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If breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, prepare to level up your morning game! These aren’t your typical cinnamon rolls—they’re the ultimate upgrade. Picture gooey layers of brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon, and a generous drizzle of real maple syrup, all crowned with a caramelized pecan topping that’s to die for. They’re so indulgent, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for the plain version!
Whether you’re a die-hard cinnamon roll fan or just someone who loves a treat that can be made ahead, these sticky buns will have you questioning your loyalty. Once you’ve tried these, you’ll officially be on the sticky bun side.
The first time I made these gooey maple pecan sticky buns, I was convinced I’d never go back to regular cinnamon rolls again. The smell alone—sweet maple syrup and warm pecans—had me hooked before they even came out of the oven. One bite of that caramelized topping, and I knew my breakfast game had officially leveled up!
Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
Prep Time: 4 hours (includes rises)
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes (or overnight)
Yield: 12 buns
Ingredients
Dough
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 100°F (38°C)
2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar, divided
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (14g) active dry or instant yeast (2 standard size packets)
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 and 1/2 cups (563g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
2 teaspoons canola, vegetable, or olive oil for bowl (or use nonstick spray)
Topping
2 cups (250g) chopped pecans
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
1/4 cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top. If you do not own a mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.
On medium speed, beat in the remaining sugar (which should be 1/2 cup, or 100g) and the softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add the eggs and salt and beat on medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be alarmed if it stays in pieces. Switch the mixer down to low speed and with it running, add 1 cup of flour at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated before adding the next. After 4 cups have been added, add the last 1/2 cup and beat until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the topping: Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch glass baking dish or metal baking dish. Spread chopped pecans in an even layer in the pan. Set aside. Combine the rest of the topping ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted, then bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, give it a quick whisk, then pour over pecans. Set aside.
Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
For the filling: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed.) In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, about 1.5 inches each. Arrange in the prepared baking pan, on top of the pecan topping.
2nd Rise: Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until puffy, about 90 minutes. (Or use the overnight option in the Notes below.)
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. About halfway through the bake time, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes.
Using oven mitts, carefully invert the pan onto a large serving platter. The warm topping will melt down the sides. Serve warm.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: To prepare the night before serving, prepare the rolls through step 7. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for 1–2 hours before continuing with step 9.
Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here’s how: bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15–20 minutes.
Milk: Whole milk or 2% is best for this rich dough and topping. Update to the recipe in 2021: I reduced the amount of milk in the topping from 3/4 cup to 1/4 cup to help avoid any separation issues. The topping stays together much better now with only 1/4 cup (60ml) of milk.
Yeast: If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be slightly longer. I always use an instant yeast.
Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar is wonderful for extra flavor, but light brown sugar works too.
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