Hello! I come to you today with raspberry cacao nib sugar buns and a giveaway, both of which I’m terribly excited about. I’ve been baking up a storm lately; this extended winter Minneapolis refuses to let go of is making us all stir-crazy, literally.
So we’ve been kneading and rolling and folding and repeating too often for this little family of four. But! these tasty raspberry circles were worth our time, and after enjoying a few, we gladly passed them out to our neighbors.
Raspberry Cacao Nib Sugar Buns
These little sugar buns are inspired by the lovely Seven Spoons, and while I’ve posted about them before, I couldn’t resist adding raspberry and cacao nibs to them. I also made this version with puff pastry (the original uses a Danish dough), and I think either would be delicious here. Originally I intended to use a cinnamon roll dough, but with the icing it all was a bit too sweet. If you do decide to go that route instead (in which case you may want to double the filling), I highly recommend The Smitten’s version of cinnamon roll dough and icing.
I did include almond paste in the filling, but if you are trying to save a trip to the store, I think you could omit it – the cream cheese, sugar, and raspberries will be delicious. And, the filling is a bit thin, but I found doubling it turned into a terrible oozy mess, and preferred to take it lighter. You could double it if you’d like.
Also, I did use homemade puff pastry here, which I highly recommend. Store bought will work fine, but the taste of homemade is far superior. I used the recipe from Sarabeth’s Bakery, an excellent cookbook.
1 sheet of puff pastry
6 tablespoons browned butter
granulated sugar, for dusting
1 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
2 ounces almond paste
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
good pinch of salt
3 ounces fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
Preheat oven to 400.
Brown the butter (pictures and info here, if you need a visual). Using a pastry brush, brush the wells of a muffin tin with the browned butter (about 1 tablespoon total). Generously sprinkle the wells with granulated sugar, so they are fully coated. Set the remaining brown butter aside to cool.
In a standing mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add almond paste, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth. Add raspberries and mix on low until incorporated.
Lightly flour your work surface, and roll the puff pastry into an 8 x 20 inch rectangle. Brush the pastry with the remaining brown butter. Spread the raspberry filling over the surface, leaving a one inch border. Sprinkle the raspberry mixture evenly with cacao nibs. Starting with the long side, roll the pastry into a tight log. Pinch seams together and place the seam side down. With a serrated knife or a sharp scissors, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Place the pieces into the prepared muffin tin.
Bake buns until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes, then flip the buns onto a wire rack. When the buns are cool enough to handle, roll them in more granulated sugar, shaking off any excess. Best if eaten within a few hours.
79 Comments
Virginia
Friday, December 19, 2014 at 12:38 pmI cant wait to try the onion dip and theses little raspberry buns also looking forward to try more great recipes!
Kelli
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:47 amLovely buns and spoons!!
Cheryl
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:43 amI love everything about your blog — the fonts, the design, the photography, the stories…
Glad I discovered your blog! Wouldn’t mind winning the lovely spoons — a nice little way to stir some sunshine into the day!
Jeannie Van Popta
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:37 amBeautiful!
Katie Randall
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:05 amI also really love your blog it’s gorgeous! I would love to win these!
Kara @ karascuisine.com
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:03 amThese sugar buns are gorgeous! So lovely. Love the spoons too:)
autumn
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:02 amI love the flavors that you use here! And the spoons are just as lovely 🙂
Ariffa
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:01 amI love it when a blogger posts a beautiful recipe and I have all the ingredients on hands. Also. SPOONS. I’m moving into a new place soon and these would be a wonderful addition to my tiny kitchen
Shirley
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:57 amThrilled to have stumbled upon your blog. Lovely photography and delicious food. Thank you for sharing your talents. Would love those wooden spoons. Keep doing what you are doing. 😉
Melody
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:56 amThese look amazing. How do you not all get extremely fat?!
Sarah | The Chef Next Door
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:54 amThis recipes looks divine and the spoons are adorable!
Tara
Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:54 amI love everything you make and photograph! These look totally amazing
Stephanie
Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 6:42 amGoodness, that picture of the raspberry and cocoa nibs about to be rolled up is like a total dream– I think I literally sighed out loud seeing it, so vibrant and delicious it looked! I wish I was having this for breakfast right now! And holy cow, homemade puff pastry? Doesn’t that take like an entire day to make? I’ve never tried only because I’ve heard of the horror stories but maybe I’ll need to check out that cookbook you mentioned.
Katie L
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 8:14 amWhat a beautiful post. I’m hosting a party this weekend and may try these out!! Thank you for the recipe, and for the opportunity to [hopefully] win these awesome spoons!
Lindsey
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 6:25 amI’m looking to do a graduation brunch for my friends and these would look stunning and be pretty simple for me to make! So excited and gorgeous photography! love your blog…so much
Kyna Marie
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 11:09 pmi’ve been lusting over those spoons for weeks!
