Sticky Buns with Pecan

These overnight sticky buns are the kind of recipe that gets passed around at potlucks and never goes out of fashion. The shortcut (using frozen dinner rolls instead of homemade dough) saves hours of work but you’d never know from the finished result. The buns rise overnight while you sleep and bake into golden sticky pull-apart buns by morning.

The vanilla pudding mix is the unexpected ingredient and what sets this recipe apart from typical sticky buns. As the buns bake, the pudding mix combines with the brown sugar and butter to form a rich, glossy caramel sauce that thickens into the right consistency every time. No candy thermometer needed.

Pecans on the bottom of the pan get the best of both worlds. They toast in the brown butter as the buns bake, then end up on top after the pan is inverted, sticky-glazed and crunchy.

Room-temperature overnight rising is unusual but works because frozen dinner rolls are designed to thaw and rise slowly. By morning the rolls have doubled and absorbed some of the brown sugar mixture from below.

Inverting the pan immediately after baking is critical. Wait too long and the caramel cools and sticks to the pan. Place a serving platter or sheet pan over the top, flip in one quick motion, and let the buns drop free.

Pro Tips

• Use frozen dinner rolls (Rhodes brand is standard for this technique) not biscuit dough. Different products entirely.
• Toast the pecans before scattering in the pan for richer nut flavor.
• Let the inverted buns rest 5 minutes before pulling apart so the caramel sets slightly.
• Eat warm. Sticky buns lose their charm at room temperature.

Variations

• Use butterscotch or chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla for different flavor profiles.
• Substitute walnuts or chopped almonds for the pecans.
• Drizzle cream cheese glaze over the warm buns for a cinnamon roll style finish.