Every morning can feel like a special occasion with this easy pecan pastry braid! It's a quick recipe that whips up an impressive pecan pastry in such a pretty braided design! And it's topped with a quick vanilla icing that brings it all together. It's perfect for brunch, dessert, or an anytime snack!
Quick and Easy with Frozen Puff Pastry
Time and again, store-bought puff pastry has been a savior in a time crunch. It always produces excellent results and it's so versatile, working with savory and sweet recipes alike. If you've had my brie and cranberry tart, my cinnamon palmiers, or my peach turnovers then you know how much I love puff pastry! I love trying new ways to use puff pastry, and this pecan pastry is my new fave!
Ingredients
- puff pastry - I use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry and always have great results!
- pecan chips - these are pecans that are sold pre-chopped into tiny pieces; also called pecan bits or pecan pieces. If you can't find pecan chips, you can just chop pecan halves very finely by hand or with a food processor. This pecan braid is even better if you toast your pecans ahead of time! See recipe card below for tips.
- maple syrup - this adds a bit of sweetness and great maple flavor! And it helps to bring the filling together nicely.
- brown sugar - rounds out the rest of the sweet filling and fits perfectly with the flavor of the pecans. I like to use light brown sugar for this recipe but you can use dark brown sugar as well.
- cinnamon - I love the way cinnamon complements the filling for this pecan pastry. It's optional, though, so you can omit it if you like.
- salted butter - to add a bit of richness to the filling, I toss in a bit of softened butter. It adds a great buttery flavor and really gives the filling that pecan pie taste!
- egg wash - we'll brush the outside of the pecan braid with an egg beaten with a little water to help achieve that crispy, browned, and flaky result!
Then, for the quick vanilla icing, you'll just need powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract (check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients).
Equipment
For this pecan pastry braid you'll only need a few tools! A rolling pin to flatten the dough, and a lined baking sheet to bake it! Here are all my equipment recommendations:
Related Recipes
If you're a fan of this pecan pastry braid, then you should check out all my pecan recipes! I love baking with pecans, and there are so many ways to enjoy them! One big hit here on the blog is my brown butter pecan cake. It's so moist and fluffy, and filled with the richness of brown butter and crunchy toasted pecans throughout the batter. Then it's draped in a brown butter cream cheese frosting that is to die for!
Or you can check out my Triple-Chocolate Pecan Brownies for a chocolatey treat! These fudgy brownies are rich and delicious, with brown butter, toasted pecans, and three types of chocolate!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen store-bought puff pastry - thawed
- ⅔ cup (66 g) pecan chips - or finely chopped pecans; preferably toasted (see note)
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar - packed
- ¼ cup (81 g) maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon (44 ml) salted butter - very soft
- 1 large egg - beaten with one tablespoon of water
Vanilla Icing
- 1½ cup (180 g) powdered sugar - (180g)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon (44 ml) milk - plus more as needed
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, and stir with a wooden spoon to mix well.⅔ cup pecan chips, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoon salted butter, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Open thawed puff pastry on a large piece of parchment paper and roll slightly with a rolling pin to even out any creases and to slightly flatten it.1 sheet frozen store-bought puff pastry
- Spread filling mixture into the center third of the puff pastry, leaving a gap near the top and bottom.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice diagonal cuts into the outer thirds of the pastry, leaving a one-inch gap between the cuts and the filling.
- Fold the pastry strips over the middle, overlapping each other to create a braid pattern. Tuck the top and bottom in and pinch pastry anywhere there may be gaps.
- Brush all over pastry with egg wash.1 large egg
- Place pastry and parchment on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Allow to cool before adding icing.
Vanilla Icing
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk to a bowl and whisk to combine.1½ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch of salt, 3 tablespoon milk
- Whisk in additional milk, if needed, to achieve desired consistency. Icing should be thin but not overly runny.3 tablespoon milk
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Last Updated on September 7, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
Johnna
A lot of the filling ran out while it was baking. Also took a lot longer to bake. I ended up turning up the oven to 400 degrees. The taste was great!
Meredith
We made this pecan pastry braid over the holiday weekend, it was SO GOOD and fun to make too! Thanks for another great recipe Chenee!
Chenée Lewis
So glad you all liked it Meredith! Thanks!!
