Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns Recipe (2024)

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These Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns melt in your mouth and taste like Fall! With my quick 1-hour version, there’s no reason not to make these today!!

This post has been sponsored by Rhodes Rolls. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Check out all of my Rhodes Rolls Recipes!

Okay, I have to start by saying– there is actually a less hands-on way to make these sticky buns than the way that I’m going to show you today. But this way is the FASTEST way to get them done. However, if you’re not looking for a quick 1-hour recipe and would rather have a little less hands-on time in the kitchen, be sure to check out my notes at the bottom of this post!

Ingredients Needed for Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns

• 11-12 RhodesThaw, Rise, and Bake Dinner Rolls
• apple cider
• butter
• brown sugar
• chopped pecans

How to Make Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns in Less Than an Hour

1. Quick Rise

In a greased baking dish, cover the frozen rolls with a towel and place them in the oven set on “warm” (or 100-150ºF) and leave the oven door cracked. Within 30 minutes or so, the rolls should be perfectly risen.

Tip: Instead of placing the baking dish directly on the rack, I put a hot pad on a cookie sheet in the oven first, and then placed the dish on top of the hot pad. This helps prevent any baking at all, even at the hottest spots on the dish.

2. Make the Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

All you have to do is stir together the ingredients, let them boil for a minute, and then you’re all done! No candy thermometer or anything. And it doesn’t take long to get to boiling, so win-win!

This is the step that gives us all that yummy apple cider flavor! The caramel is made with actual apple cider plus an extra dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. SO GOOD!

3. Pour Half of the Caramel Over the Rolls.

I didn’t take a picture of thewhy behind only pouring half of the caramel to start with, but I’ll tell you about it in the next step. For now, just pour half.

4. Bake and Invert on a Plate

Here’s what I forgot to take a picture of: add the chopped pecans to the remaining caramel sauce and spoon that on top of the sticky buns when they come out of the oven.

Looking for Less Hands-On Time?

The reason I make my sticky buns this way is because I can never remember to start thawing the Rhodes Rolls dough in enough time to let them thaw at room temperature. 100% of the time, I need to do a fast rise. Which is why I don’t put the caramel pecan topping in the bottom of the dish in the beginning of the recipe (I don’t want to put the caramel sauce in the oven for the speed rise).

But if remembering to leave enough time for the dough to thaw isn’t your problem, here’s another way to make this recipe with a little less hands-on time.

1. Make the caramel sauce as directed in the recipe. Pour it into a greased baking dish.
2. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the sauce.
3. Arrange the frozen Rhodes Rolls on top of the caramel and the pecans.
4. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size.
5. Bake and invert onto a plate, same as directed in the following recipe.

Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns

Yield: 11-12

Additional Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

These Easy Caramel Apple Cider Sticky Buns melt in your mouth and taste like Fall! With my quick 1-hour version, there's no reason not to make these today!!

Ingredients

• 11-12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, frozen*
• 6 tbsp butter
• 6 tbsp apple cider
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup crushed pecans

See Also

9 Copycat Auntie Anne's Recipes

Instructions

1. Arrange the frozen Rhodes Rolls in a greased 8- or 9-inch round baking dish.
2. Cover and place in an oven set on "warm" (or 100-150ºF) for about 20-30 minutes until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce
4. Whisk together the butter, cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once the butter melts, continue to stir until the mixture bubbles.
5. Allow to boil for 1 minute without stirring, then remove from the heat.
6. Pour a little more than half of the caramel over the risen Rhodes Rolls.
7. Bake at 400ºF for 25 minutes.
8. Let cool for about 5 minutes, and then invert the sticky buns on a serving plate.
9. Add the pecans to the remaining caramel sauce and pour on top of the sticky buns before serving.

Notes

*number of rolls depends on how many fit comfortably with room to rise in your baking dish.