Guest Recipe: Hailee Catalano's Spiced Date Pecan Sticky Buns

Hailee Catalano’s new cookbook, By Heart, is written around a simple but powerful idea: the most memorable meal doesn’t have to come from a restaurant. With a little care, good ingredients, and the confidence to give it a go, you can create dishes at home that are every bit as satisfying and elevated.

Hailee’s Spiced Date Pecan Sticky Buns are proof of that—just look at that photo! Pillowy-soft dough is swirled with warming spices and deeply rich dates, then crowned with a gloriously sticky pecan topping. You’d expect to stumble across these buns in the window of your favourite bakery, yet Hailee guides you through every step with warmth and ease.

This recipe is a wonderful reminder that baking something extraordinary often comes down to trusting the process. It can be impressive without being intimidating. Roll up your sleeves, put on some music, do a few twirls around the kitchen, and before long your home will smell every bit as inviting as that cozy café.

✨ See what Hailee is up to on Instagram.

These decadent sticky buns certainly put me in an indulgent mood! My Peanut Butter & Raspberry Brownies are another reminder that homemade treats can be both utterly enjoyable and wonderfully wholesome.

Rich chocolate, tangy raspberries, and creamy peanut butter come together in a brownie that satisfies both my sweet tooth and my kids'. It's wonderfully indulgent without going over the top. One of my favourite things about baking at home is that you get to decide exactly what goes into your food, creating treats that nourish as much as they delight. When you bake from scratch, you don't have to choose between flavour and feel-good ingredients—you really can have both!

Check out my full recipe video:

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MAKES 9 BUNS

DOUGH

195 grams (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

200 grams (1 ½ cups) bread flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast (I like Saf-instant brand)

260 grams (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

FILLING

145 grams (about 8 large) Medjool dates, pitted

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon kosher salt

CARAMEL

120 grams (½ cup) heavy cream

55 grams (¼ cup) packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

120 grams (1 cup) finely chopped pecans, toasted (see Tip)

Flake salt, for topping

1. Make the dough: Add the all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low to combine.

2. Increase the speed to medium, and mix until the dough is smooth and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high, and mix until the dough can be stretched out fairly thin without tearing, 8 to 10 minutes. You may need to hold onto the mixer to stabilize it during this process!

3. Transfer the dough to a large, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size, about 2 hours. (This time will depend on how warm your kitchen is, but it shouldn’t take longer than 2 ½ hours.)

4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Add the dates to a small bowl, and cover with hot water to soak until softened, 15 minutes. Drain.

5. Add the soaked dates, butter, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt to a food processor, and process until mostly smooth. A few small chunks are okay!

6. Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking dish all over with butter.

7. Make the caramel: Heat the cream, brown sugar, honey, salt, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking, until bubbly and slightly thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the pecans and then pour the caramel into the baking dish and spread to cover the bottom. Set aside while you prepare and shape the rolls.

8. When the dough has risen, roll it out to an 11 x 14-inch (28 x 35.5 cm) rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

9. Add the filling, and spread it out edge to edge. Starting with the longest side, roll up the dough as tight as you can into a log. Using a sharp knife (serrated works great), cut the log into thirds. Cut each third into thirds to form 9 even buns.

10. Place the buns on top of the caramel in the baking dish, and lightly cover with a kitchen towel.

11. Let the buns rise until doubled in size and touching, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

12. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack positioned in the center.

13. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the buns are deeply golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reads 195°F (90°C) in the center of the bun.

14. Let cool for 10 minutes and then carefully invert the buns onto a serving plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with a touch of flake salt. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. Reheat on a sheet tray in a 350°F (175°C) ove for 10 to 15 minutes. You also can do a quick reheat in the microwave.

TIP Toast the pecans on a sheet tray at 375°F (190°C) until golden and aromatic, 8 to 12 minutes.

Abbreviations:

v- Vegetarian, pb - Plant based, gf - Gluten Free, nf - Nut free, df - Dairy free.

Reprinted with permission from By Heart by Hailee Catalano, copyright Hailee Catalano © 2025. Photographs by Emily Hawkes. Published by DK, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon or Penguin Random House.

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