2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup pecan halves, lightly toasted
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425F. In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat the sugar and water over a low flame. Stir the mixture together, just to dissolve then let it be. Don't stir it too much, or you'll develop crystals in your caramel. You do not want that. When the sugar starts to bubble and boil, continually swirl the pan until the sugar turns into a shade of amber. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the butter, followed by the cream. It may bubble, so be cautious. Once the butter and cream have been smoothly incorporated, stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour the caramel mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Tilt the pan to ensure the caramel covers the entire bottom. Scatter the toasted pecan halves over the caramel. Arrange the pecans over the caramel, keeping in mind that this will be the top of your sticky buns. Set this aside while you get on with the scone dough. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bakinig powder, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter (I prefer my fingertips), work in the chilled cubes of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and has the consistency of damp sand. If you still see little flecks of butter, that's a good thing! It'll keep your scones flaky. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Gingerly stir the flour into the milk, mixing just until everything is combined. If the dough is still a bit dry, you can add a touch more cream. Try not to over-mix, or the sticky cinnamon buns will turn out tough. On a lightly floured surface turn out the scone dough and knead it for a few turns, just to give it some shape. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the scone dough until it's about 1/2-inch thick. You're aiming for a rectangular shape, about 12-inches by 8-inches should do. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and scatter this over the rolled scone dough. Starting on the long end, roll up the scone dough like you would a yoga mat. Pinch the seams together to seal, then stick this cinnamon swirl log in the freezer for about 15 minutes, to make it easier to slice through. Once the cinnamon roll has firmed up nicely, slice the roll into 12 pieces using a serrated knife. Nestle the buns over the pecan and caramel mixture, and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the buns are golden brown and the dough is completely cooked through. Allow the sticky buns to cool for about 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. If there is any caramel sticking to the bottom of the pan, make sure you scrape it off and spread it over the sticky bun scones. No sense in wasting this liquid gold.