Honey Pecan Sticky Buns

ByDavidFebruary 24, 2016April 22, 2021

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Topped with a delicious gooey honey pecan mixture, these Honey Pecan Sticky Buns will magically disappear from your kitchen!

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Can we talk food trends? I’m not talking trends like “eat your veggies” or the “cookie monster diet”. I’m talking those crazy trends that become borderline obsessions. I’m looking at you, cronut. Or (if it’s even remotely close to Autumn), I’m also looking at you, Pumpkin Spice Latte. Even years after the cronut took New York by storm, people still wait in ridiculously long lines to get one of these treats. In full disclosure, I’ve never eaten a cronut. I’m not opposed to them. But I am opposed to waiting for hours to get a pastry.

Speaking of long lines, my wife’s hometown in central Pennsylvania has a bakery with the most amazing cinnamon rolls ever. They make cinnamon rolls, sticky buns and quiches. That’s it. Oh, and there are a few cookies on the menu, too. And these aren’t just regular cinnamon rolls and sticky buns. These treats are bigger than your face. And I request them every.single.time we go down to visit.

But here’s the thing about this bakery. It’s only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. And they’re usually sold out of cinnamon rolls and sticky buns long before they ‘officially’ close at 11am. You’ve got to head out early to nab a sticky bun from this place…but it’s so totally worth it! (And unlike the cronut craze, you don’t have to wait in line for hours once you get there…you just have to go early.)

We haven’t made it back to my wife’s hometown recently, so I decided to whip up a batch of homemade Honey Pecan Sticky Buns here at home. These buns are a fun recipe to make if you like to bake. They’re essentially homemade cinnamon rolls, but you put a bit of honey pecan topping in the bottom of each muffin cup before baking. As the rolls bake, this topping heats up and bakes into the rolls. Once baked, just flip these bad boys out onto a plate.

This recipes makes 2 dozen Honey Pecan Sticky Buns, so make sure you have some hungry folks in the house! (These freeze really well, too.) These rolls might not be as big as your face, but they are still delicious and fun to serve to company. And you don’t have to stand in line for hours to get them either. Enjoy!

Have you ever waited in line for over an hour at a bakery?

Have you eaten an authentic cronut? Do they live up to their reputation?

Topped with a delicious gooey honey pecan mixture, theseHoney Pecan Sticky Bunswill magically disappear from your kitchen!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 servings

Calories: 336kcal

Ingredients

For the Honey Glaze

1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp water
1½ cups pecans chopped

For the Rolls

1 cup milk
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

For the Filling

½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

For the Honey Glaze

Using a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and honey until well blended.
Add water and stir until mixture reaches spreadable consistency.
Spray or grease the sides of 24 muffin cups and divide the Honey Glaze evenly into the cups. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of chopped pecans into each cup. Set pans aside.

For the Rolls

Using either a microwave or small saucepan, heat milk until warm. (Note: The milk should only be lukewarm, not hot.)
Stir yeast into warm milk; let stand for 5 minutes.
In separate bowl or a countertop mixer, add the flour, sugar and salt. Stir until well combined.
Add eggs and milk/yeast mixture; stir until well combined.
Add diced butter to the bowl. (If using a countertop mixer, gradually increase speed to medium.) Mix for 4-5 minutes, or until smooth. (Note: Dough will be very soft at this stage.)
Grease a large bowl with butter or oil. Place dough in bowl and cover with towel. Let sit in warm spot until doubled in size (~1 hour).
Turn dough out onto a well-floured countertop. Fold dough several times and then let sit for 15 more minutes (covered). (Tip: This dough is soft and sticky. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of flour to help fold and roll it.)
Meanwhile, using a small bowl, make the filling by whisking together sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. (Note: The butter will be used later.)
On a well-floured countertop, roll the dough into a large square ~ 16”x16”.
Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle the surface with Filling mixture, but leave a ½” border on all sides.
Roll dough into a cylinder taking care to keep edges even. Press edges to seal.
Gently roll/stretch dough into a 24” long cylinder.
Slice the dough into 24 (1”) pieces.
Place one piece of dough cut side down into each muffin cup. Cover lightly and let sit in a warm spot until dough fills each muffin cup (~20-30 minutes).
Preheat oven to 360°F.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until golden brown and center of rolls is completely baked.
Let rolls cool slightly and then invert onto a plate for serving. (Tip: If the honey pecan topping stays in the pan after removing the bun, just use a spoon to collect the topping and drop it on top of the bun. If the topping hardens too much in the pan, just place the pan back in a warm oven for a minute or two.)

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