Filled with sweet raspberries and topped with gooey caramel, these Raspberry Caramel Sticky Buns are soft, sweet, sticky and delicious. A perfect recipe to bring to Mother’s Day brunch.
I love this change up to the traditional sticky bun, but if you want a more traditional bun, try my Sticky Buns recipe.
Every once in awhile, I come home with a bag full of an ingredient, simply because it was on sale, or because it just looked too good to pass up. Those are the times I have to challenge my creativity and come up with a delicious way to use that ingredient. With Mother’s Day around the corner, I wanted to find a sweet little ingredient as an add in and this time around, it was raspberries.
I can’t pass up berries when they are sweet and delicious, and especially on sale. The other day, I came home with 4 cartons of the berries and no plan on how I was going to use them. Luckily, the idea to add them to sticky buns came to mind.
If you’ve never made sticky buns, they are kind of like cinnamon rolls, but with a twist. Instead of serving them upright, covered in frosting, you bake them in a caramel sauce then turn them upside down. So that gooey caramel bottom becomes the gooey caramel topping to the rolls. They are pure decadence!
Ingredients
- Yeast: I am using active dry yeast for this recipe. You can substitute instant yeast, but the rising time will be a little shorter.
- Water: The water needs to be warm, but not too hot. Aim for around 100ºF to 110ºF.
- Milk: I use 2% milk, but whole milk or 1% should also work.
- Butter: I keep unsalted butter on hand, so that is what I use. You will need butter for the dough, for the filling, and also the caramel topping.
- Sugar: You will need both granulated sugar and brown sugar. I use light brown sugar.
- Salt: The salt is to balance flavors.
- Eggs: I use large eggs. For the best results, bring them to room temperature before using them.
- Flour: You will want to use all-purpose flour for this recipe. I have not tested it using any other flour.
- Raspberries: I have only tested this recipe with fresh raspberries. I would guess that frozen would work, but I would add them in while they are frozen.
- Corn Syrup: The corn syrup is used to make the caramel that goes on the bottom of the pan, that eventually becomes the topping.
How to Make Raspberry Caramel Sticky Buns
STEP 1: Make your dough by proofing the yeast in the water. Heat the milk with the butter, just until the milk is warm. You don’t need to melt the butter all the way. Combine the milk with the yeast along with the sugar, salt, eggs, and part of the flour. Continue to add flour until you have a smooth dough. Knead the dough, then transfer it to a greased bowl.
STEP 2: Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size.
STEP 3: When the dough has risen, make the caramel by combining the brown sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Pour the syrup mixture into two baking dishes. (This recipe makes 2 9×13-inch pans, so just pour half into each pan and tilt the pan to coat the bottom.)
STEP 4: Roll half of the dough out, then spread with the softened butter. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, followed by the raspberries.
STEP 5: Roll the dough tightly, then cut into 12 pieces.
STEP 6: Place the 12 rolls in one of the baking dishes. Repeat with the remaining ingredients for a second pan. Let the rolls rise one more time, until doubled. Bake the rolls until golden brown. Let them sit for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a serving dish.
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe makes a lot of sticky buns, so I love that I have plenty to either eat some now and save some for later, or a second pan to give away to family or friends.
- Keep an eye on the buns as they are baking. You may need to place some foil over the top if the rolls are getting too brown before they are baked through.
- Feel free to sub in a different berry. Strawberries may be too wet, but blackberries or blueberries should work well!
More Baked Breakfast Treats
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Biscuits
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Raspberry Caramel Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Sticky Buns:
- 4 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (2 envelopes)
- 1/2 cup warm water (100º to 110ºF)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
Caramel Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 12 oz fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Combine the yeast with the water in the bowl of a stand mixer.4 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast, 1/2 cup warm water
- Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the milk is 100º to 110ºF. The butter does not need to be completely melted.1 1/2 cups milk, 3/4 cup butter
- Add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Add the sugar, salt, eggs and 3 cups of the flour. Mix well, and continue adding flour until the mixture comes together into a smooth dough.2/3 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 eggs, 6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
- Switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic. Alternately, turn onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 6 to 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl then turn once to coat. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Make the caramel: Combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, water and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Grease 2 9×13-inch baking dishes. Divide the caramel between the two pans and spread evenly. (I found it was easiest to just tilt the pan until the bottom was coated.)1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup corn syrup, 2 tablespoons water, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Punch the dough down, then divide in half. Roll one half into a 15×10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread with half of the butter and sprinkle on half of the sugar. Sprinkle half of the raspberries on top, and lightly press into the dough with your hands. Roll up tightly, sealing the edges. Cut into 12 equal slices and place on top of the caramel topping. Repeat with the second half of the dough.4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 12 oz fresh raspberries
- Cover the rolls and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes. If the rolls start to get too brown, cover them with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
Katherine says
These look incredible! I’m trying to get my husband to like berries as much as I do…maybe this would be good to try! 😉