Easy maple pecan plaits pastries are so decadent and delicious, that you want to make your own. These are the best maple treats with a fresh cup of coffee on Sunday afternoon. Impress your family with this simple recipe, made only with puff pastry sheets and easy maple pecan filling.
What are maple pecan plaits pastries ?
Have you ever heard of Tim Hortons maple pecan danishes, well that’s what maple pecan plaits are. But they are even much better than those from Tim Hortons, because they are made at home, fresh, crispy and simply delicious pastries coming out of your oven are just the best.
The simplicity in this recipe is frozen puff pastry. I am using puff pastry on any occasion for sweet or savory recipes. Puff pastry is very accessible at any grocery store, and I love how convenient it is to just take out the dough from the freezer and bake any kind of delicious pastry with the quality of a pastry shop.
I have many recipes on my blog for puff pastry, like Brie bites, Chocolate babka, Peach galette, or Nutella Puff Pastry Twists. And many more!
Ingredients needed for these maple braids
- Puff pastry dough
- Maple syrup
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy cream (min. 35 %)
- Egg yolk
- Whole egg
- Pecans chopped
Puff Pastry
I always try to use puff pastry made with butter. My favourite one is from Walmart -Great Value. But I have already made it also with Pepperidge Farm and the results were excellent.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is one of the main ingredients and brings such a light sweetness to these pastries, altogether with pecans it’s just a match in heaven.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar makes to hold all the pecans and maple syrup together. It will thicken and sweeten at the same time, this delicious pastry.
Unsalted Butter
Butte will bring some richness and creaminess into the filling with pecans and maple syrup. Make sure the butter is at room temperature, it’s easier to work with.
Whipping Cream
Use the highest percentage of fat. We have available 35% content of fat, but if you can get higher, the better. It will add more creamy and rich flavour to the pecan and maple filling.
Egg
Egg yolk will be used in the filling to hold it all together, and the whole egg is being used as egg wash on top of the puff pastry. Adding little drops of water into the egg wash will make the puff pastry even crispier.
Pecans
Pecans must be chopped, so they are easier to fill the pastry. You can either chop the pecans with a big knife or pulse them a few times in a food processor. You may also buy already pre-chopped pecans.
What equipment do you need for this puff pastry braid
Rolling pin is needed as a number one equipment. Even if you buy rolled puff pastry dough, you have to still roll it to stretch it a bit more. Other than that, you must already have at home a simple small sauce pan, lined baking sheet, pizza cutter or knife.
This recipe makes 8 pieces of pastry, considering you use around 450 g or 1 lb of puff pastry dough. If you can, buy already rolled out puff pastry. It saves little of the time, and because it’s already pre-rollled, the dough easier to manoeuvre with.
How to make these delicious maple pecan braids
Start with defrosting the frozen puff pastry. The best way to defrost puff pastry is to leave it overnight in the refrigerator in its own packaging. Before you start preheating the oven, make the filling.
To make the filling, combine maple syrup, sugar, butter, whipping cream and egg yolk in a small saucepan. Bring to a light boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes, or until it thickens. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the chopped pecans. Leave this mixture to cool completely on the kitchen counter or place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 355 F, rack in the middle position.
If you are using pre-rolled puff pastry from Pepperidge Farm, then you will have two sheets of puff pastry already rolled out, please continue to the next step.
If you are using puff pastry dough in thick square form Tenderflake, roll out both puff pastry doughs on two different parchment papers, approximately to 1/8 inch (2-3 mm) of thickness & 10 “x 15” inches (25 cm x 35 cm) large rectangle.
Cut each dough in 4 rectangles, approximately 5″ x 7.5″ (10 cm x 16 cm), each rectangle. Take cooled and thick maple pecan filling and spoon approximately 2–3 tablespoons in the centre of the puff pastry, leaving 1/2 inch space on top and bottom, then 2 1/2 inches on the sides. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter, to slice diagonal slits on the sides, next to the filling and. Fold the pastry slits inwards, overlapping each other. Tuck the top and bottom of puff pastry in. Repeat same with the rest of the dough.
Place the first four pastries with parchment paper on a baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake in preheated oven for 18–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat the baking process with the second batch of pastries and leave them to cool on a wire rack.
FAQ & TRICKS
Storage: Best is to consume the pastries the day you bake it. It’s flaky and crispy. The second day, puff pastry looses its flakiness and mostly when refrigerated. If you do have some leftovers, place them into an airtight container and place a paper towel on top of the pastry. The paper towel should take away the condensed water from refrigeration.
Freezer: I do not recommend freezing these type of baked puff pastry. Reason number one: it’s filled with creamy filling. If you defrosted it, this whole pastry would be so saggy, that it wouldn’t be very appetizing. So for this kind of pastry, I do not recommend freezing.
Can I use different type of nuts? Yes, you can substitute the pecans for walnuts or hazelnuts.
Can I make these maple pecan plaits in vegan version? Yes, of course you can. Use vegan butter and coconut cream. For egg wash, you can use maple syrup or tahini.
More recipe with puff pastry
- Nutella Puff Pastry Twists
- PUFF PASTRY PEACH GALETTE
- PARMESAN STICKS -PUFF PASTRY
- VALENTINE’S STRAWBERRY PUFF HEARTS
- THE BEST APPLE STRUDEL
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MAPLE PECAN PLAITS
Ingredients
Plaits dough & topping
- 1 pound (425 g) puff pastry dough thawed
- 2 tablespoon pecans chopped coarsly
- 1 small whole egg beaten for egg wash
Maple & pecan filling
- ¼ cup (80 g) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (40 ml) heavy cream minimum 35%
- 1 small egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) unsalted butter cut in cubes
- 1 cup (120 g) pecans chopped
Instructions
Maple & pecan filling
- To make the filling, combine maple syrup, sugar, whipping cream and egg yolk in a small saucepan. Once these ingredients are well combine, add the cubes of butter. Bring to a very light boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes, or until the mixture will lightly thicken.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans. Let the mixture cool completely on the kitchen counter, or for faster cooling, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will help with thickening the mixture.
Assembling the puff pastry
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 355 F, rack in the middle position.
- If you are using pre-rolled puff pastry, then you will have two sheets of puff pastry, please continue to the next step.If you are using puff pastry dough in thick square form (Tenderflake), roll out both puff pastry doughs on two different parchment papers, approximately to 1/8 inch (2-3 mm) of thickness & 10 "x 15" inches (25 cm x 35 cm) large rectangle.
- Cut each dough in 4 rectangles, approximately 5" x 7.5" (10 cm x 16 cm), each rectangle. Take cooled and thick maple pecan filling and spoon approximately 2–3 tablespoons in the centre of the puff pastry, leaving 1/2 inch space on top and bottom, then 2 1/2 inches on the sides. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter, to slice diagonal slits on the sides, next to the filling and. Fold the pastry slits inwards, overlapping each other. Tuck the top and bottom of puff pastry in. Repeat same with the rest of the dough.
- Place the first four pastries with parchment paper on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with more pecans. Bake in preheated oven for 18–20 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat the baking process with the second batch of pastries and let them cool on a cookie wire rack.
Notes
Pin this delicious maple pecan pastries to your board!
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.”
Audrey
I was looking all over for a recipe like this and yours sounds like the best one! My only question is t state to sprinkle walnuts on the top. Did you mean to say pecans? I would think so. Thanks for the recipe!
Julia
Hi Audrey, thank you so much for pointing this out, yes I meant pecans. Happy to hear how these pastries came out! Let me know. Julia.
Audrey
I finally made these and omg, they are the absolute best! The only thing is that they looked horrible! I really need a lesson on how to crisscross the dough! Other than that, I found a way to have them for the next couple of days and have them taste exactly like the day you make them. All you have to do is air fry them. Perfectly crispy outside and the right consistency inside. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Julia
Hi Audrey, thank you so much for trying this recipe 🙂 I am so happy you liked the pecan pastries. Yes, the crisscross dough technique might be challenging, but I am sure they didn’t look as bad as you say:) I might suggest making the stripes wider,
that will allow covering well the filling and the puff pastry will puff up more. You might want to try these https://juliarecipes.com/nutella-puff-pastry-twists/, it has easier twisting technique and are great for upcoming Valentine’s Day ! Happy baking, Julia 🙂
Gloria
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup or 40 grams of butter. I used 1/4 cup or 60 grams. Which is correct? Thanks
Julia
Hi Gloria, the precise measurement is 40 grams, which is approximately 3 tablespoons or nearly 1/4 of a cup. The recipe card was updated. Thnank you 🙂