Easy Sticky Buns
This recipe creates delightful sticky buns using convenient frozen puff pastry. A sweet butter-pecan mixture forms the base, topped with cinnamon-raisin-filled pastry spirals. Baked until golden, they are then inverted to reveal a luscious caramel glaze, perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Equipment
- 1 12-cup standard muffin tin
- 1 Sheet Pan
- 1 Electric Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Wooden board or stone surface For rolling puff pastry
Ingredients
Main
- 12 tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped in very large pieces
- 1 package 17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
- Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.
Notes
1. Ensure puff pastry is properly defrosted but still cold; it's easier to work with when chilled and helps maintain its flaky structure. Working quickly will prevent it from becoming sticky. 2. For an enhanced flavor, consider lightly toasting the pecans before adding them to the muffin cups to bring out their nutty aroma. 3. When rolling the pastry, make sure the roll is snug to prevent gaps, but not so tight that it tears. 4. Inverting the buns precisely at the 5-minute mark after baking is critical; too soon and the hot caramel might spill, too late and it may set, making removal difficult. Use a heat-safe spoon to ease any remaining caramel or pecans from the muffin cups onto the buns.