Incredibly Easy & Perfectly Delicious Sticky Buns

Attention, anyone who has a near-sinful sweet tooth (Me!!) or would love to welcome loved ones with an impressive breakfast treat that's way easier than anyone would believe!?!! This sticky bun recipe is perfect for you!  Honestly guys, if I could label some of my recipes according to "my favorites", this would most definitely be one of them! 

I made these puffy, buttery, sticky-sweet treats for the first time on New Years Day morning 2010 whenever we had some dear friends over for a festive breakfast.  Whenever I saw this recipe in The Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics cookbook (that I got last Christmas), I knew that these would be the right way to ring in the New Year!  Let me just say that they were a hit!  They are just as easy to make as the recipe seems; and  whenever you take these beautiful little jewels out of the oven, your kitchen will smell like an Amish bakery!  I think the combination of the easy, yet so yummy, puff pastry dough and all the sweet molasses-flavored brown sugar with a hint of cinnamon makes this a treat that's perfect for breakfast, dessert, or with your afternoon coffee or tea.

 First off, if you have never used puff pastry before, you will want to after this!  You can find it around the pie crusts in the freezer section of the grocery.  It's very easy to work with;  just remember to allow time to let it thaw (about 40 minutes). In this recipe all you do is literally unfold it.  That's it!  There is no need to get out the rolling pin or do a lot of fussing.  This pastry is remarkable how it will puff and rise and get tender and flaky. The puff pastry is really what allows this sticky bun recipe to be so simple!  I didn't use raisins in mine because my husband isn't a big fan of them, but I think they would be delicious in there.  Another good choice might be dried cranberries or candied ginger.  Be sure and follow the directions whenever it says to bake them in the muffin pan sitting on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  That way none of the bubbling goodness with make a mess in your oven.  After taking them out of the oven, allow to cool for only about 5 minutes, and then turn them out on that same parchment paper.  You can store these under a cake dome for the day, or in a Ziploc bag for longer.  They are great hot or room temp.  I mean how bad can butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flaky pastry be?!  -- I thought so, too.
 
Today is my husband's birthday, and I decided to surprise him with these hot out of the oven whenever he woke up.  He was thrilled! So we enjoyed sitting at the kitchen table overlooking a frosty, Christmas-y looking morning with our vanilla coffee and sticky buns.  There's no better way to say "Good morning" to the Loves in your life!

Sticky Buns
Makes 12

12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) Butter, at room temperature
1/3 c.Brown Sugar, lightly packed
1/2 c. Pecana, coursely chopped
1 pkg. (2 sheets) Frozen Puff Pastry

For the Filling:

2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
2/3 c. brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. raisins, optional

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

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the 12 Tbsp. butter and 1/3 c. brown sugar.  Place 1 rounded Tbsp. of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups.  Distribute the pecans evenly among the 1 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly dust a wooden board or counter top with flour.  Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. 

Brush the whole sheet with half the melted butter.  Leaving a one inch border around the edges of the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raisins (if you choose to use them.) Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up with the seam side down. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 in. wide. Place each piece, spiral side up in 6 of the muffin cups.  Repeat with the second puff pastry and to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown and firm to touch.  Let cool for 5 minutes only, and invert the buns on parchment paper.  You can help ease the topping and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon. 
Eat and enjoy!