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If there’s one thing December needs, it’s this Snowflake Pull-Apart Monkey Bread.
Okay, and maybe some real snow too, but since I can’t control the weather, I’m making snowflakes!
It’s weird, by this time of year we always have snow on the ground, and not just a thin layer, but lots of it. I can’t remember a year when we haven’t had piles of snow all over the place by now, so the fact that we have so little snow is weird…and kind of sad. Snow in December is my absolute favorite. Snow in March…April…May? No thanks, but snow in December, yes please. Obviously, there’s not much I can do about the lack of white stuff here in the west, but what I can do…is make deliciously gooey and sweet monkey bread that looks like a giant snowflake. Yup, that I can do.
For real though, how cute is this snowflake monkey bread? I’ve seen these snowflake breads all over my Pinterest page for years now and always thought they were the cutest. It wasn’t until this year that I had the idea to recreate my mom’s butterscotch monkey bread recipe into this festive snowflake. But I’m so glad the idea came to mind, because not only is this bread cute, it’s also incredibly delicious.
Warm, doughy, gooey, extra sweet, and loaded with cinnamon and butterscotch. It’s basically the ultimate Christmas morning breakfast.
Couldn’t love it more.
Now, I know what you guys are thinking, this looks so hard to make. Trust me though, this is not hard to make. I know it looks fancy, but in all honesty, it’s kind of easier than making monkey bread. I mean, it’s not as easy as my mom’s monkey bread, because her recipe doesn’t use homemade dough, or homemade butterscotch sauce and filling, but the process of actually making the snowflake is pretty easy…and fun!
And once you finish? You’ll feel a little proud that you created such a pretty looking bread…
Or at least I did anyway. Hey, I am not a professional pastry baker. I can bake, but making things look extra pretty? Not necessarily my thing.
Point is, even if you think you can’t make this, you can!
I tried to snap a bunch of photos of the twisting process so that you can use those as a guide when making your own bread. I am such a visual person, so at least for me, photos always help.
It’s really just a matter of layering the dough and then twisting. Pretty simple. And even if your snowflake doesn’t end up looking very “snowflake…ish”, don’t worry. All that matters is how the bread tastes, and it’s going to taste great in whatever shape or form.
Think of this snowflake monkey bread like your favorite gooey sticky bun, but instead of in bun form, they’re in cute, pull-apart snowflake form.
If like me you plan to make this for Christmas morning, you can form the snowflake on Christmas Eve, pop it in the fridge and let it sit overnight. In the morning, remove the snowflake from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then just bake and eat!
Since I wanted my bread to be extra, extra gooey, like my mom’s monkey bread that we traditionally eat on Christmas morning, I ended up making an extra butterscotch sauce to lightly drizzle over the snowflake. In full disclosure, the butterscotch sauce is totally not needed. The bread is sweet enough on its own, but it’s the holiday’s and let’s be real, while the bread is good enough on its own, it’s better with that additional butterscotch sauce.
And a dusting of confectioners sugar…you know, for the snow effect.
Obviously.
Snowflake Pull-Apart Monkey Bread
Servings: 10 servings
Calories Per Serving: 740 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing before baking
Filling
- 6 tablespoons butter, very warm, but not melted
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Butterscotch Sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. Combine the milk, yeast, honey, 2 eggs, butter, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough should be sticky, but if it seems too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.2. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Kneed into a smooth ball. Grease a large bowl and add the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a bowl.4. Lightly dust a surface with flour. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll into a ball. Cut the dough evenly into 4 pieces and roll each piece out into a 10 inch circle. Place 1 circle on a parchment lined baking sheet with sides. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Place another piece of dough on top and spread with 1/3 of the filling. Add the 3rd layer of dough and spread with the remaining filling. Finish with the 4th dough round.5. Place a 2 inch wide drink glass in the center of the dough and use as a guide when cutting the strips. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 triangles, then cut each triangle in half creating 8 triangles. Now cut each triangle in half again to make a total of 16 triangles (see photos above for a guide). 6. Remove the drink glass. Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends to seal (see photos above for guide). Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes, or let rise overnight in the fridge. 7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. Brush the snowflake with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully spoon any sauce that has leaked out of bread back over the bread. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown. 8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla.8. Drizzle the snowflake with butterscotch sauce and dust lightly with confectioners sugar. Eat warm. Enjoy!
