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These Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns melt in your mouth and taste like Fall! With my quick 1-hour version, there’s no reason not to make these today!!
This post has been sponsored by Rhodes Rolls. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Check out all of my Rhodes Rolls Recipes!
Okay, I have to start by saying– there is actually a less hands-on way to make these sticky buns than the way that I’m going to show you today. But this way is the FASTEST way to get them done. However, if you’re not looking for a quick 1-hour recipe and would rather have a little less hands-on time in the kitchen, be sure to check out my notes at the bottom of this post!
Ingredients Needed for Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns
How to Make Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns in Less Than an Hour
1. Quick Rise
In a greased baking dish, cover the frozen rolls with a towel and place them in the oven set on “warm” (or 100-150ºF) and leave the oven door cracked. Within 30 minutes or so, the rolls should be perfectly risen.
Tip: Instead of placing the baking dish directly on the rack, I put a hot pad on a cookie sheet in the oven first, and then placed the dish on top of the hot pad. This helps prevent any baking at all, even at the hottest spots on the dish.
2. Make the Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
All you have to do is stir together the ingredients, let them boil for a minute, and then you’re all done! No candy thermometer or anything. And it doesn’t take long to get to boiling, so win-win!
This is the step that gives us all that yummy apple cider flavor! The caramel is made with actual apple cider plus an extra dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. SO GOOD!
3. Pour Half of the Caramel Over the Rolls.
I didn’t take a picture of thewhy behind only pouring half of the caramel to start with, but I’ll tell you about it in the next step. For now, just pour half.
Here’s what I forgot to take a picture of: add the chopped pecans to the remaining caramel sauce and spoon that on top of the sticky buns when they come out of the oven.
Looking for Less Hands-On Time?
The reason I make my sticky buns this way is because I can never remember to start thawing the Rhodes Rolls dough in enough time to let them thaw at room temperature. 100% of the time, I need to do a fast rise. Which is why I don’t put the caramel pecan topping in the bottom of the dish in the beginning of the recipe (I don’t want to put the caramel sauce in the oven for the speed rise).
But if remembering to leave enough time for the dough to thaw isn’t your problem, here’s another way to make this recipe with a little less hands-on time.
Make the caramel sauce as directed in the recipe. Pour it into a greased baking dish.
Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the sauce.
Arrange the frozen Rhodes Rolls on top of the caramel and the pecans.
Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size.
Bake and invert onto a plate, same as directed in the following recipe.
Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns
Yield: 11-12
Additional Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
These Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns melt in your mouth and taste like Fall! With my quick 1-hour version, there's no reason not to make these today!!
Sticky buns begin with a base of tender, yeasted dough, much like a cinnamon roll.However, what truly distinguishes them is their sticky caramel topping. The pan used to bake sticky buns is coated with a rich, gooey caramel sauce.
Sticky buns (also referred to as honey buns or caramel buns) originated in Germany. Sticky buns were introduced to Americans by the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers as a sweet breakfast bread filled with brown sugar, nuts, and sometimes cinnamon.
Cinnamon rolls and sticky buns both have a similar base: a "rich" dough, which has some fat worked into it like milk, butter, and eggs. Both recipes have a filling of butter, cinnamon, and sugar, and the dough is rolled up and cut into individual buns before being baked.
This homemade sticky buns recipe is best served the same day, but you can keep them stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1, maybe 2 days tops. Re-heat them in the microwave before serving.
Generally, while dough should be a little tacky to the touch, it shouldn't cling to your hands (certain types of bread might call for a stickier dough, but unless that's stated in the recipe, sticky dough is a no-go). Most often, the problem is too much water in the dough.
a small, sweet bread, often with nuts or fruit inside or on the top, and with melted sugar on the top: Tomorrow I'm going to make sticky buns for breakfast.
Sticky buns also have a Germanic origin and were originally known as "Schnecken". The Pennsylvania Dutch introduced Schnecken in the United States. Wherever 18th-century German settlers (such as the Pennsylvania Dutch) went, sticky buns have remained long after many other cultural traits have disappeared.
If you don't have a thermometer, use a toothpick or sharp knife to gently prod one of the center buns. Insert the knife between two sticky buns and gently pry them apart, just a little bit! If things still seem doughy, give them a few more minutes in the oven.
If you do not eat the whole dozen when delivered, the buns can be frozen as packaged or wrapped individually in wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil. If you wish to nibble for a day or two, keep the buns covered or wrapped and store at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, this will dry out the product.
Sticky buns start with a caramel glaze poured into a baking dish. Then, the buns are placed on top, and, after baking, you invert the pan onto a plate, so the glaze is on top. Morning buns have a different type of dough — more like a croissant, but a little chewier.
A one-to-one substitution, agave syrup (aka agave nectar) has a mild flavor that works great in most recipes that call for corn syrup (but not candy). It's about as sweet as corn syrup and remains a liquid at room temperature. It's also more neutral in taste than, say, honey or maple syrup.
Do you need to refrigerate cinnamon rolls? Unfrosted cinnamon rolls do not need to be refrigerated and will keep best at room temperature. Iced cinnamon rolls, and especially rolls with cream cheese frosting, should be stored in the fridge.
The trick with cinnamon rolls is not to rush the rising process. If your cinnamon rolls are coming out of the oven dry and dense, the rolls are telling you that you didn't adequately rest the dough before baking. During the first rise, your dough should at least double in size.
Rolls are typically proofed and baked closer together for a softer, “pull apart” result. This makes them great for dipping or eating alongside other food. On the other hand, buns are proofed with space between them, which makes them crustier.
Unlike their close cousin, the cinnamon roll, these honey buns don't just offer soft, ooey-gooey vibes. They're more complex in flavor, with deeply caramelized nooks and crannies, floral notes of honey, and the chew of a well-developed yeast bread.
Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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