Fluffy, gooey, caramel-y, maple pecan goodness! These Maple Pecan Sticky Buns are made from scratch with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, and you won’t believe just how EASY they are to make. 

Servings: 12

Prep time: 20 minutes

Rest time: 1 hour

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• 1 ½ cups Warm Whole Milk
• 1 tsp. Granulated Cane Sugar
• 1 T (or 1 individual package) Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 T Granulated Cane Sugar
• 1 T Vanilla Extract
• 3 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
• ½ tsp. Fine Sea Salt
• 4 T Unsalted Butter, softened

For the Filling:

• 4 T Unsalted Butter, softened
• ½ cup Light Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

For the Maple Pecan Topping:

• 8 T (1 stick) Unsalted Butter
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Maple Syrup
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream, or whole milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
• 1 ½ cup Pecans, roughly chopped
• Pinch of Salt

Instructions:

1. To Make the Dough: Add the warm milk, active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Give it a quick whisk and set aside for five minutes, until it becomes frothy. 
2. Add the egg, remaining two tablespoons sugar, salt, vanilla and flour to the bowl. 
3. Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and knead the mixture on LOW for four to five minutes, until the dough is pulling away from the edges. Add up to 1/3 cup more flour, if needed. 
4. Add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable. 
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm environment, like your oven with the light turned on, to rise for 30 minutes. 
6. To Make the Filling: Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Mix well. Set aside with the softened butter. 
7. To Make the Maple Pecan Topping: Combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, heavy cream and vanilla together in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil, then stir in the chopped pecans and a pinch of salt. Keep at a low boil for two to three minutes, until thickened to a caramel-like texture. Remove from heat to cool to room temperature.  
8. To Assemble the Sticky Buns: Roll out the risen dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10×20” rectangle. 
9. Spread the four tablespoons of softened butter over the dough. Evenly sprinkle the sugar mixture on top. Roll up the dough tightly. 
10. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice into 12 equal-sized rolls. 
11. Pour the maple pecan topping into a 9×13” greased baking pan. Evenly spread out with a spatula. Add the buns on top of the mixture. 
12. Cover the baking pan to rise in a warm environment until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes. 
13. To Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F. 
14. (Optional) Evenly drizzle ¼ cup heavy cream over the buns. 
15. Bake the sticky buns for 20-23 minutes, until golden on top.
16. Let rest for 10 minutes before flipping over to enjoy!