Apple Butter Sticky Buns With Pecans and Currants
Caramel-drenched currants and pecans
Samantha Seneviratne•
Jan 7, 2025
These sticky buns are so pillowy and sweet you may want to fall right into them and take a nap. Caramel-drenched currants and pecans blanket the top. Apple butter gives them a pleasant tang, and maple syrup nudges them toward fall. To bake these in the morning with a bit less hassle, make this recipe through Step 5 the night before, cover the buns with plastic wrap and refrigerate. About 2 hours before you plan to eat, remove them from the fridge. Let them stand in a warm place until doubled, then bake as directed.
I'm a baker, cookbook author, and culinary host with a passion for making baking approachable for everyone. I've written multiple cookbooks, including The New York Times-acclaimed "Bake Smart." You can catch me Hulu's new show "Cookie Cupcake Cake", but my favorite time in the kitchen is still baking with my son Artie in Brooklyn.
Ingredients (18)
Ingredients (18)
For the cakes
For the filling
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F.
Bring the apple cider (1 ¼ cups) to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Continue to cook the cider until it has reduced to ¼ cup/60 milliliters, about 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely.
You can pop the reduced cider in the fridge or freezer to cool faster while you continue
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour (1 ½ cups), baking powder (1 tsp), salt (½ tsp), baking soda (¼ tsp), cinnamon (1 ½ tsp), ginger (½ tsp) and nutmeg (½ tsp).
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the room-temperature butter (6 Tbsp) and brown sugar (½ packed cup) until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add egg (1 large), apple butter (¼ cup) and reduced apple cider, and beat until combined.
Your batter may look like it has separated slightly, and that’s O.K. Add the dry mixture and mix just until combined, again scraping the bowl as necessary.
Portion the dough into 2-tablespoon scoops on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, about 1½-inches apart.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the cakes are puffed and set, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to racks.
Filling
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese (6 oz) and butter (2 Tbsp) until smooth.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon and the granulated sugar (¼ cup). Brush the tops of the warm cakes with a bit of the melted butter and gently toss them in the sugar mixture. Set aside to cool completely.
Add the confectioners sugar (3 Tbsp) and vanilla (½ tsp) and beat to combine.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of filling on the flat side of half of the cakes. Top with the other halves.