The best piece…the one with with extra butterscotch sauce…because it’s Christmas!
PS. have you guys entered my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer giveaway over on Instagram yet?
Hello! I’m making this for Christmas morning, but I’m preparing the dough and filling today (so I can put it in the fridge tonight and bake it in the morning tomorrow). I was wondering if the butterscotch sauce can also be prepared a day in advance? Or would it be best for me to make it on Christmas morning when I bake the snowflake?
Hey Chloe,
Totally fine to make ahead and keep in the fridge, just bring it back to room temperature before baking. The sauce can also be made ahead of time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this egg free? My boys have an allergy. Would a flax egg or another egg replacement work? It looks amazing!!!
Hey Kara,
So sorry I have not tested this recipe without egg, but you can certainly try a flax or chia egg! I hope you love the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hey! Question… I’m pregnant so I’m not drinking alcohol (obviously) but in this recipe there’s whiskey in the butterscotch sauce… any recs for a substitute?
Thanks! -mary
Hey Mary,
You can just skip the whiskey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This looks delicious, plan to make some for Christmas gifts. How far in advance can you make the butterscotch sauce? I’m assuming you store it in the refrigerator?
thank you!
Hey Anne Marie,
I would make it no more than 1 week in advance and store in the fridge. I hope you love the recipe! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I’m planning on making this for Christmas morning. I’m going to try it using eggnog instead of milk – like some of your other recipes. Do you think that will work?
I usually make a typical monkey bread ( we called it plunk-it bread) but thought this would be a nice “twist” for the year we are having!
Hey Brooks,
I’ve not tested this one with eggnog, but I am sure it will work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Bread looks heavenly but the cover photo was for something else that I really wanted the recipe for. ?
Hi Heidi! I am sorry, I do not think I understand. Is there anything I can help you with? xTieghan
This looks beautiful, cant wait to try it! Is there a non alcoholic substitute for the whiskey in the sauce?
Hey Kate,
You can omit the whiskey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was truly incredible. What a hit! I will be making this again and again.
Love to hear that! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Hi, wanting to give this as a gift… Do you think I can cook it, and then freeze? Be best to keep the sauce separate and tell them to pour over once heated?
Hey Sandie,
Yes I would do that! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’ve made this twice now and it is so tasty! It is also fun, festive, and impressive!
Thank you so much!! xTieghan
Hi..This looks amazing!!.I’ve never baked with whiskey before. I have young kids, is this kid friendly or can I replace the whiskey with something else? Thanks!!
Hi Carrie! You can simply omit the whiskey. No big deal! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I am so confused
2 eggs beaten
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk
Is that 3 eggs total or one of the two eggs already mentioned.
Hi Rebecca! You need 3 eggs total, 2 for the dough and 1 egg for brushing on the bread before baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – I’d love to have this for Christmas morning, but we have my little grandson here so gift opening starts pretty darn early with not much time for baking. Do you think I could I make this the day before without the sauce, maybe warm it up in a low oven temp on Christmas morning, and then add the sauce? Thanks!
Hey Marcie!! Yes, I think that should work great! I actually do this often too. lease let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
YUM. I’m definitely making this. I might also try it with a chocolate spread or Nutella! Anywho, when you are mixing the dough up, what attachment are you using? Is it the dough hook or the standard mixer? Thanks!
Hey Colleen, I use the dough hook to mix the dough. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! You recipe looks spectacular and delicious! If I make this in advance and freeze it, am I better to let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator or should I let it thaw overnight on the counter? Which would give me the best possible outcome? Thank you!
HI Marian! I recommend letting this thaw overnight in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan