My grandma Deuink made the first monkey bread I ever tried.

And today is her birthday.

So this recipe will be in honor of her.

It’s easy and tasty. Perfect for office parties and church get-togethers.

And I am sure it would be lovely for a Easter brunch.

Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Monkey Bread

• 1 package frozen dinner roll dough (I like the Bridgford brand)
• 2 individual packages of hot chocolate mix
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup pecans or almonds, chopped (optional)

Grease a bundt cake pan.  In bowl, combine the hot chocolate mixes, sugars and cinnamon. Add the nuts (optional) and 1/2 cup of the sugar and hot chocolate mixture to the bottom of the bundt pan.

Dip each piece of frozen (or thawed) dough in the melted butter and roll in sugar and hot chocolate mix. Layer the dough evenly in prepared bundt pan. Pour the remaining melted butter over the dough. Cover and let rise until double in size or until dough reaches just under the top rim of pan (my frozen dough took about 4 hours to rise).

Tip: If you want to make it the night before but bake it in the morning, prepare the recipe with frozen dough, cover the bundt pan and place in the refrigerator overnight. By morning the dough will have defrosted and risen enough to be perfect for baking.

Bake in a 350ºF preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Turn out of pan immediately and serve warm or room temperature.