Blackberry Almond Sticky Buns

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!

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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.