Maple Pecan Sticky Buns

Is there anything better than sinking your teeth into a warm, gooey cinnamon roll? YES! Sinking your teeth into a warm, gooey, sticky bun! Sticky buns are like cinnamon rolls more delicious cousin… full of buttery cinnamon sugar, but topped with homemade maple caramel and toasty pecans!

MAPLE PECAN STICKY BUNS

Hey guys, it’s Amanda from The Chunky Chef, a recipe blog that focuses on comforting family recipes. I’m a self-taught home cook who loves whipping up fabulous comfort food that everyone loves…like these maple pecan sticky buns!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CINNAMON ROLL AND STICKY BUN?

The main difference here is in the topping. Both sweet rolls are filled with a butter, brown sugar and cinnamon filling, but cinnamon rolls are generally topped with a cream cheese or vanilla icing glaze. Sticky buns are traditionally topped with caramel and pecans or other nuts. Also, with cinnamon rolls, the topping is added after the rolls have been baked. With sticky buns, the topping is added to the bottom of the baking dish, then the rolls are baked on top of that. You invert the pan after baking to give them that glorious topping.

HOW DO YOU STORE STICKY BUNS?

Even though you may WANT to eat the entire batch… odds are, you’ll have some leftover. Sticky buns will keep at room temperature for about 2 days, covered tightly to prevent them from drying out too much. For longer storage, keep them refrigerated, also covered tightly, for up to a week.

CAN STICKY BUNS BE FROZEN?

Absolutely! I’ve not tested freezing them unbaked, but baked buns can be frozen for 2-3 months. Make sure to wrap them tightly with foil and place in an airtight container for freezing. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them up and enjoy!

TIPS FOR MAKING STICKY BUNS

First of all, don’t be intimidated! Working with yeast usually has people intimidated, but it’s really not that complicated. If you have a stand mixer, definitely use it! Kneading the dough can be tedious, and letting the mixer do the work for you is awesome. If you don’t have one, no worries, you can absolutely make it without one. You’ll just get an arm workout! Make sure to proof your yeast. This is covered in the recipe below, but it’s an important tip. Sometimes yeast can be older than we think, and it just won’t activate and work. Proofing means you don’t have to make the whole dough before finding out the yeast was dead! If you don’t have a warm spot in your kitchen (or don’t know where one is), don’t panic. Here’s what I do all the time, especially in the colder months. I preheat my oven to about 200°F degrees, then turn it off once it comes up to temperature. Put the covered bowl with the dough in there and shut the door. Works every time! Just make sure you shut the oven OFF. Slicing the sticky bun dough into wheels can be tricky. Use a very sharp serrated knife, or some unflavored dental floss (seriously, make sure it’s UNflavored – no one wants spearmint flavored buns!). Slide the floss underneath the log, bring both sides up, cross them over each other, and pull tight. Perfect slices! Make sure you let the buns rest after baking before you try to invert the pan. 5 minutes or so is all it takes, but if you don’t let it rest, the caramel will be too runny and you won’t have much left on top after you flip them.

I hope you all give these maple pecan sticky buns a try, I’m sure you’ll love them! Hope to see you around The Chunky Chef too!