It’s been a while since I posted a mid-week cheater recipe. Forgive me. It’s been a long and busy summer.
But maybe- just maybe– these sticky buns will make up for it.
The first time I made sticky buns, I went all out. I’m talking overnight rise brioche baby! And they were freaking delicious. Freaking. Delicious. Here they are. I mean, come on. Look at that brioche.
But if you ever have the sudden craving for a sticky bun (I mean, isn’t that the way it always happens with a sticky bun?) and can’t wait a day and a half. . you must make these.
Puff pastry. Instant gratification.
That’s all you need folks. Puff pastry. I could spend a week talking about the many uses of puff pastry. Chocolate Croissants. Peach Croissants. Parmesan Crisp Twirls. Chicken Curry Puffs. Pizza. Tarts. Veggie Omelette Puffs. And more puffs. etc. But I won’t. The one thing I didn’t do today that I wish I did was splurge on the good stuff. The expensive, good frozen puff pastry dough that only has butter.
Damn it. I’m buying it next time.
OK, on to these buns: Roll out the puff pastry, brush on some butter, sprinkle on the sugar/cinnamon mixture, add some chocolate (or you can try berries, peaches or other fruit)
Roll up.
Cut into pieces.
And place into your baking dish (if doing the almond with honey glaze- which is a must- the almonds and glaze are already in the baking dish because you invert the pan to release the sticky buns) and bake.
And then you get these after 30 minutes. Holy mother of sticky buns.
They’re small but packed with yumminess.
I hope you enjoy. . and yesterday, I had the honor of baking these with Theo Chocolate. Their new Gingerbread Spice (coming soon for the holidays) milk chocolate. So, check back here next month for a GIVEAWAY. . where we’ll be giving away these bars and a few more NEW holiday bars. . you don’t want to miss this.
Mid-Week Cheater Recipe: Sticky Buns.
Ingredients
For the Filling and the Puff Pastry:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- a pinch of kosher salt
- Flour for your work surface
- 3- sheets all-butter frozen puff pastry defrosted
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature and very soft; to brush on to the puff pastry
- your favorite chocolate; chopped
For the Honey Glaze:
- 1/4 cup/ 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar you can use a full cup if you want more ooey goodness
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- a pinch of kosher salt
- 3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Special Equipment:
- rolling pin
- a shallow baking dish
- non-stick cooking spray or soft butter to coat the baking dish
Instructions
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix and set aside.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the floured surface and lightly roll out with a rolling pin to an even thickness. Brush the sheets with the butter and sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the surface of each puff pastry sheet. (The butter will help the sugar stick.) Sprinkle on your chopped chocolate.
- 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. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2-inches wide. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheets.
For the Honey Glaze:
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, honey and salt in a medium pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then, cook without stirring until fluid and well combined (you can swirl the pan as needed to help cook evenly.) Remove from the heat and set aside for a moment.
- Lightly coat your baking dish with butter and pour in the glaze to cover the bottom. Spread evenly if needed so it covers the entire bottom of the baking dish. Scatter the almonds evenly over the glaze and place each bun, spiral-side up, into the baking dish, snugly next to each other.
- Bake until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch, for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven onto a baking rack and let cool for 5-7 minutes. Hold your serving platter up against the baking dish and flip the baking dish so the sticky buns fall out (almonds + honey glaze side up) and onto the serving platter. Enjoy immediately!
Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay’s Blackberry-Hazelnut Sticky Buns.
