pregnancy cravings are real ya’ll.

never before have i had food stick in my mind and loop over and over like i have in the last seven months.

and sometimes, a craving becomes so strong i just have to give in. and in the case of the sticky bun, i gave in HARD. like, i have eaten five buns in twenty-four hours, hard.

now i am not going to lie to you, sticky buns are a labor of love. nothing about making them is particularly challenging, but since this recipe requires time to rise, it is a good one to plan in advance for.

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast.

once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour.

combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes.

slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours.

while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside.

when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick.

spread the filling all over the dough.

roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces.

use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f.

melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes.

until bubbly and golden brown.

to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.

xo, a

pistachio sticky buns

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 3-4 hours

bake time: 35-40 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Ingredients: dough - .25 cup warm water (105-115 degrees). 1 packet (.25 oz) package active dry yeast. .25 cup sugar. .75 cup room temperature whole milk. 4 tbs unsalted butter + 1 tbs for greasing the bowl. 3 egg yolks. 1 tbs orange zest. 1.25 tsp salt. 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting.

filling - .5 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs ground cinnamon. 4 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese.

topping - .5 cup brown sugar. 6 tbs unsalted butter. 2 tbs softened cream cheese. 3 tbs honey. 1.5 cup coarsely chopped pistachios. .5 cup heavy cream.

tools - stand mixer + dough hook. 9 x 13 baking dish. rolling pin. sauce pan.

start by combining the water, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. stir well to agitate the yeast and allow it to sit for five minutes until it foams and bubbles up. if the liquid doesn’t thicken and foam, it was inactive and it will not work. try again with different yeast. once the yeast is active, add in the milk, 4 tbs butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups of the flour. combine on a low speed with a dough hook until the dough begins to come together. about 3-5 minutes. slowly add the remaining cup of flour till the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. about 2 minutes. remove the dough for a second as you grease the bowl with the remaining tbs of butter. cover the bowl with a towel and set it in a warm place to rise. let the dough rise till it has doubled in size. 1-2 hours. while your dough is rising, make your filling and your topping. to make the filling, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. stir well till it makes almost a paste. to make the topping, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, sugar and pistachios in a sauce pan. melt over medium heat, stir well to combine and set it aside. when your dough has doubled in size, cover a working surface with some flour and roll the dough out till it is about .25 inch thick. spread the filling all over the dough. roll the dough up to make one long roll. slice into 12 equal pieces. use parchment to cover the baking pan (f you don’t have any, no problem, you can skip this step it just makes more mess). spread the topping mixture onto the parchment and top with the rolls. cover the rolls and allow them to rise until they have puffed up and filled the baking pan, 1-2 hours. now, you can do all this prep in advance and then place the buns in the fridge over night and bake in the morning. or, after the second rise you could go ahead and bake them off. whenever you are ready to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. melt the remaining butter and the cream over low heat, just until butter is melted and the liquids have combined. pour the butter & cream mixture over the top of the buns and bake for 35-40 minutes. until bubbly and golden brown. to serve, scoop out a bun and flip it over onto a plate. scoop up any ooey gooey topping bits left behind and spoon it on top of the sticky bun. serve warm and enjoy.

did your parents ever bring you home some delicious cheese and fruit danish as a kid? you know, the one drizzled with frosting, so perfectly flakey and delicious. well i have been dying for one. but this little 26 week pregnant bod feels TERRIBLE when i eat too much sugar.

so as a fill in, i whipped up this more adult version with creamy ricotta cheese, honey instead of sugar a fruit filling that will please both children and adults. these little bites go down way to easy and could easily be served as a breakfast treat, a passed appetizer or a tasty dessert.

mixed berry & rhubarb + ricotta tartlets

serves: 12 tartlets

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry dough (store bought works great or you could use THIS quick and easy one that i like to use). 1 tbs ricotta cheese (you can find my recipe HERE). 10 strawberries, diced. 10 blackberries, halved. 1 stick rhubarb, diced. .25 cup honey. 2 tbs orange juice + the zest of one orange. 1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped. couple pinches of kosher salt. flour for dusting. rolling pin. muffin tin. 1 tbs veggie oil or baking spray. optional: 12 edible flowers or 12 berry slice for garnish.

start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees f. in a small saucepan, combine your berries, rhubarb, honey, orange zest and juice, tarragon and the pinch of salt. stir well to combine and place it over a medium heat. once the liquid starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium low and allow the fruit to simmer till it makes a nice sauce. about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t stick and burn.

while your berries are cooking, lightly dust a work surface with the flour and roll out your sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle.

slice the rectangle into 12 pieces. give each piece an additional roll so they are as square as you can get them and about 1/8th and inch thick. prick each all over with a fork pretty liberally.

spray or oil your muffin tin. fill each muffin hole with a puff pastry square.

bake the tartlets for 12-15 minutes till they are lightly golden brown and puffed up. use the back of a spoon to push any really puffy centers back down into the tin.

fill each tin with 1 tbs of ricotta cheese. by now, your berries should be thick and all the liquid reduced. spoon about 1 tbs of berries into each tartlet. bake again for an additional 5-7 minutes till puff pastry is really golden and crisp on all the edges. allow the tarts to cool slightly.

top with berry or flower garnish.

serve warm or at room temperature.

xo, a

mixed berry & rhubarb + ricotta tartlets

serves: 12 tartlets

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 sheet of puff pastry dough (store bought works great or you could use THIS quick and easy one that i like to use). 1 tbs ricotta cheese (you can find my recipe HERE). 10 strawberries, diced. 10 blackberries, halved. 1 stick rhubarb, diced. .25 cup honey. 2 tbs orange juice + the zest of one orange. 1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped. couple pinches of kosher salt. flour for dusting. rolling pin. muffin tin. 1 tbs veggie oil or baking spray. optional: 12 edible flowers or 12 berry slice for garnish.

start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees f. in a small saucepan, combine your berries, rhubarb, honey, orange zest and juice, tarragon and the pinch of salt. stir well to combine and place it over a medium heat. once the liquid starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium low and allow the fruit to simmer till it makes a nice sauce. about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t stick and burn. while your berries are cooking, lightly dust a work surface with the flour and roll out your sheet of puff pastry to a large rectangle. slice the rectangle into 12 pieces. give each piece an additional roll so they are as square as you can get them and about 1/8th and inch thick. prick each all over with a fork pretty liberally. spray or oil your muffin tin. fill each muffin hole with a puff pastry square. bake the tartlets for 12-15 minutes till they are lightly golden brown and puffed up. use the back of a spoon to push any really puffy centers back down into the tin. fill each tin with 1 tbs of ricotta cheese. by now, your berries should be thick and all the liquid reduced. spoon about 1 tbs of berries into each tartlet. bake again for an additional 5-7 minutes till puff pastry is really golden and crisp on all the edges. allow the tarts to cool slightly. top with berry or flower garnish and serve warm or at room temperature.