The dish to eat in State College · United States

Grilled stickies

Name: Grilled stickies with vanilla ice cream
Yield: 6
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: For the dough: 3/4 cup warm milk; 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) instant yeast; 1/4 cup sugar; 1 large egg; 4 tbsp butter, softened; 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 tsp kosher salt; For the filling: 4 tbsp butter, softened; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 tbsp cinnamon; For the pan: 6 tbsp butter; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 3 tbsp honey or corn syrup; 3/4 cup chopped pecans; To grill: 3 tbsp butter; Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Photo: Stacy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Sticky buns split, buttered and griddled, served with vanilla ice cream.

The dish of the old College Diner, which closed in 2018. The stickies are still baked and sold around town: grilled with Creamery vanilla at the Corner Room, and by the 24-pack at the Berkey Creamery, which once made a grilled stickies ice cream.

Where to eat it Cook it at home Have a chef cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in State College

The Corner Room
Downtown
Order: Grilled stickies with vanilla ice cream
The downtown restaurant serving the diner's stickies now.
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Penn State Berkey Creamery
Penn State campus
Order: A 24-pack of stickies to grill at home
Sold at the university's creamery store.
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Original Waffle Shop
North Atherton
Order: Waffles
If you are in the stickies mood at breakfast, the town's other sweet morning.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best grilled stickies in State College, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Grilled stickies with vanilla ice cream

Serves 6Time 1 hr, plus 2 hr 30 min rising

Chef's version of State College's diner classic: pecan sticky buns, split, buttered and griddled until the caramel crisps, then topped with vanilla ice cream. Day-old buns grill best.

Pans and tools

9 x 13-inch baking pan
Rolling pin
Heavy skillet or griddle

You’ll need

For the dough: 3/4 cup warm milk
2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
For the filling: 4 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
For the pan: 6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp honey or corn syrup
3/4 cup chopped pecans
To grill: 3 tbsp butter
Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Steps

Mix the milk, yeast, sugar and egg; add the butter, flour and salt and knead 8 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Melt the 6 tbsp butter with the brown sugar and honey, pour into a 9 x 13 pan and scatter the pecans over.
Roll the dough into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle, spread with the soft butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and roll up from the long side. Cut into 12 rolls.
Set the rolls in the pan, cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. Turn out onto a tray while hot and let cool, ideally overnight.
To serve, split each bun in half crosswise, butter the cut sides and griddle in a hot skillet, cut side down, 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and caramelized.
Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Chef’s tips

Watch the griddle: the caramel goes from crisp to burnt quickly.

Store-bought sticky buns work in a hurry; split and grill them the same way.

Contains: Wheat, milk, egg, tree nuts (pecans).

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