry edges during baking.
Grease more generously than you would for an ordinary cake. Caramel can harden against the pan, so pay special attention to the center tube and the narrow ridges where a pastry brush or your fingers can spread a thin layer of butter or cooking spray.
Resting time matters. Inverting immediately can cause the hot bread and caramel to shift, while waiting much longer than 5–10 minutes can allow the caramel to set in the Bundt pan and make release more difficult.
Use the center as your doneness checkpoint rather than relying only on color. The dough should be fully cooked beneath the center tube, and a loosely placed sheet of foil can protect the top if it reaches a deep golden shade early.
For a savory change of pace after this sweet bake, try a loaf made with our Italian bread recipe. It is a useful contrast to this rich, dessert-style pull-apart bread.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the monkey bread warm on a large platter so everyone can pull off a caramel-coated piece. The optional vanilla glaze looks beautiful drizzled in thin ribbons, especially when a few Oreo crumbs are sprinkled over the top.
A cup of coffee, black tea, or cold milk pairs naturally with the chocolate and cinnamon flavors. For brunch, serve smaller pieces alongside fresh berries so the meal has a bright, refreshing element to balance the buttery caramel.
This bake is rich enough to stand alone, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream turns a warm serving into a memorable dessert. Add the ice cream just before serving so it begins to melt into the caramel without making the bread soggy.
If you are planning a cinnamon-themed breakfast spread, compare this recipe with our classic Amish cinnamon bread for a traditional loaf option.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover monkey bread covered at room temperature for a short period or refrigerate it if you need to keep it longer. Because the caramel thickens as it cools, cover the bread well to protect its soft texture.
Rewarm individual pieces gently so the biscuit stays tender and the caramel softens again. A short warming period is preferable to overheating, which can make the dough chewy and cause the sugary coating to become overly hot.
For the best texture, serve the bread within the same day whenever possible. If you are preparing several baked treats, our easy peach bread is another make-ahead-friendly choice with a tender crumb.
Decadent Oreo Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan, making sure to coat the center tube, ridges, and bottom especially well.
- Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large resealable bag or bowl. Separate the biscuit dough and flatten each biscuit into a round.
- Place one Oreo in the center of each flattened biscuit. Pinch the dough completely closed around the cookie, forming a sealed ball.
- Roll each sealed dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange the coated pieces evenly in the prepared Bundt pan.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth and lightly bubbling. Stir in the vanilla and salt, if using.
- Pour the warm caramel mixture evenly over the dough balls. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until deeply golden and the dough in the center is fully cooked.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover the Bundt pan with foil for the remainder of baking. Cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a serving plate.
- For the optional glaze, whisk the powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla together until smooth. Drizzle over the warm monkey bread and serve.
Notes
Final Thoughts
This decadent Oreo monkey bread brings together everything people love about a comforting bake: soft pull-apart biscuits, creamy chocolate cookies, fragrant cinnamon sugar, and a buttery brown-sugar caramel coating. The Bundt pan gives it a dramatic shape, while the individual bundles make serving wonderfully casual.
Take time to seal the dough, grease the pan thoroughly, check the center for doneness, and invert after the recommended 5–10 minute rest. Add the simple vanilla glaze while the bread is warm, then invite everyone to pull apart a piece and enjoy the gooey, cookie-filled center.