1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon sugar
1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed. (I find this at Kroger's and use it fairly regularly just to make fresh bread. Nothing like the smell of fresh bread, don'chaknow. I had not previously tried to add anything to it. It has five loaves in a package.)
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook onions in 4 tablespoons butter until tender. (The recipe said 5 minutes, but that was not nearly long enough for my onions to get anywhere near tender. Also, it said medium-low heat, which again, was getting my onions nowhere, fast. So, I raised the temperature and the time.)
Place on greased baking sheets. (I used parchment paper, which did not require greasing.)
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush over the breadsticks.
(Cook immediately. Don't try to save overnight before baking if you want them to remain puffy. If you prefer more of a breadstick look, you can prepare them ahead of time and let them fall - stick in the refrigerator overnight, for example, and they still taste just as good. My guests actually really enjoyed them that way, so...)
(This recipe came from "Taste of Home Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook 2008)