Sticky Buns

Indulge in pillowy soft and sweet Apple Pecan Sticky Buns. Simple, flavorful, and oh-so-gooey, your new favorite brunch recipe awaits!

Apple Pecan Sticky Buns

Picture a fall day. The leaves are turning brilliant colors, the sun is shining, and the air is brisk. The intoxicating smell of warm Apple Pecan Sticky Buns fills the house. Grab a cup of coffee, the newspaper and a few of these delectable treats and relax. I like to think that one bite of these warm Sticky Buns has the power to transport you to a happy place. Like our Cheddar Biscuits and Cheese Soufflé, this recipe is a weekend favorite.

These sticky buns look like you ran to the local bakery and picked them up, but the sweet aromas are proof that they were made by hand with love. The trick to this recipe is to not to eat all the sugary topping before the rolls were done baking. You can find me dipping pecan pieces into the buttery topping (like chips in chip dip) as I wait for the buns to rise.

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• Apple Pecan Sticky Buns
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• 🔪 Top tip
• Variations
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• Storage
• FAQ
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• Sticky Buns recipe

Ingredients

for the dough:

• BUTTER: softened. We like unsalted butter for this recipe.
• MILK: whole milk, 2% milk, skim milk, or nut milk
• FLOUR: AP flour (all purpose flour)
• SUGAR: granulated sugar
• YEAST: packet of rapid rise dry yeast
• SALT: sea salt or kosher salt
• EGGS: large or extra large eggs

for the filling:

• APPLES: we like McIntosh apples, red delicious apples, or Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced.
• SUGAR: granulated sugar
• CINNAMON: ground cinnamon
• BUTTER: unsalted butter

for the topping:

• PECANS: pecan halves
• BROWN SUGAR: dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
• MAPLE SYRUP: pure maple syrup
• BUTTER: usalted butter, softened

*see recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Make the Topping: In a mixer, mix together butter, syrup and brown sugar until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
2. Make the Dough: In a small pot, bring milk to almost boiling. Remove from heat, add butter and allow to melt. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a stand mixer with dough attachment. Slowly add the milk mixture and eggs until combined.
3. Knead: Knead on low for 6-8 minutes until ball is formed.
4. Let Dough Rise: Remove from mixer and place in a large bowl that is sprayed with cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic and set aside for the dough to rise (about 1½ hours).
5. Prepare Skillet: Butter a 10" cast iron skillet (9" X 13" baking dish will work also)
6. Mix the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the filling
7. Roll Out Dough: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to measure 13" X 20" rectangle.
8. Brush on Butter: Melt 8 tablespoon butter (from filling) and spread with pastry brush over surface of dough.
9. Add Cinnamon + Apples: Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over butter covering entire surface. Sprinkle finely diced apple over entire sheet of dough.
10. Make the Rolls: Starting at the small end roll dough to form pinwheel. Once done, cut log with serrated knife into 12 equal pieces.
11. Add Topping: Take topping mixture and place in bottom of pan and spread until covered bottom. Top with 2 cups of pecan halves.
12. Place Rolls in Pan: Take the cinnamon rolls and place in pan on top of pecans .
13. Let them Rise: Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours until rolls have risen and are touching each other.
14. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Cool: Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
16. Flip: Place inverted plate on top of rolls and being careful flip pan over and remove pan. The topping will be very hot so be careful to not get on skin. Serve warm.

Variations

• NUTS: while peans are are favorite, you can also use walnuts or slivered almonds
• CINNAMON: omit the apples. Use extra cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, or even a some orange zest in the dough.
• CARAMEL: a drizzle of caramel over the top makes these sticky buns even sweeter
• ADULT BRUNCH: serve them with Irish Coffees or Homemade Bloody Marys when you're entertaining grown ups.

Storage

• Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerate for longer storage (up to 5 days)
• Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or microwave for about 30 seconds until warmed through.
• Make Ahead: refrigerate buns overnight after the first rise. Let them come to room temperature and bake them the next morning.

This post was made in partnership with our friends at My Baking Addiction. All opinions are our own.

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