Peanut Butter Sticky Buns
This is such a fun twist on a classic recipe and a really nice treat to make for a special occasion. I love making this for my whole family over the holidays. They look forward to it all year!
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 packet active dry yeast
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
4 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Butter to coat the bowl
Caramel:
½ Cup unsalted butter
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
⅓ Cup butter
⅓ cup peanut butter
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¾ cup chopped toasted peanuts (8 ounces)
Instructions:
Begin with the dough. Heat milk in saucepan over low heat until warm to the touch, 110˚ - 118˚F. Pour into bowl of stand mixer and stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle yeast over warm milk and set aside for 5 minutes to bloom. When ready, it will be foamy and fragrant.
When yeast is ready, whisk in melted butter, egg yolks, and whole egg.
Using the dough hook, add half the flour and mix until well combined.
Add salt and remaining flour, and continue to mix with dough hook until stretchy, elastic dough forms (5-7 minutes of kneading with hook).
Grease a bowl and turn dough out into it, then cover with a cloth. Let dough rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes.
While the dough is rising, make the caramel. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in brown sugar, cream, honey, peanut butter, and salt. Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until caramel is golden-brown, creamy, and smooth. Caramel will be about 220˚ when ready, 5-10 minutes. Stir vanilla in off the heat.
Pour caramel sauce into 9x13” baking dish and tilt dish until caramel is evenly coating bottom. Let it cool down while dough rises.
When dough has risen, make filling. Beat together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and roll it into a 12x18” rectangle.
Spread the filling across the surface of the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1” border on the 18” side furthest away from you.
Sprinkle ¾ cup chopped peanuts over the filling.
Roll dough into a log, toward the 18” side with a border free from filling. Pinch dough together at the seam, wetting it with damp fingers if necessary. Place log seam-side-down.
Slice dough into 12 equal portions using a sharp knife. Each piece should measure roughly 1 ½ inches wide.
Sprinkle remaining peanuts into baking dish (on top of cooled caramel), then place sliced buns into dish as well, evenly spaced.
Cover the dish with a towel and set buns aside to proof for another 60-90 minutes. When ready, they’ll press against each other and fill up the baking dish.
At this point, you can refrigerate the buns overnight (up to 16 hours). If chilling overnight, remove buns from refrigerator about1 hour before you’d like them to bake so they can come to room temperature.
When the buns have proofed, heat oven to 350˚f. Bake buns until puffed and golden, 30-40 minutes. Internal temperature will read roughly 185˚f when fully cooked through. If buns brown on top too quickly, cover dish with aluminum foil and continue to bake.
Remove buns from oven. Let rest in dish on cooling rack for 3-5 minutes, then place a platter on top of baking dish and quickly and carefully invert everything so buns are sitting with caramel on top. Scrape out any leftover caramel and peanut mixture, drizzling over the buns.
Eat warm.
