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So, let me tell you about one of the best recipes ever.
It’s easy…
Full of all the good things in the world…
And delicious… SO DELICIOUS… Cheat’s Brown Butter and Salted Maple Pecan Sticky Buns!
WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO HERE:
And guys, these are sticky buns like no other. Plus, they only take about an hour from start to finish. Yep, I’m keeping things EASY all week-long, cause when it comes to the days leading up to Thanksgiving, all recipes need to be EASY. You know? You know.
When thinking about a breakfast/brunch for the holidays I always, always sway towards cinnamon rolls. If you just search cinnamon rolls on the blog here, you’ll see that’s pretty clear with this recipe, this recipe AND this recipe. What can I say, my family and I all love cinnamon rolls, I mean, who doesn’t???? They’re kind of the best. Does anyone remember being a kid and popping open the can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls and being SO excited for the soft, buttery, doughy, cinnamony sweet rolls to come out of the oven in fifteen minutes? Cause I do.
Those rolls were our breakfast/any time snack during the week between Christmas and New Years. Good, delicious memories!
Anyway, I have since discovered homemade cinnamon rolls, and I of course never looked back. But you know, sometimes you need something easy. No messing around with yeast, flour rising, mixing…hair pulling. Just easy!
That is these sticky buns. Hence the word “cheaters” in the title. The secret is puff pastry. Actually, I think puff pasty is THE secret to holiday recipes…you will see me using it a lot in the coming month (and it’s going to be so good). If you ask me puff pastry is magical.
I used puff pastry as the dough for these sticky buns, which basically takes out all the work. YES. But what really sets these buns apart is the maple “sticky sauce”. Oh my gosh, this sauce is everything. Like my dad called these the best sticky buns he ever had… and guys, he’s kind of picky about sticky buns.
I have to agree though, these buns are the best, and part of that is surely due to the fact that they are so easy to make… but mostly because they are just so flippin good!
Random Question #1: what do you guys think of as a Thanksgiving/Christmas Breakfast?? Do you go sweet or savory? OR do you do both?!
These buns can also double a dessert or after dinner snack to serve with coffee. They are just an all day eating kind of thing, which when it comes to Thanksgiving, or any holiday gathering, is a “must have” treat to have around.
OKAY, so I wish I had more to say today, but I have to get my butt moving and get cooking. People arrive in T-minus two hours and well, I have tons and tons to do. Oddly none of my tasks involve Thanksgiving prep work or dinner prep for tonight.
Ugh. Deadlines are not my friend this week.
But hey, at least I have these sticky buns to keep me fueled (or on a sugar high?) for the next few hours. Yesss!
Random Question #2: what are you guys up to today? Are you stuck working? Traveling to family or friends for the holiday? Prepping for the feast?!?! I want to know. Yes, I’m nosy… tell me everything!
Cheat's Brown Butter and Salted Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.
Servings: 12 Buns
Calories Per Serving: 579 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Sticky Sauce
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup raw pecans chopped
Buns
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or butter.
- In a medium sauce pot, combine the maple syrup, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 12 tablespoons butter. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sauce bubbling, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Divide the pecans evenly among the bottom of 12 muffin cups. Now pour about 1-2 tablespoons of the sticky sauce over the pecans (reserve any remaining sauce for serving). The sticky sauce should come about 1/3 of the way up the muffin cup.
- Add 6 tablespoons butter to saucepan. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Stir often, butter will foam and then settle back down. Remove from the heat and let cool 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine 2/3 cup brown sugar with the cinnamon.
- Lightly flour a clean surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the sheet with half of the brown butter and then evenly sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining sheet of puff pastry.
- Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up tightly like you would a cinnamon roll, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Cut about a 1/2-inch off the ends of each roll and discard. Slice each roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. This should make 12 rolls. Place each roll, spiral side up, in the prepared muffin cups (place the rolls snugly into the pecans/sticky sauce).
