A few months before I graduated from high school, my mom left her old scientific job to start a new one. Her previous commute lasted just 20 minutes, so she would always drop us off at school when we were younger. But her new route to work in the opposite direction required 1-2 hours depending on traffic, so she started leaving the house by 6:30 am to arrive at the office an hour later.
With an empty building all to herself, Mom began eating her breakfasts there before the rest of her coworkers arrived instead of at home with us at the kitchen table. She kept a small stash of English muffins and fresh berries in the fridge in the company’s kitchen, and by the time everyone else sat down in their cubicles, the cozy smell of her toasted bread filled the air.
Her boss allowed her to work from home one day a week, and although she usually continued the toasted-English-muffin-and-berries tradition, Mom sometimes switched to muesli cereal with toasted almonds instead—but still with those fresh berries! And now, many years and another job later, she still enjoys one of the two breakfasts nearly every day.
However, Mother’s Day is a holiday meant for special food and celebrations, so for my next recipe for Brunch Week, I baked Blackberry Almond Sticky Buns! They still incorporate two of Mom’s favorite berries and nuts, but… They’re a little sweeter and fancier than cereal!
For step-by-step directions, see the photos below the recipe!
The best part of any sticky buns is always the topping. That sweet, caramely, buttery, gooey, finger-licking-good part. And of course, the nuts that go along with it! Since Mom loves sliced almonds in her cereal, I used the same on top of these rolls. She usually stashes a package or two of Diamond of California nuts in her pantry, so I used the same for these sticky buns.
Even better, the juice from the fresh blackberries in the filling starts to drip out of the rolls while they rise and mixes into the sticky caramel, giving it a subtle fruity flavor. Oh my goodness! If you thought plain sticky buns were good… These are over-the-top pure bliss.
Fruit, nuts, and sticky caramel… These are the things a happy Mother’s Day are made of!
| Blackberry Almond Sticky Buns | | Print |
- for the dough
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 4 tbsp (60mL) maple syrup
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g) yeast (one ¼ oz package)
- 1 ½ – 2 cups (180-240g) whole wheat flour
- for the caramel sauce
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk
- 4 tbsp (60mL) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (30g) Diamond of California Sliced Almonds
- for the filling
- 2 cups (300g) fresh blackberries
- 1 tbsp (8g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Lightly coat a 10”-round pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the caramel sauce, combine the butter, milk, and syrup in a pot. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a low boil. Continue stirring until the mixture darkens slightly in color and thickens a little. Pour into the prepared pan. Immediately sprinkle the almonds on top, leaving a ½” border around the rim.
- To prepare the dough, combine the milk, maple syrup, butter, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute after each one, until the butter melts. The mixture should feel warm but not hot (about 110°F). Add the yeast, and let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes or until frothy.
- Mix in the flour, about ½ cup at a time, until it forms a dough and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead for a few minutes, or until the dough mostly springs back when you gently press your index finger into it. Let the dough rest while preparing the filling.
- To prepare the filling, dice the blackberries, and stir them together with the cornstarch and almond extract in a medium bowl.
- On a clean, well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10x14” rectangle. Spread the blackberry filling on top, leaving a 1” border on the long edges and a ½” border on the short edges. Carefully roll up into a log from one long edge to the other. Moisten your finger in a small bowl of water, and brush onto the long edge that’s still showing. Pinch the edges to seal. Slice into 12 rolls using unscented dental floss (see my video here), immediately placing each roll into the caramel sauce in the prepare pan.
- Place a clean, dry tea towel on top of the pan, and leave it in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or until the rolls have doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and bake the rolls for 24-27 minutes. Cool in the pan for no more than 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
To make the sticky buns in the slow cooker, follow my directions here.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Make the sticky caramel topping first. Heat the butter, maple syrup, and a hint of milk over low heat in a small saucepan, and bring it to a low boil. You want to reduce it just a touch to bring out the richness of the butter and ensure it stays as sticky as possible. Immediately pour it into your prepared pan, and quickly sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. Leave a ½” to 1” border around the rim. This ensures that when the rolls rise, the nuts don’t get squashed up the sides!
The buns are made with a basic whole wheat yeast dough. Don’t be afraid of yeast! Treat it like fancy baking soda. It makes the rolls rise, just like baking soda, but instead of acid to activate it, yeast requires warm temperatures. Sprinkle it over the warm, wet ingredients (aim for 100-110°F), and let it sit until it looks as if a cloud has formed in your mixing bowl.
After mixing in the flour to make the dough, knead it until the dough mostly springs back when you press your index finger into it. (Here is my video on how to knead dough.) Let it rest; then spread the fresh blackberry filling on top, leaving a 1” border on the long sides and a ½” border on the short sides.
Roll up the dough, starting from one long edge and working towards the other. Dip your finger in water, run it along the second long edge that’s showing, and pinch the seams to seal. Cut the rolls using dental floss (here is my video on how to do that!), and immediately place them into the prepared pan.
Cover the pan with a clean dry towel, and let the rolls rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour. I let my oven “preheat” for about 2 minutes, turn it off, and shut the pan of rolls inside.
Then remove the pan, preheat the oven, and bake the rolls until their centers feel mostly firm. Cool them in the pan for no more than 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. (If you let them sit longer, the sticky caramel topping will stick to the pan instead of the buns!) Eat them warm or cold—it’s your choice. But either way, enjoy!
This post was sponsored by Diamond of California. As always, all opinions, text, photographs, and recipe are my own.
oh my goodness these look and sound so delicious!
Thanks Sarah!
These looks amazing – I love blackberries so much! A healthy caramel?! That is seriously good, all caramels recipes contain too much cream, butter and sugar and to be honest, I am scared to bake with that much fat and sugar. Pinned!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and pin Eve!
I would LOVE to wake up to these on Mother’s day
I so wish I could make that happen for you Heather!!
I’ve made these today and they turned out absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe! I’m definitely going to make these again soon and try out different fillings too.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Christiane! I’d love to hear what other fillings you try in the future!