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Last Updated on April 6, 2021 by Chenée Lewis
Happy New Year! I hope your 2021 is full of health, happiness, and sweet treats, starting 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.
- 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!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen store-bought puff pastry - thawed
- ⅔ cup pecan chips - or finely chopped pecans
- ½ cup light brown sugar - packed
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp salted butter - very soft
- 1 large egg - beaten with one tbsp of water
Vanilla Icing
- 1½ cup powdered sugar - (180g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Whisk in additional milk, if needed, to achieve desired consistency. Icing should be thin but not overly runny.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Your photos look amazing! will definitely try the recipe, looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is simply delightful! I’ve always been a fan of pecan braid !
Me too! Glad you liked it!
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. 🙂
I know the feeling!! lol so glad you liked it!
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!
Thanks for trying it out! So glad it worked out for you both!
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!
Thank you! I’m so happy you liked it!
This is such a decadent treat! I love the maple, pecan, and brown sugar together! Such a great recipe!
They fit together so well! Thank you!
We always love your baked goods and this was another winner! Your great instructions made this really easy to make.
Thank you so much! Great to hear you both enjoyed it.
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!
Thank you! I’m glad it was a hit for Sunday brunch!
I had never braided and type of pastry before , but it came out great thanks to your instructions! My family devoured this pastry!
So good to hear!
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!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I adore pecans and you always make everything sound so easy! I’ve used phyllo dough before but never puff pastry…is it similar?
Thanks! They’re both flaky, but puff pastry is much more rich and buttery, and comes in more layers.
I love it that I can use store-bought puff pastry . Makes it so convinient! Making this for Sunday brunch!
Great! I hope it’s a hit!
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!
Ooh what a great idea!