These cute mini pecan sticky buns take only 15 minutes in the oven without breaking a sweat! So easy to do any day of the week and is covered with a sweet pecan blend of sugar goodness! This post will have the ultimate tips and tricks on how I can get these sticky buns on the table in no time at all!
Everyone loves a good mini sticky buns recipe with pecans, butter, and sugar all over! Traditional sticky bun recipes usually take a while to make with the dough, proofing, and the amount of work that goes into it.
However, these mini maple pecan sticky buns are super easy to do with no proofing or kneading (the dough is already made), and less ingredients as the width of these buns are a lot smaller!
Make sure to read my tips and tricks below on how I can get these babies in the oven quickly while making sure they look picture perfect.
This post will go over everything you need to know to create these mini pecan sticky buns.
Recipe difficulty: Beginner level (if you can mix ingredients together, you’re golden)
Easiest mini pecan sticky buns ever! This recipe will have all the time save tips you need between getting the butter softened or cutting the dough to the perfect size!
Sam’s Pro Tips for these Mini Pecan Sticky Buns
How to Save Time…
- Use refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough! This is by far my biggest time save in this recipe! No way do I have the time to mix, knead, and proof my dough. For this reason, using the refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough saves me so much time that literally the prep work should take no more than 15 minutes! We use the Pillsbury Butter Flake Crescent Rolls for a mouth-watering golden, buttery look out of the oven. This also ensures my dough will cook perfectly each time.
- Don’t have time to soften your butter? This pecan sticky buns recipe used ¼ cup of softened unsalted butter. Normally, butter should sit out on your counter 40 minutes to an hour depending on the climate you live in. Seriously, I usually forget to do this step or I didn’t have time before my guests arrived. Therefore, if I need my butter now, what I do is I microwave each side of the butter for 5 seconds and I do this for only 3 sides. So literally I put my butter in a microwave safe bowl, microwave for 5 seconds, rotate the butter to another side and microwave for another 5 seconds, and repeat this step again. All in all, it’s only 15 seconds in the microwave but you need to rotate the butter so that it is evenly softened. Depending on the power of your microwave, you can adjust this to only 3 seconds as you don’t want the butter liquidy.
The Ultimate Mini Sticky Bun Filling with the Perfect Look
- Use a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to further chop your pecans. For a nice pecan filling on the inside of these sticky buns, I like my pecans to be a mix of chopped and crushed. Since these buns are mini, this combination works better so you can get more of a nice, smooth pecan filling than it being overly chunky. To get this combination, put your chopped pecans in a sandwich bag or Ziploc and gently smash the pecans a couple time with a meat tenderizer (you can use anything hard enough to smash the pecans, this is just what I used). You get the perfect filling this way!
- Use basic dental floss to cut perfect slices! This is a family trick to get a nice cut on the pecan roll without marring the swirl look on the pecan log. By using basic dental floss (make sure its unflavored!), put the floss underneath the roll, have each side of the floss string across, and pull sideways on both ends until the floss cuts the dough. Super easy! This trick ensures an even cut and is one less thing to wash if you were using a knife.
Don’t Forget…
- Remember, to flip the pecan rolls over after a minute out of the oven! I know this is explained in the recipe, but I want to make sure I emphasize this step. If you leave the maple pecan sticky buns in the baking pan longer than a minute to cool, it won’t flip over easily. The sugar mixture will have hardened, and it makes it very difficult to flip over. That is also why these sticky buns need to be served warm or the sugar mixture can be unpleasantly hard.
Key Ingredients – Mini Pecan Sticky Buns
Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:
- Crescent dinner roll dough: Using the pre-made dough is a great option for making these sticky buns quickly and tastes just as good! Cooks evenly in the oven and is always consistent.
- Brown sugar: Don’t even bother with the white sugar, as the brown sugar is all you need to coat each individual mini pecan bun. Mixed with the pecans and the butter, this is used for the filling as well.
- Maple syrup: The maple syrup is used with the butter and brown sugar to get a smooth, sugary mixture that is easy to coat the baking pan with. It’s a great combination with the mini pecan buns, and the perfect reason why you should be eating this for breakfast also! Try to use pure maple syrup when combining.
