This guest recipe post is an incredibly special (and scrumptious!) one from Sadie Radinsky, the 17-year-old wonder genius behind paleo and gluten-free blog Goodies Against the Grain. Follow her adventures in baking, yoga and a fluffy white dog on Instagram.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, which means there’s a lot of pressure on us to do something nice for our mothers/mother figures. And I don’t know about yours, but my mother loves nothing more than freshly-baked Paleo treats! These sticky buns happen to be her absolute favorite.

These buns are:

• LEGIT. Just as fluffy and ooey-gooey as a Cinnabon, but yummier.
• Filled with a buttery cinnamon-sugar-pecan filling.
• Sandwiched between two layers of coconut sugar caramel and pecan topping.
• Jam-packed with Primal Kitchen Collagen Peptides for a protein boost.
• Yeast-free, and super easy to make.

Basically, these are heavenly, and your mom will adore them... although we all know you’re really making these for yourself! No shame ;)

There are three main components to the buns: the dough, caramel, and pecan-cinnamon filling. Since these they are best eaten fresh out of the oven for maximum fluffiness, I recommend making the dough the night before Mother’s Day. Then, the morning of, you can whip up the caramel and filling, assemble the rolls, and bake. I hope you enjoy these delightful Paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, protein-filled buns!

Paleo Pecan Sticky Buns

Servings: 1 bun; makes 9 buns total

Time: 2 hours - 14 hours (if refrigerating dough overnight)

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour/arrowroot starch
• 1/3 cup Primal Kitchen Collagen Peptides
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup melted grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Caramel:

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut cream (from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk)
• 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Filling:

• 6 tablespoons grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil (melted)
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Spray
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

For the dough:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
• Whisk the wet into the dry, and stir just until combined.
• Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or overnight.

For the caramel:

• In a medium-size, strong saucepan, whisk together the coconut sugar and water.
• Bring the saucepan to medium heat.
• Once the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat up to medium/high.
• Let it boil for approximately five minutes, then remove from heat.
• Immediately whisk in the coconut cream, butter, vanilla and sea salt.
• Let the caramel cool for approximately 10 minutes, while you assemble the rolls.
• Set your oven to 350ºF.

For the filling:

• In a small bowl, whisk together all the filling ingredients until combined.
• To assemble: Place the refrigerated dough between two pieces of parchment paper, and roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle.
• Remove the top piece of parchment.
• Spread the filling evenly onto the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling so it doesn’t spill out.
• Place the rectangle of dough so the short side is facing you, then carefully roll it tightly towards you.
• It helps to gently peel the parchment away from you as you roll.
• Once you have a tightly-rolled log, it’s time to cut the dough into pieces. I like to use a piece of thread to do this, because it creates a nice, clean cut.
• If you don’t have thread on hand, use a sharp, non-serrated knife.
• Cut the log into 9 even slices.
• Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Spray.
• Then, evenly drizzle 1/4 cup of the caramel onto the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle on the 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
• Place your rolls into the pan, on top of the caramel-pecan mixture.
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, or until the edges begin turning golden-brown.
• After cooling for five minutes, gently remove the buns from the pan.
• Drizzle on remaining caramel, and extra pecans, if desired. Serve buns while warm!

Photos courtesy of Kelly Radinsky.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

Calories: 442

Carbs: 28 grams

Net Carbs: 24 grams

Fat: 35 grams

Protein: 10 grams

Nutritional information calculated using Cronometer.

You might also like these other treats:

• Easy Gluten-Free Donut Holes 
• Apple Cinnamon Primal Pancakes 
• Pumpkin Spice Keto Donuts