A German take on the classic monkey bread – soft biscuits oozing with diced apples, sugar and cinnamon and topped with a sweet icing glaze.
Monkey bread has never really been my thing. Don’t get me wrong – it tastes delicious, it’s filling and smells amazing. But… it’s messy. And I have a thing about messy food. I’m just not a big fan of my hands being all sticky, because then I try to pick up a glass of milk and now my glass is sticky. Then I pick up a napkin to clean my hands and my glass, and now my hands are stuck to the napkin and it starts falling apart and it’s glued to my fingers. And then I need to go wash my hands and I decide to grab a fork to eat the rest of it so that I don’t get messy again and start to worry that people will judge me for eating it with silverware instead of with my hands like an animal. And by the time I get back someone has stolen the rest of my monkey bread because I took too long to decide how much other people’s perceptions of my breakfast consumption mattered.
[deep breath]
And that’s why monkey bread has never really been my thing.
Apple strudel on the other hand is very much my thing. And it occurred to me while I was writing this post that I’ve never posted my apple strudel recipe. I need to get on that.
Anyway. I eat apple strudel with a fork or spoon – mostly because I consume massive portions in one sitting and it always has to be accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Eating ice cream with my hands would be difficult and awkward. So, silverware it is.
I started thinking that if I combined apple strudel with monkey bread, it would give me an excuse to eat it with a fork and not be judged. I also thought that if I made it in a loaf pan instead of a tube pan it would be easier to break apart since they’d just be slices and not little cubes you have to fanangle to break apart. And since I didn’t have a recipe on hand for monkey bread, I decided to cheat a little and take the easy route. I just grabbed a can of biscuits and the ingredients for the filling of my apple strudel. And my strudel isn’t complete until it’s topped with an icing glaze, so obviously that happened.
When it’s served warm, it smells exactly like apple strudel and tastes like it, too! Ooey, gooey apples covered in cinnamon sugar and vanilla glaze. So. Good. You won’t even miss the typical crisp strudel pastry crust, I promise. Go ahead – grab another slice before you let others dive in. I won’t tell. Oh, hell – grab the whole plate and lock yourself in the pantry and finish it off. I’m sure you deserve it.
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Apple Strudel Monkey Bread
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A German take on the classic monkey bread – soft biscuits oozing with diced apples, sugar and cinnamon and topped with a sweet icing glaze.
Ingredients
Bread + Filling
- 1 can homestyle or buttermilk biscuits (8 large biscuits)
- 2 large apples, diced (try using Cortland)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup raisins, chopped (optional)
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon milk (more if needed)
Instructions
Bread + Filling
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cut each biscuit in half to double the amount of biscuit discs. Press each between the palms of your hand to flatten and stretch them out a bit. The goal is to get them wide enough to fit the width of your loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss your diced apples in the lemon juice – this will keep them from turning brown (and adds a little zing). Add brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger and raisins (if desired). Stir to combine.
- Pour your filling mixture into a large saucepan and warm over medium heat. Stir occasionally until apples are soft and sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
- Hold loaf pan in one hand vertically and at a slight angle, and place one of your biscuits at the bottom (flat against the side). Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling mixture on top of the biscuit, as much in the center as possible. Top with another biscuit and press the bottom and sides against the biscuit below it to help seal the filling and prevent it from leaking out the sides. Spoon another tablespoon of filling on top and continue this process until you’ve used all the filling and biscuits, finishing with a biscuit.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until top of the loaf is browned. Let set in pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a platter to finish cooling.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, butter and milk and stir briskly to combine. You want to be able to pour the glaze, so add more milk to thin it out if necessary.
- Pour glaze over top of loaf in whatever way your little heart desires. Serve slices warmed and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Calories: 1612
- Sugar: 267
- Sodium: 621
- Fat: 29
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 341
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 34
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