Easy Mini Sticky Buns

Technically, these are Mini Salted Bourbon Caramel Cinnamon Sticky Buns.

I know that sounds over the top.

But you know me, I like over the top…  And these little treats are so adorable and teensy, and they are so sticky and sweet and decadent.  And the best thing about them? They are really easy to make.

As in, so easy, I almost tagged them as no-bake, since my No Bake Desserts are all no-fuss too. You do have to bake these, though, but it requires minimal effort to assemble.

The secret is the shortcut.

Or rather, the shortcuts:

A pre-made tube of crescent rolls (I often use store-bought crescent rolls and puff pastry sheets for making treats and appetizers)…

… and a seductive jar of salted bourbon goat’s milk caramel. Let’s say that again: Salted. Bourbon. Goat’s Milk. Caramel.

Salted caramel? Bourbon?? Cajeta?! (cajeta is the Mexican version of dulce de leche but made with goat’s milk). This jar is practically crack.

The folks at Fat Toad Farm make the best goat’s milk caramel sauces – think dulce de leche but slightly tangier. And of course the jar I bought is boozier.

Just throw in a bunch of roasted pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a little melted butter, and you have all the ingredients you need to make some Easy Mini Sticky Buns.

I was never a big fan of cinnamon rolls when I was younger, but of course I outgrew that. And then I discovered pecan rolls, or more importantly, Flour Bakery’s sticky buns.  Gooey, sweet, studded with pecans, it’s an indulgent breakfast or snack, and I’ve been wanting to make mini versions for a while now.   When I read Emily‘s post about mini pumpkin buns, which she adapted from Iowa Girl Eats, I knew it would be the perfect base to make little teeny sticky buns.

The caramel did get a little overcooked, resulting in more chewiness than gooeyness, but my friends didn’t seem to mind as they gobbled up these tasty treats. If you would like stickier rolls, you can mix in a tablespoon of cream to the caramel, before spooning it on the bottom of mini muffin tins.

Easy Mini Sticky Buns

1 tube (8 oz) crescent rolls
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2/23 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup (4 oz) caramel sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (follow the crescent roll dough package instructions).  Unroll dough. Separate into 2 rectangles. Most crescent roll dough includes 8 triangles, so for this recipe, each rectangle will be made up of 4 triangles. Pinch the perforations together. Flip over and pinch the perforations on the back together, too.

Use a rolling pin to smooth out the seams and flatten the dough a little bit. Brush the rectangles with half of the melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and all but 2 tablespoons of the chopped pecans.

Roll each rectangle into a log, and cut each into 8 pieces, so you’ll end up with 16 pieces total.

Using a pastry brush, grease mini muffin tins with the remaining melted butter. Divide the caramel equally and pour into the muffin tins. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly over the surface.

Bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert the buns onto a serving platter. You can also put them in mini cupcake liners. Spoon any extra caramel and pecans from the bottom of the muffin tins over the top of each mini bun. Best served warm or withing 4 hours of baking.

Do you have any favorite recipes using crescent rolls? I always keep a tube in my fridge for easy appetizers (pigs in a blanket, anyone?)

Two other things: 1) Check out my chocolate-filled guest blog post on MassFinds and 2) Please vote for my blog on The Kitchn’s The Homies 2013! It’s nominated under Best Recipe Blog. I would really appreciate it!

 

Tagged as: breakfast, cajeta, crescent roll recipe, dulce de leche, Fat Toad Farms, Flour, mini cinnamon buns, mini cinnamon rolls, mini desserts, mini sticky buns, salted bourbon caramel, salted caramel