Sara Martin
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 8:55 pmBeautiful spoons & photography!
I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Heather
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 3:21 pmThose are so pretty — inside and out!
rachel
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 10:56 amMy stomach is growling, looking at these photos
Joy
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 9:08 amThanks for the beautiful and inspiring post! This is my first exposure to your blog and I am hooked. 🙂
Stacia
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:23 pmCan’t wait to make these and i have had some of these items on my etsy faves!
Christine
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:22 pmMmmm, you are killing me! I am off sugar and gluten at the moment and when I visit, I feel more and more deprived! Your photos are lovely as always and I am certain your buns are delish! So since I can’t have the yummy buns, maybe the pretty spoons will be mine? : )
Tina
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 8:43 pmI love raspberries. You do them a great justice.
Sarah
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 8:08 pmI love the spoons-and as always your photos make everything beautiful!
Mariah
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 7:47 pmThose spoons are so cute! Nearly as cute as the pastries 🙂
a
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 5:55 pmGolly! I think that I just fell in love! This is the first time that I have been to your blog (via Pinterest), and both this recipe and the spoons are magically tied to my heart! Carob and raspberry is one of my fave (recently discovered) combos! And wow! You have so many other gorgeous posts that I think I need to make a coffee and stay a while.
Good luck to everyone entering to win those gorgeous spoons (although I am secretly hoping to be their new owner very soon 🙂 )!
Chelsea Dowdell
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 3:53 pmThese flavors have me itching to make this! I can definitely impress my teacher in culinary school with this in bakeshop class! And with the spoons too 😉
Rachel
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 3:37 pmThose spoons are so simple and cheerful-looking!
carey
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 7:49 amOh my, what a great flavor combo! You had me at raspberry + cacao nib, and then almond paste and browned butter too…..yes. Beautiful photos, as always, Sarah. (:
Zainab
Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 2:42 amGeorgous post! Those spoons look so cute.
Beth | {local milk}
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 10:57 pmTruth time: never made puff pastry dough from scratch. This has got me feeling inspired. And I need a change of pace from cake batter! But as much as may bitch about sugar o.d….truth time part II: I just want more the next day. Baked goods 4eva. But mostly what I wanted to say about this post was that your beautiful daughter is upstaging the lovely spoons. When she gets older…. you’re gonna have your hands full, lady!
Nickie Gorsky
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 8:18 pmMiss VB, you have outdone yourself with these dear little yummy buns AND I LOVE THE SPOONS…the better to scoop you with! [email protected]
JRoz
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 6:57 pmMy first visit to your blog – looks fabulous and I *will* be back! I have quite a wooden spoon collection (would NOT be without them; I use every one) and I love colour-coding – I think I require those spoons 🙂 Thx for the chance!
Julia
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 4:09 pmThese sugar buns look delicious and different, yum! Definitely want to try this for brunch tomorrow.
Natasha
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 10:59 amOh my, I love the idea of this filling!! Sugar buns might be the first thing I make once I’m done with school. These look so good!
mamahay
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 10:21 amI recently found your blog and love your style (and recipes!). Thank you for sharing!
Erin
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 8:02 amEverything looks so good, including the spoons!
Debbie Z.
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:46 pmI sure would love to have these spoons. I’ve never really used wooden spoons and I think it is about time I started. : )
jacquie
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:33 pmboth the spoons and your buns are lovely.
lyndee
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:29 pmi stumbled across your blog through pinterest and love it! and i love the giveaway!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:42 pmI can’t get over how pretty these are. I wish I had one for dessert right now!
Amanda
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:34 pmSarah, these are gorgeous – and you are the one who inspired me to try cacao nibs a few months back. Would love to make my next batch of muffins with these spoons!
Audrey
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7:07 pmThose spoons are so cute, and your photography is gorgeous.
Sally Mae
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 4:08 pmI just discovered your site via Pinterest. I love your photography and style! I’m 90 min. east of Minneapolis…it just won’t end, this winter!! Sign me up for the spoons too. 🙂
Emily
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 3:09 pmSarah! I’m one of your many silent blog admirers, but good heavens these raspberry buns are too insanely gorgeous not to pipe up and say, if the roads weren’t so snowy, I’d try to drive down to snatch one! (We’re up in Duluth, and oh my word this winter is dragging on. We’re completely stir crazy too, though I’m churning my impatience for spring into batches of ice cream rather than baking.) I’ve been craving the bright flavor of raspberries, so I may well be making my own batch of these soon.
Louise
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 2:33 pmThese look beautiful, can’t wait to try them out. Just found your blog (and what a find it is!) and I’ve saved it to my reading list, already created a long list of ‘to bakes’. Those woodens spoons are gorge too!
