Merridee's Sticky Buns

In the continued spirit of Christmas overindulgence, it is my feeling that Christmas breakfast should involve a pastry so saturated with delicious glaze that one must use a fork.  My Grandma used to get up at four in the morning to make sticky buns for us on Christmas morning. The whole time we were ripping into our presents, we could smell the unmistakable aroma of yeast dough rising. As we played with our toys (or were forced to clean up the wrapping paper), we could hear Grandma in the kitchen putting the rolls in the oven.

When the rolls were finally ready, displayed on Grandma’s best Christmas “China”, our eyes would fairly pop out of our heads at the sight of caramelized sugar dripping off of coarsely chopped pecans. Not much was said at those breakfasts; we were far too busy savoring each heavenly morsel.

We don’t go to Grandma’s for Christmas anymore; she has since passed on.  No one has yet volunteered to get up at 4 AM to start cooking. So, we do the next best thing. We plan ahead and get our sticky buns from Merridee’s Breadbasket on Christmas Eve.

If you don’t live in the Nashville area, you should drive here – right now –and go to Merridee’s. I have to eat there at least once every six weeks or something goes awry with the universe.  Every magazine that has covered it or TV show that has featured it has mentioned that Merridee’s makes some of the best desserts you can get. We’re talking mint fudge brownies, chocolate chess pecan pie, Italian cream cake, key lime bars, bear claws, and peanut butter fudge. We’re talking melt in your mouth, so good you’ll slap your mama kind of cooking.

I could keep writing, but a picture is, after all, worth a thousand words.