Soft biscuits bursting with sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon and topped with a sweet icing frosting are a German twist on the traditional monkey bread. Combine it with Homemade Apple Cinnamon Toaster Strudels, Apple Cider Donuts, and Paleo Apple Galette with Maple Drizzle!

Monkey bread is tasty, filling, and smells wonderful. But it’s a disaster. And now your glass is sticky because your hands are all sticky and you attempt to take up a glass of milk.

Then you take up a napkin to wipe your hands and glass, and your hands are plastered to the napkin, which is coming apart and clinging to your fingers.

And then you have to go wash your hands before you can eat the rest of it, and by the time you come back, someone has taken the remainder of your monkey bread because you took too long.

[deep inhalation]

This is not the case with apple strudel (stay with me on this one). I eat apple strudel with a fork or spoon since I eat large servings in one sitting and it always comes with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

It would be tough and uncomfortable to eat ice cream with my hands. So it’s silverware.

So I reasoned that combining apple strudel and monkey bread would give me an excuse to eat it with a fork and not be criticized. I also reasoned that if I cooked it in a loaf pan rather than a tube pan, it would be simpler to break apart since there would be slices rather than small cubes to pry apart.

I decided to take the easy way out and simply grab a can of biscuits and the ingredients for the filling of my apple strudel.

Making apple strudel monkey bread

Is there ever going to be a moment when opening a can of biscuits doesn’t make me want to vomit? I imagined by my 30s, I’d get beyond my fear of a can of pastry dough.

First, we need to prep the biscuit dough:

1) Take all of the biscuits from the cans and cut each one in half. If you’re using the flaky kind, you may be able to just split them in two with your fingers.

2) and 3) Carefully stretch and pull each half-biscuit circle to about the width of the loaf pan. They’ll be around double their previous size.

4) The result will be a large pile of spread out biscuits. You may arrange them into a strange cookie dough tower or put them out on a flat table.

Next we need to prep the apples:

1) Core and dice each apple separately.

2) To prevent browning, toss the chopped apples in a medium bowl with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

3) Combine the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger in a mixing bowl.

or mix with a stir. 4) Flip a coin and

Now we’re going to cook the apples:

1) Place the apples in a medium pot.

2) Heat on medium, stirring periodically.

3) and 4) The apples will have softened and released their juices after around 5 minutes. Remove from the fire and set aside to cool so the sauce can thicken.

And now, assemble!

1) I’ve discovered that beginning with your loaf pan (sprayed with nonstick spray) tilted within a cereal bowl works well!

2) Begin with a biscuit round, then a spoonful of apple filling, and continue in this manner all the way down the pan (finishing with a biscuit round). As you go up the pan, tilt the pan slightly more to allow some of the liquid to drain into the bowl.

3) Pour any remaining liquid over the completely constructed bread before placing it in the oven.

4) Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the insides are cooked through. Check the bread with a toothpick towards the middle.

And there you have it! A loaf of apple strudel monkey bread that has been fully cooked. Isn’t it lovely?

The surface will be golden brown and crunchy, but the insides will be soft and packed with mouthwatering apple cinnamon taste.

And, in my opinion, no apple strudel is complete unless it is topped with an icing glaze, so that must happen.

Making the easy vanilla icing

Powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla extract, and milk will be combined in a small bowl until smooth.

If you need to add additional milk to make it pourable on top of the bread, simply add a small bit at a time, whisk to blend, and check the consistency.

Drizzle it over the bread to thoroughly coat it. If you want to spread it with a spatula, leave it at a little thicker consistency.

Because, frankly, how could you refuse that drizzle? You just cannot.

That is the answer you cannot provide.

Now start taking it apart and diving in!

When served warm, it smells just like apple strudel and tastes exactly like it. Ooey, gooey apples dusted with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with vanilla icing.

If you need to reheat it, just microwave a slice or two for 10 seconds.

Its so. freaking. good.

I guarantee you won’t miss the traditional crisp strudel dough crust. Grab another piece before you let the others dig in. I’m not going to tell.

Yeah, by all means, take the whole dish and shut yourself in the pantry to finish it.

I’m certain you deserve it.

This piece was initially published in September 2015 and was modified in October 2019 for clarification and additional photographs.