Maple Pecan Puff Pastry
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Easy Maple Pecan Puff Pastry made with store-bought puff pastry and filled with irresistible maple pecan filling. It’s perfect for brunch, dessert, or an anytime snack!
You might have heard of this Maple Pecan Puff Pastry called other names, such as maple pecan plait or braid. That is because the braids crossed over each other, showcasing all those beautiful layers in the puff pastry.
The braids look fancy outside, but it is actually an easy recipe even for beginners. The simplicity of this recipe is the frozen puff pastry. For this one, you can use store-bought puff pastry sheets or ready-to-roll puff pastry dough.
All the tasty warm fall flavors are wrapped up in this Maple Pecan Puff Pastry. It has got maple syrup, crunchy pecans, cinnamon, and brown sugar in every bite. If you do not have pecans, you can swap them out for a nut of your choice.
Ingredients You Need
- Puff pastry. In this recipe, we use ready-made puff pastry that you can find at your local grocery store.
- Pecans. Use roasted pecans for the filling and raw pecans for the topping. Pecans must be chopped. You can either chop the pecans with a knife or pulse them a few times in a food processor.
- Brown sugar. For sweetness.
- Maple syrup. To add a bit of sweetness and great maple flavor.
- Salted butter. To add richness to the filling.
- Cinnamon powder. To add warm flavor.
- Egg wash. Brush the outside of the puff pastry braid with an egg beaten with a little bit of milk to give that pretty shiny finish.
How to Braid Puff Pastry
The braids look fancy and impressive on the outside, but it is actually very easy to make. These are step-by-step on how to braid puff pastry:
- Dust the working surface area with flour. Take a sheet of puff pastry and divide it into 2 pieces. Take one piece of pastry and roll it out thin with a rolling pin, approximately into a 6×8-inch/15×20 cm rectangle.
- Spoon maple pecan filling in the center third of the puff pastry, leaving a space on top and bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut the 2 outside sections into diagonal strips.
- Fold the top and bottom inwards, over the maple pecan filling. Next, starting at one end, begin folding the pastry strips over the filling, alternating the sides to create a braid appearance.
More Puff Pastry Recipes
- Sfogliatine Glassate (Glazed Puff Pastry)
- Puff Pastry Palmier Cookies
- Simple Puff Pastry Egg Tart
- Apple Cinnamon Puff Pastry
- Puff Pastry Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 3/4 cup (100 gr) roasted pecans, finely chopped
- 6 tbsp (75 gr) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 gr) salted butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
Topping
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tbsp milk
- 2-3 tbsp raw pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, salted butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon powder until well combined. Add finely chopped roasted pecans and mix until combined.
- Dust the working surface area with flour. Take a sheet of puff pastry and divide it into 2 pieces. Take one piece of pastry and roll it out thin with a rolling pin, approximately into a 6×8-inch/15×20 cm rectangle.
- Spoon 1/4 maple pecan filling in the center third of the puff pastry, leaving a space on top and bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut the 2 outside sections into diagonal strips.
- Fold the top and bottom inwards, over the maple pecan filling. Next, starting at one end, begin folding the pastry strips over the filling, alternating the sides to create a braid appearance.
- Transfer the braids to the prepared pan.
- In a small bowl, beat egg and milk until well incorporated. Brush the top of each puff pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with chopped raw pecans.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.