Caramel Almond Sticky Buns

I've reached 100 followers!! I can't believe it!! Wow, I never dreamed it would happen this fast. Thank you to each and every one of you, I appreciate you SO MUCH!! Your reading and your comments make this so very, very worth it. I love this blog, and I love all of you, and I hope to be around for years and YEARS!!

In honor of this milestone, I am, of course, doing my first giveaway!! All I really have to offer is my treats, so I will be sending one dear lucky friend a box of home-made goodies. Something that will travel well, of course, so no layer cakes or anything!! Just leave me a little comment telling me which recipe (or post) made you decide to hit the "follow" button on my little page of treats :) and I'll have a random drawing. This includes my international readers too!

And here, after multiple recipe tries and fails, after deciding I would never try again, (more than once) I present my new favorite cinnamon roll/sticky bun recipe. It's decadently fabulous. You'll LOVE them :) The original was from my first ever food-magazine-impulse-buy, the Taste of Home Fall Baking magazine. The cranberry swirl bread on the front said "Bake Me! NOW!!" Holy jeepers, there are some amazing recipes in there!! I will be using many of them. 

Caramel Almond Sticky Buns (inspired by Taste of Home: Fall Baking)
Printable Recipe

1 pckge (2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 Tb warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tb butter, melted
2 Tb powdered milk
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Caramel:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut into chunks
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tb golden syrup (can sub light corn syrup)
2 Tb honey
2 Tb Greek yogurt (can sub sour cream)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (you could use walnuts, peanuts, or pecans too! Almonds are our favorite)

Filling:
3 Tb butter, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, butter, powdered milk, salt, and 2 cups of flour- stir briskly till smooth (or beat in mixer). Stir in the rest of the flour, enough to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes, sprinkling with a bit of flour at a time if it gets too sticky. Butter/spray with cooking spray the large bowl you mixed the dough in. (you don't have to clean it) Move kneaded dough to this bowl, then butter/spray the top of the dough.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in sugar, syrup, honey, and yogurt. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish, sprinkle with almonds.

Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured work space. Roll into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Stir sugar and spices together in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over dough. Sprinkle additional almonds over if desired.

Roll up like a jelly-roll, starting on the long side. Pinch the seam together. Cut into 12 slices, place them cut side down in the caramel.

Cover and let rise another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes, then invert onto a serving platter. (Or remove with a flat spatula, invert onto plates, and scoop caramel out to drizzle over the tops)

Yeah, twelve may have been a bit much for the 4 of us... 5 of them went to work with Stephen to get them away from me us!

 The caramel is insane. It clings, and sticks, and unlike most caramel sauces I've ever made, actually cools into chewy, sticky, smooth caramel, instead of grainy-brown-sugary caramel!!

 Aren't they pretty and perfect?! You could add WAY more nuts, but we have one non-nut lover in the family, so had to tone it down. The kneading is so essential, it makes a soft, light, fluffy, toothsome bun that is truly the best I've ever had.

 Warm spices, gooey golden caramel, what could possibly make this better? Drizzling it with a bit of cream!! These English food blogs have ruined me, I drizzle cream on everything these days.

The perfect, creamy, fluffy, glorious, sticky bun bite. Absolute Yum.

Thank you again, SO much, for reading!!

Shared at Foodie Friends Friday