How to Make Caramel-Pecan Nut Sticky Buns

Homemade sticky buns are a delicious twist on classic cinnamon rolls! If you haven't had sticky buns before, they're a cinnamon roll baked onto a bed of caramel sauce and pecan nuts, and then inverted when served, so you get a whole lot of gooey pecan caramel goodness on the tops of your cinnamon buns! Overnight option included in the instructions!

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Hi hi! Just popping in to share this sticky buns recipe! I'm a tiny bit mad at myself that I haven't made these before now, but we finally got there.

If you haven't had sticky buns before (the US version is different to what we have in NZ), they are a cinnamon roll baked onto a bed of caramel and pecans, and then inverted when served, so you get a whole lot of gooey pecan caramel goodness on the tops of your cinnamon buns. The best thing ever.

I made a vanilla golden syrup caramel to go on the bottom of these caramel pecan sticky buns, and it's just so, so good. They are seriously sticky and the slightly toasty flavour that comes from the toasted pecans and the golden syrup is incredible alongside the soft vanilla bean dough.

I have a whole blog section on making your buns if you're looking for ideas for homemade buns and rolls!

Components

Homemade sticky buns are a super simple but very delicious twist on a cinnamon roll - they basically are a cinnamon roll, baked on a bed of caramel and pecans.

• Sticky Pecan Topping. This is the 'topping' as the buns get inverted to serve, but is what goes down into the pan first. I made mine with a golden syrup vanilla bean caramel and some toasted pecans.
• Brioche Dough. I used my go-to brioche dough here, loading it up with vanilla bean paste. It is rolled out thin and filled with cinnamon roll filling. I also use this same dough for my brown butter cinnamon rolls and my baked apple cinnamon rolls.
• Cinnamon Filling. I used a blend of cinnamon and cardamom here, but you are welcome to only use cinnamon if you like.

How to make Sticky Buns

• Make the brioche base. I used my regular brioche dough for this sticky bun recipe - super easy and quick to make. I use a stand mixer but if you needed to make it by hand, you can follow my recipe for small batch cinnamon rolls and double the dough quantity then follow this recipe as written.
• Toast the Pecans. Toasting your nuts is a super easy step that makes a massive difference flavour wise. I prefer to toast mine in the oven just at 350°f / 180°c for 10-12 minutes. Toasting them in the oven means that they get more evenly toasted.
• Make the caramel for sticky buns. This is a super easy caramel - stir together brown sugar, golden syrup and butter, boil together briefly, then transfer to the bottom of the pan and sprinkle over the pecans.
• Assemble the cinnamon rolls. The topping needs a tiny bit of time to cool, so while that is happening, pop together your cinnamon rolls. Cut them into even pieces and arrange on top of the caramel sauce layer. I like to arrange them so all the seams are facing the same way.
• Leave to rise. Leave the whole thing to rise until the cinnamon rolls are doubled in size and super puffy.
• Bake. Pop the sticky buns into the oven and bake until the buns are golden on top. If you are worried they are browning too fast before the caramel is done, you can tent the tops with some foil.
• Rest. Once the sticky buns come out of the oven, leave them to rest for 5-10 minutes just to let the caramel cool slightly.
• Invert. Flip the whole pan over onto a serving platter or a baking sheet, so they are now sitting caramel side up. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Vanilla Bean Brioche with Heilala Vanilla

If you've been here for a while you will know that I have a long term obsession with all things vanilla bean paste - specifically, Heilala Vanilla's Vanilla Bean Paste. I popped it into all the components of these Pecan Sticky Buns - a vanilla bean infused brioche dough, flecks of vanilla bean in the caramel base, and a little bit in the cinnamon brown sugar filling. It's a holy grail product for me and the company is just so incredible - I am so proud to have worked with them for as long as I have, and their vanilla is hands down the best i've ever used.

Heilala makes all kinds of amazing products, but the one I always have on hand is their Double Fold Vanilla Bean Paste. It is called double fold as it is double the strength of their single fold, so double the concentration of the vanilla seeds, and the extract base is also double the strength. A jar of their double fold contains the equivalent of 300 vanilla beans, with half a teaspoon of it being equivalent to one vanilla bean. A jar lasts me close to a year with extremely heavy use. This is what is used in high end pastry kitchens which is another thing I love about Heilala - you can get the exact same product that pastry professionals choose to use in their restaurants.

A jar of vanilla bean paste a great baking investment but would also make an amazing gift if you've got someone in your life who loves baking but can be a little hard to buy for - a big jar of vanilla is the perfect present. Heilala has given me a discount code to use in their store - CLOUDY25 will get you 25% off their products. I'm hooked and I know you will be too.

For Black Friday, Heilala is running an incredible deal on their holiday pack which includes a jar of the double fold paste, a jar of their classic vanilla paste, some vanilla paste samples, and a super cute funfetti cupcake pan and pink tea towel. Pop on over here to check it out.

How to make brioche ahead of time

I prefer to do a cold rise on my brioche dough whenever I can. Even if it just a couple of hours in the fridge on the day that I want to use it makes a difference.

The advantage of working with a cold dough is that it is super easy to roll out, which makes getting a nice neat roll on your cinnamon rolls super easy.

Doing a cold rise also means that the buns can be made on your schedule - the cold temperature slows down the yeast, meaning that you aren't tied to a certain time to assemble your homemade sticky buns.

FAQ for Pecan Sticky Buns

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can see a full list of all the tools I use here

Which pan did you use?
I baked my sticky buns in this 9x13" pan, but you can use anything you like with a similar size. Just make sure it has higher sides to hold in the gooey pecan mix.

What is a good substitute for Golden Syrup?
You can use honey if you can't find golden syrup. It's worth getting some if you can though - you can get it online if you can't find it in store. I use it in my caramel slice and ginger crunch recipe as well as my pecan pie so lots of ways to use it up 🙂

Can Sticky Buns be made by hand?
Yes - just double this recipe for the dough then proceed as written.

Can the pecans be substituted?
Yes, you can use toasted chopped walnuts or other nuts if you like.

How do I scale this recipe for a smaller batch?
Halve the recipe and make in a 8" square pan. Roll the dough to a 14" (35cm) square and cut into 9 rolls. Watch the rise time and bake time carefully!

How do you store sticky buns?
Sticky buns are best eaten on the day that they are made, but if you are eating them a day or so after, I prefer to refresh in the microwave briefly. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe For Pecan Sticky Buns

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