John
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 2:20 pmIt was Seven Spoons (Tara) who sent me here from Twitter and your website is now bookmarked and being admired. The spoons are fantastic, the recipe looks incredible, and the last photos is completely amazing. The way she’s looking at the bun, her little hand, and the coordination of color between her shirt and the marker (not to mention the amazing light)…all very perfect.
Maggie
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:46 amWhat a great rainey day project.
dervla @ the curator
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:31 amoh my gosh, so pretty and perfect for spring (buns and spoons!)
Maddie
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:23 amThese look delicious! Raspberry and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, and I can’t wait to try raspberry and cacao nibs! Love your blog – thanks for another great post.
Beverly
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:16 amThese buns look so yummy!
Winnie
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 11:08 amThese buns! These spoons! Swooning…
Leah B
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:50 amA great way to add a touch of bright Spring to the kitchen!
Kasey
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:49 amSarah! These look incredible! The combination of raspberry and cocoa nibs (not to mention almond paste) sound heavenly. If only I wasn’t going back to work on Monday…I’d spend my day making these! xoxo Oh ! And the spoons! I love them!
Ashley
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:37 amStellar! These look fantastic. I am especially in love with the 3rd photo. And I would also like to give those spoons a home in my kitchen. 🙂
Lucia
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:22 amwhere do you buy cacao nibs???
Sarah
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:47 amLucia – I’ve found them in bulk at my local co-op, and at higher-end grocery stores. I’m thinking whole foods would have them, or you could order them online. I hope that helps!
Maria
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:41 amI love cacao nibs! What a fantastic idea to pair them with raspberry in a bun! I think I might make these for my family’s April birthdays get-together! They’re so perfectly spring! As are those spoons. Sigh. Spoon envy.
Araya @ Wind and Willow Home
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:40 amCan I win the buns?:) They look AMAZING!
Caitlin
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:09 amthese sugar buns are absolutely beautiful! and the spoons are very lovely, too!
McKel | Nutrition Stripped
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:06 amI just stumbled upon your blog and it’s wonderful! You have great photography and not to mention this recipe looks amazing 🙂 Glad I found this one!
Melissa // The Fauxmartha
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 9:00 amSarah, I’m in love with all your flavor combinations! I wish, wish, wish we were neighbors. And those spoons look like heaven!
tara
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:57 amSO gorgeous. You’re so smart with the addition of raspberry and cocoa nibs. And the almond paste! Truly inspired.
It makes me grin to know that you’re making sugar buns. xo!
Michelle L
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:39 amoh wow, these look perfect for a saturday treat! thanks for the recipe & giveaway
Emma Galloway
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:33 amOh man I wish I was your neighbour Sarah!!! Love the buns, love the spoons 🙂 xx
Leah Anne
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:24 amThose buns look amazing! I will have to try them once exams are over. And I’ve been looking for a nice set of wooden spoons for a while now, and haven’t found any I like. This set is so pretty!
Megan
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:16 amThese look so good! And love the spoons 🙂
Marywithgarden
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 8:04 amI have been in the same flurry of baking and these look lovely to try with GFGirl’s puff pastry! I love the colors of the spoons. Keep on baking!
Anna
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7:58 amBaking is definitely my way of making the best of the weather, too. These look amazing.
amy
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7:29 amThose look adorably delicious! I love the dreamy haze photo that comes back into focus on that last bite…irresistible. The spoons are tres cute-checking their site now-thanks for the inspiration!
Caz
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 1:53 amThese sugar buns look so pretty and even though I’m gluten free I can still appreciate them. The photos are beautiful. The UK is also in the grips of an extended winter so being in the kitchen baking is the best answer. 🙂 Those spoons are just gorgesous. I love the pop of colour.
thelittleloaf
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 1:37 amThese look so delicious – I love the pink colour and the shower of sugar on top. Those spoons look gorgeous too – I’m guessing the giveaway doesn’t extend to the UK?!
Christina @ Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:45 amOk, YES PLEASE! I would love!
Morgan
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:26 amMmmm… Soon as I get home I’m going to make me some of these buns. 🙂 and man, those spoons are beautiful: such talent!!
Ingrid
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 11:55 pmYour photos are beautiful, I love the rolling picture with that sticky lovely filling. The rolls look divine, as do the bright lovely spoons… we are heading into winter so both would brighten up a winter kitchen!
Hannah
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 11:33 pmI can’t wait to try these. The almond paste sounds like a great addition!
Carley @BEANS
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 10:55 pmYou have such a beautiful blog. And I’m not just saying that to enter the giveaway, honestly 🙂 I’m really glad to have found my way here – looking forward to reading through the archives!
TheTine
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 10:27 pmI love the contrast of the little hands and the elegant sugar buns.
DessertForTwo
Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 10:00 pmWow! These are stunning! And I love the spoons, too! 🙂