My friend, Sarah DeNeefe, has become a hard-core vegan ever since September of 2014, and I am a sold out meat lover. As to be expected, this creates a contrast between us when we go out to eat or plan on baking together, but last Saturday I made a compromise for my dear friend. We wanted to get together and bake, but we had a big problem; she wanted a vegan dessert and I would prefer exactly the opposite.

Sarah’s not the type of person to budge on what she wants to do, so I settled on a vegan dessert and hopped on the internet to find a dessert that both of us would enjoy. We agreed on Vegan Sticky Buns, which are a step up from regular Cinnamon Rolls, trust me.

The recipe:

• 1 cup Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze almond milk
• 3 Tbsp vegan butter
• 1 packet rapid rise (instant) yeast (~ 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2.5 – 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I mixed all purpose and whole wheat pastry 2:1)

• 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar OR granulated sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan (or in a bowl in the microwave at 30 sec increments), heat the almond milk and 3 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter until warm and melted, never reaching boiling. Remove from heat and let cool to 110 degrees, or the temperature of bath water. It should be warm but not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
2. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on yeast. Let activate for 10 minutes, then add 1 Tbsp sugar and the salt and stir gently.
3. Next add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. The dough will be sticky. When it is too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until it forms a loose ball, adding more flour as you go and as it will absorb. Rinse your mixing bowl out, coat it with canola or grape seed oil, and add your dough ball back in. Roll around to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.  (The oven with the light on is a great place, as it is draft free, and the light bulb provides the right amount of heat).
4. While dough is rising, prepare sticky glaze by mixing butter and brown sugar and spreading it in an even layer on the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Top with pecans and set aside.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with 1/4 cup melted vegan butter and top with 1/2 cup brown sugar (or granulated sugar) and 1/2 – 1 Tbsp cinnamon.
6. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Then with a serrated knife or a string of floss, cut the dough into 1.5 – 2 inch sections and position in your 8×8 dish with the glaze layer on the bottom (you should have about 10 rolls). Cover with plastic wrap and set on top of the oven to let it briefly rise again while you preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, carefully invert and then serve immediately.

Once they cooled we took a bite, and let me tell you, these were the bomb.com and whoever (me) said vegan desserts were nasty was wrong! If you ever have a free Saturday, I highly recommend  you make these!

*Recipe thanks to Minimalist Baker