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Walnut sticky buns
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Walnut Sticky Buns Recipe

Warm, gooey walnut sticky buns with caramel topping – the perfect cozy fall bake for rainy days and holiday mornings.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
First rise, Shaping, filling, and second rise2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Desserts and puddings
Servings: 12
Calories: 495kcal

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 500 g All-purpose flour (4 cups)
  • 60 g Sugar (¼ cup)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 ¼ tsp Instant yeast (1 packet)
  • 250 ml Warm milk, plant-based also works (1 cup)
  • 60 g Butter, melted or vegan butter (¼ cup)
  • 2 Eggs or 2 flax eggs if vegan

Filling:

  • 100 g Brown sugar (½ cup)
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 60 g Butter, softened (¼ cup)

Sticky Walnut Topping:

  • 115 g Butter (½ cup)
  • 150 g Brown sugar (¾ cup)
  • 60 ml Maple syrup or honey (¼ cup)
  • 120 g Walnuts, roughly chopped (1 cup)

Instructions

Make the Dough

  • Add the warm milk, one spoon sugar and the yeast into a bowl. Allow this mixture to sit for 5 minutes, or until frothy.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together flour, the remainder of the sugar and salt. Now add the warm milk mixture, melted butter, and eggs.
    Mix until dough forms. Knead on a floured surface for 8–10 minutes (or 5 minutes with a stand mixer) until smooth.
    Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Prepare the Sticky Walnut Topping

  • In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup together over medium-low heat.
  • Stir constantly until smooth and bubbly – you don’t need to melt the sugar into a clear caramel.
    Stop as soon as the mixture is smooth, thick, and lightly bubbling.
    Pour into a greased 23x33 cm (9x13 in) baking dish and sprinkle walnuts evenly on top.
    Tip: Don’t overcook the sugar mixture on the stove – it will finish caramelizing in the oven. If it starts to smell burnt or turns too dark, you’ve gone too far.

Roll & Fill

  • Roll dough into a rectangle (about 40x30 cm / 16x12 in).
    Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
    Spread the butter mixture evenly over the dough then roll it tightly into a log and slice into 12 equal pieces.

Assemble & Rise Again

  • Place the buns cut-side up in the prepared dish on top of the walnut caramel. Cover and let rise another 30–45 minutes until puffy.

Bake

  • Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
    Bake 25–30 minutes until golden brown.

Flip & Serve

  • Cool for 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving tray so the sticky walnut topping is on top.
    Serve warm for maximum gooey deliciousness.