- Unsalted butter: Like the main ingredient in most baked goods, no explanation needed.
- Chopped and crushed pecans: Totally takes the filling of this pecan sticky buns recipe to the next level. Without it, you get just a sugary, butter mixture, but now you have some crunch! Make sure to use a chopped and crushed pecan mixture for the perfect filling.
- Cinnamon: Another ingredient in the inside filling, but don’t get confused for a cinnamon roll! So good when warm and fresh from the oven. Literally makes your house smell like goodness!
- Nutmeg: So, I know not a lot of traditional pecan sticky buns use nutmeg, but I like the little kick it gives. The nutmeg spices the filling enough that it’s not overly sweet but is balanced perfectly.
- Vanilla: Just a touch is needed! It’s enough to flavor the maple sugar coating for a great blend of flavor!
More Variations to this Recipe
There are a few ways you can variate these mini pecan sticky buns. Here’s how:
- White sugar: For the filling, instead of using brown sugar on the inside. Try white sugar instead! This will give a different variety, but still be sugary sweet!
- Honey or corn syrup: If you don’t want to use maple syrup, give corn syrup or honey a try. Remember honey has a distinct taste but can pair so well with the chopped pecans and butter!
- What can I pair with this dish? Mini pecan sticky buns taste great with coffee in the morning, or for a freshly baked dessert! Another favorite with coffee of ours is our Gingersnap Cookies! Equally as easy and made in one bowl!
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15-Minute Mini Pecan Sticky Buns to Drool Over
These cute mini pecan sticky buns take only 15 minutes in the oven without breaking a sweat! So easy to do any day of the week and is covered with a sweet pecan blend of sugar goodness! This post will have the ultimate tips and tricks on how I can get these sticky buns on the table in no time at all!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tube refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- non-stick spray
Pecan Filling
- ⅓ cup crushed and chopped pecans plus more for sprinkling
- ⅛ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Spray non-stick spray on an 8"x8" baking pan. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together ⅛ cup of brown sugar, unsalted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Spread on the bottom of the baking pan until evenly coated. Set aside.
- Unroll the tube of the refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough. Seal the dotted lines by pressing your finger against the dough. Mix together in a small bowl the pecans, ⅛ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to taste for the filling. See note below on getting crushed and chopped pecans.
- Sprinkle over the dough evenly, avoiding the outer rim of the rectangle. Roll the rectangle dough, jelly-roll style, by starting at the long side of the rectangle. Trim off the ends of the log.
- Using a strand of floss, cut the log into 12 slices. Place cut-side down on the baking pan. Bake for 14-16 minutes. See note below on using the floss.
- Let the mini sticky buns cool in the baking pan for one minute. Flip onto the serving plate, and serve warm. Sprinkle extra chopped pecans for a beautiful finish. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the tube refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough, we used Pillsbury Butter Flake Crescent Rolls and baked for 15 minutes.
- Crushed and chopped pecans: To get a mix of crushed and chopped pecans, put your chopped pecans in a sandwich bag or Ziploc and gently smash the pecans a couple time with a meat tenderizer.
- Floss: Using dental floss can cut the slices perfectly without marring the swirl. Take unflavored basic dental floss, put the floss underneath the roll, have each side of the floss string across, and pull sideways until the floss cuts the dough. See Sam’s Pro Tips for these Mini Pecan Sticky Buns for further discussion. (A sharp knife can also be used).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do sticky buns last?
Sticky buns can last 2 days at room temperature. However, sticky buns are best served warm.
How do you know when a sticky bun is done?
A sticky bun is done in the oven when the tops are golden brown. When removing from the oven, let it cool for a minute before flipping over.
What can I substitute for chopped pecans?
Chopped walnuts are a great alternative to chopped pecans, or even chopped almonds.
This post was all about how to create these mini pecan sticky buns.
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I tried your green bean and chicken dish tonight. It was delicious! Great flavor and tender chicken. Always good to get a new chicken recipe.
Glad to hear!