Chocolate Pecan Sticky Buns with Bourbon Caramel

Weekends and special occasions call for decadent and delicious treats, don’t you think?

Upgrade your normal cinnamon rolls with these sticky buns filled with chocolate and pecans and topped with a bourbon caramel!

When you feel the need to treat yourself to something rich, chocolatey and oh so soul-satisfying, don’t reach for something that was shrink wrapped and stuck in a box months ago.

Instead, head to the kitchen and spend just one hour (seriously, one hour is all you need!) creating this chocolately masterpiece, invite some friends over, and enjoy something that is truly worth it!

Love a good sweet roll recipe? Try these:

• Blueberry Cream Cheese Rolls
• Lemon Sweet Rolls
• Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Cranberry Orange Sweet Roll

How to make these sticky buns

This recipe is simple to make! For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a general overview on how to make it to help you plan.

Make the brioche dough

1. In a microwave safe glass, warm the milk and butter until the butter is melted.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and 1 TBSP of sugar. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
3. Add the butter/milk mixture, the eggs, and the remaining sugar to the yeast and stir to combine.
4. Start adding 1 cup of flour at a time, mixing until you have reached a soft dough – you might not need to add all of the flour. You want a soft dough, but not an overly sticky dough.
5. Dump out on the counter and knead for 2 minutes (you can add a tiny bit more flour if you need to, but don’t add too much or your dough will become tough).
6. Place a tea towel over the dough and allow to rest for 20 minutes (during this time, start prepping the other things).

Make the bourbon caramel sauce

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans. Remove to a plate to cool.
2. In a later saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.
3. Stir in the brown sugar, cream, honey, salt and bourbon.
4. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook, without stirring, for 3-5 minutes. You want a nice thick caramel solored sauce.
5. Remove from the heat and pour into the prepared baking pan.
6. Chop the pecans until you have 1 cup of chopped nuts. Set those aside, and break the remaining nuts into larger chunks. Sprinkle the larger chunks over the caramel in the baking pan.

Make the filling

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt for the filling.
2. Melt the butter for the filling and set aside to cool.

Assemble the sticky buns

• Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough into a very large rectangle.
• Evenly brush the melted butter over the dough, leaving about 1/2″ border around the edges.
• Sprinkle the filling evenly over the melted butter.
• Sprinkle the chopped toasted pecans and the chopped chocolate over the filling.
• Starting with the long edge of the dough, roll up into a log.
• Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 2″ pieces, and place each piece cut side up into the prepared pan, nestling it into the caramel.
• Cover the dish with a dish towel and allow to rest while the oven preheats to 350F.

Bake

• Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 3-5 minutes.
• Place a serving tray upside down over the baking pan and flip the pan/tray so the rolls slide out onto the baking tray.

For a complete meal, serve these with a ham and cheese frittata and a berry fruit salad.

Storage Information

Store these sticky buns covered on the counter for up to 4 days.

Rewarm them before serving for a few seconds in the microwave to remelt the caramel.

Try these other chocolate treats:

• Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Cheesecake
• Chocolate Panna Cotta
• Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins