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
- Whipping cream (heavy cream min. 35 %)
- Egg yolk
- Whole egg
- Pecans chopped
Puff Pastry
I always try to use puff pastry made with butter. My favorite 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 flavor 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 500 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 maneuver with.
Maple Pecan filling 
Roll out puff pastry and add filling 
Plait puff pastry 
Add egg wash on puff pastry
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. Take a pre-rolled puff pastry dough and cut it in half. Take the first dough and place it on parchment paper. Roll it out into 2-3 millimeters (1/4″) of thickness. It will be very thin. Approximately long 30 cm x 30 cm (12″x12″) rectangle.
Cut the dough in 4 equal rectangles, approximately 6″ x 6″ (15 cm x 15 cm). Take the maple pecan filling and spoon 2-3 tablespoons in the center third of the puff pastry, leaving a space on top and the bottom. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter, to slice diagonal slits, leaving little space in between the filling and the cuts. Fold the pastry slits inwards, overlapping each other. Tuck the top and bottom of puff pastry in. Repeat with the second puff pastry 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 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
Maple & pecan filling
- 1 lb ( 500 g) Puff pastry dough frozen
- ¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (40 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (120 g) pecans chopped
- 3 ½ tablespoons (40 g) whipping cream (heavy cream)
- 1 egg yolk
- 7 tablespoons (80 g) maple syrup
- 1 whole egg beaten
- 2 tablespoon pecans chopped
Instructions
Maple & pecan 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.
Assembling the puff pastry
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 355 F, rack in the middle position. Take a pre-rolled puff pastry dough and cut it in half. Take the first dough and place it on parchment paper. Roll it out into 2-3 millimeters (1/4") of thickness. It will be very thin. Approximately long 30 cm x 30 cm (12"x12") rectangle.
- Cut the dough in 4 equal rectangles, approximately 6" x 6" (15 cm x 15 cm). Take the maple pecan filling and spoon 2-3 tablespoons in the center third of the puff pastry, leaving a space on top and the bottom. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter, to slice diagonal slits, leaving little space in between the filling and the cuts. Fold the pastry slits inwards, overlapping each other. Tuck the top and bottom of puff pastry in. Repeat with the second puff pastry 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.
Pin this delicious maple pecan pastries to your board!
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