Recipe Reviewed: Ina Garten's Easy Sticky Buns

Featured in the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook from Ina Garten, the following recipe for Easy Sticky Buns is one descriptive title that lives up to its name.

Ina Garten's Easy Sticky Buns 98 lo-res

With none of the headaches of proofing yeast or waiting for dough to rise, these Easy Sticky Buns rely on Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets for their golden, flaky, doughy goodness. Baked in a standard 12-cup muffin tin and bathed in melted butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and a tasty combination of pecans and raisins (or sweetened dried cranberries if you prefer), Ina's recipe is ideal for breakfast, brunch, or whenever you're longing for a tempting taste of something sweet and caramely.

Thanks to precise directions and short list of ingredients, Easy Sticky Buns are a home baked treasure with the power to add sparkle to your breakfast table in about an hour, including baking time. When you need a breakfast addition that goes beyond refrigerated rolls but don't have the time required for yeast dough, this is your recipe!

Ina Garten's Easy Sticky Buns 122 lo-res

Ina Garten's Easy Sticky Buns

from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

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 large pieces
1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, defrosted

for the filling

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins (I substituted a combination of raisins and dried sweetened cranberries)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter & brown sugar until thoroughly combined. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of this mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly amongst the muffin cups, setting them atop the butter & brown sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a work surface on which to lay out the puff pastry. Unfold first sheet with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole puff pastry sheet with half of the melted butter (as directed in for the filling). 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 (or equivalent substitution). Starting with the end nearest you, roll the puff 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 this procedure with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns in total.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, then invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon if necessary) and allow to cool completely.

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Comments

Those look delicious! I've just started using Ina's recipes for some of my stuff, and you're guaranteed a tasty treat! I can't wait to add these to my queue.

Posted by: Jenn {Cookies Cupcakes Cardio} | 05/04/2011 at 08:58 AM