NiftyFifty

Yes, these biscuits are definitely sticky. I knew I had to try this recipe the moment I first saw them. You could say it was love at first sight. Truth to be told, I’ve always loved desserts that left my fingers sticky. It reminds me of being a kid and licking that sweet goo from each finger.

That being said, I did find myself teetering back and forth on whether or not to actually make them. I knew that I wanted to, but like Vasili, I find it difficult to use quite a bit of butter for just one recipe. This particular recipe called for 2 1/4 cups of butter. :O

In the end, I decided to just go for it. You only live once, and I could always buy more butter later on. I wanted to at least give these a try. The recipe was rather easy to make. I had quite a lot of fun kneading the dough and flattening it out.

Though next time, I think I’ll skip the cutting. I think it would make it much easier if you just left it uncut and have your guests cut their own piece. The trickiest part to the whole thing (and really, it wasn’t even tricky at all) was flipping the biscuits upside down onto a serving plate. I didn’t actually have a serving plate big enough for the biscuits, so I just put some foil down on my cookie sheet and used that instead.

I recommend eating these while they are still fresh out of the oven. The topping tends to harden a bit after a while (not rock hard, mind you). However, you can always pop these babies in the microwave for about fifteen seconds on high. That should warm up the biscuit and soften up the pecan topping. I think I’ll be having another one of these for breakfast tomorrow with some coffee!

Quick Sticky Biscuits , adapted from Bake or Break

Yields: 12 servings

Pecan Sauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1. Spray a 9″x 13″ pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Place brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Cook over low heat. When butter is melted, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in pecans. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

Biscuits
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup very cold or frozen unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
1 & 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Sift together twice the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender. Blend until mixture mostly looks like coarse crumbs, with some of the butter the size of small peas.

3. Make a shallow well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in 1 & 1/2 cups of buttermilk. Blend together using a fork, or a mixer using the paddle attachment on low speed. If dough is too dry, add the remaining 1/2 cup of buttermilk as needed.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times, then pat into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 square biscuits.

Topping
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1. Stir together sugar and cinnamon. Brush the tops of the biscuits with about half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with about half of the cinnamon-sugar.

2. Place the biscuits, cinnamon-sugar side down into the pan. Brush the tops (that were the bottoms) of the biscuits with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.

3. Bake about 15-17 minutes. The biscuits should be golden brown and puffy, and the pecan sauce should be bubbling around the biscuits.

4. Cool slightly (for about five minutes), then invert onto a serving plate. Remove pan to allow sauce to fall around the biscuits. Scrape any remaining sauce from the pan onto the biscuits. Serve immediately.