- Place the muffin pan on a cookie sheet with sides. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper lined serving plate (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon). Rewarm the remaining sticky sauce and drizzle it over the buns. Sprinkle the buns with salt and serve warm.
Notes
*Method adapted from [Ina Garten | http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sticky-buns-recipe.html].
Umm, okay. Can’t wait to hear your answers!
Oh, and these Salted Maple Pecan Sticky Buns – I need…you need! Let’s make these! <–DO IT.
Puff Pastry is my best friend.
OMG! Why did I have to wake up and see this recipe first thing? But thank you for making it so easy to make. Excuse me while I go and get the puff pastry out of the freezer. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving, Ardith
Forgot to answer your questions! I don’t live in America so I’m working.
Second question, Christmas morning is usually just left overs I think (we cook big for Christmas Eve). Last Christmas morning was different as I was in a relationship (still am) so had Christmas Eve with my family and than brunch Christmas Day with my then boyfriend’s (now fiancé’s) family. Brunch was savoury but I brought over Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake to indulge after :).
These look so good, unfortunately my future hubby is allergic to tree nuts so we’d have to leave out the pecans. It should still be awesome thought right?
Fur sure! It will be delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Puff pastry? Genius! And using a muffin tin? Brilliant! We make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning here, but I just bought the canned (!) variety for Thanksgiving day as I host and I have too much prep work to do! But these looks so easy I would be stupid not to try them for Christmas! Thanks for another great recipe Tieghan!
Even though I love the process of making real, yeasted cinnamon rolls, you sometimes just don’t have time for the double rise (those are the best) and that is when shortcuts come handy. I love the idea of using puff pastry here, they sound a bit like pecan danish pastry.
They look so incredibly great and yummy! I am so getting ready for the holidays with these ones! Do you think that maple syrup would be ok as well? Thanks!
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Hi Arianna, I use maple syrup in this recipe. Hope you love these!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Can these be assembled the night before and baked in the morning? I’m not the kind of girl who wants to wake up before everyone else so I can begin cooking.
Hey Janine! Yes, that works great! Hope you love them!
Hi! These look sinful! Would it be ok to sub maple syrup for honey? Thanks! Greetings from Portugal!*
Thank you! Yes, honey will be great! Enjoy!
I have all the ingredients for these on hand and I cannot wait to make them!!! They look fabulous!!
Oh Tieghan, you are making me hungry AGAIN !!! I could so do with a couple of these right now. They are on my list to do 🙂
These look perfect! I’ve been slowly prepping for thanksgiving since Sunday (we always have 15+ people on thanksgiving and Christmas) with things like steamed green beans and chopped squash. Then yesterday was baked beans, pumpkin cheesecake, pecan shortbread and molasses cookie dough, and espresso brownies. Today will be dinner roll dough and dressing for the Brussels sprout slaw. Wednesday night I load it all up into my car and drive 3hs to my parents/grandparents’ houses. I’m a teacher so I’m working until Wednesday, so having a prep plan is a must!
These are definitely upgraded versions of cinnamon buns 😀 They look so gooey and delicious!
Ditto that! These look so much better than the stick buns I saw on Super Girl. Wait. I’m not ready to admit I watch Super Girl. I mean, my wife watches Super Girl. At least that’s what I tell my male co-workers. It’s ok for the female to know. Happy Thanksgiving! Drooling over these.
I’m kindo of sold on the idea of puff pastry for the cinnamon rolls!! Never even crossed my mind, but since my hubby makes a mean puff pastry – sooooo good I die! – I think I am going to consider trying to have him make some this weekend and then I can go and get my fix on cinnamon rolls!! Thanx for the idea, Tieghan!
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the majority of the time i’m too impatient to wait for dough to rise, so puff pastry sounds perfect! thanksgiving breakfast is pretty mellow at my house, but christmas breakfast is always cinnamon french toast casserole (basically bread pudding) that i make and this eggy/cheesy/breakfast sausagey dish that my aunt makes.