Roni
This recipe was disasterous for me!
The entire filling melted and spread all over the pan leaving me with a hollow crust.
Any suggestions on what I did incorrectly?
Chenée Lewis
I'm sorry to hear that! It sounds like you may have had a tear or cut in your puff pastry, allowing the filling to leak out. Or you may have cut the puff pastry too close to the filling, so that the filling may have leaked out the side of braided part. Next time I would suggest double checking to make sure that your puff pastry doesn't have any tears in it or places where the filling could leak out, and pinching any holes closed.
Mike
I had this same experience—the “braid” came undone in the oven, and an air bubble in the pastry pushed much of the filling out.
Should I pinch the “arms” together when I make the braid? Or refrigerate the whole thing before putting it in the oven?
Chenée Lewis
Sorry to hear that -- yes it should help to pinch the arms together on the sides so that it doesn't come undone while baking. I haven't had that happen to me before but it should help to reinforce it a bit.
Jon
Same here, Roni.
That was a lot of filling, which becomes a syrup, and one can only expect so much containment from a basket weave. 🫤
I'm going to use the same amount of filling/frosting and the second puff pastry sheet to make 2 next time and bake at 400°.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks for the feedback! I hope it works out better next time.
Sarah
Love this ! Turned out perfect and it was really easy to make.
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad it worked out for you! Thanks for giving it a try!
Sherry
The braid turned out wonderful and my husband likes it better than Panera's braid.
Only one concern. I realize I didn't prepare it so that some of the filling ran out. The part that ran out became super sticky like a candy, and hard to eat. Did this happen only because it leaked out? Otherwise a complete first time success.
Chenée Lewis
Glad you liked it! Yes it sounds like that happened because of the filling leaking out. Next time I would suggest cutting your strips a bit shorter so that more of the filling is contained within the pastry.
Ayrish
Your all recipes are just amazing and mouth-watering. And, this pecan pastry braid also looks wonderful. I will definitely try it. You really guide us step by step. Thanks for it.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! I hope you enjoy!
Marvia Robinson
Your photos look amazing! will definitely try the recipe, looks absolutely delicious!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Kim
This recipe is simply delightful! I've always been a fan of pecan braid !
Chenée Lewis
Me too! Glad you liked it!
Jazz
I had all the ingredients on hand to make this yesterday and am so glad--it turned out deliciously! Unfortunately, I've eaten half already. 🙂
Chenée Lewis
I know the feeling!! lol so glad you liked it!
Tamara
My husband is a huge fan of pecans, so we had some that needed to be used up. This recipe was perfect! Your instructions were easy to follow, and it turned out delicious as ever. Thank you for sharing!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks for trying it out! So glad it worked out for you both!
Taneisha
One of my favourite parts were braiding the dough, but the BEST part was eating it! It was so good and hit the spot! Thanks for the spot on directions as well! So good! Thank you!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! I'm so happy you liked it!
caprililly
This is such a decadent treat! I love the maple, pecan, and brown sugar together! Such a great recipe!
Chenée Lewis
They fit together so well! Thank you!
Eric & Shanna Jones
We always love your baked goods and this was another winner! Your great instructions made this really easy to make.
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! Great to hear you both enjoyed it.
Kaluhi
Made this for Sunday brunch and it was cleared in SECONDS! loved that the ingredients are so easy to gey too and the flavor of the pecan really popped!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! I'm glad it was a hit for Sunday brunch!
Crystal DaCruz
I had never braided and type of pastry before , but it came out great thanks to your instructions! My family devoured this pastry!
Chenée Lewis
So good to hear!
Britney Brown
I could not get over how simple this recipe was because it was soooo pretty! The puff pastry with the pecans and maple made this recipe unforgettable!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Robin Sparks
I adore pecans and you always make everything sound so easy! I've used phyllo dough before but never puff pastry...is it similar?
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! They're both flaky, but puff pastry is much more rich and buttery, and comes in more layers.
Kate
I love it that I can use store-bought puff pastry . Makes it so convinient! Making this for Sunday brunch!
Chenée Lewis
Great! I hope it's a hit!
Renia
This recipe is my mom's new favorite. She has a pecan tree and said that she dusted her pecans in cinnamon and sugar for a real treat!
Chenée Lewis
Ooh what a great idea!