Maple Pecan Kolache Recipes

MAPLE PECANS

Steps:

• In a dry nonstick skillet, add the pecans and turn the heat to medium.
• Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. You should start to smell the fragrance of the pecans as you toast them.
• Add the maple syrup to the pecans, then quickly stir to coat the pecans evenly.
• Add the salt, and keep stirring and cooking for about 2-3 minutes. At first the pecans will look glazed and sticky, but then the maple will start to crystallize and have that classic candied crunchy texture.
• Let the pecans cool completely, and enjoy!

MAPLE-PECAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 F.
• Cream the butter and sugar. When you've got a soft, supple mass, add the maple extract and work in the sifted flour. Roll into walnut-sized balls, and press with the base of a glass that you've lightly oiled (and if you've got some in the house, you could use walnut oil) or brushed with melted butter. Press gently onto the lined baking sheets--leaving a 2-inch space round each as they'll spread--and stud each with a pecan half.
• Cook for 15 minutes. They start off golden so it's hard to tell if they're cooked just by sight, but lift one up to check it's no longer doughy on the bottom. Remove from the oven, leave for a minute or two on the trays, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Variation: You can always substitute walnut halves for the pecans, but if you leave them completely nut-free, these are wonderful as cheese biscuits. Yes, they're sweet, but in the same way as digestive biscuits are strangely good with both creamy and hard cheese, so these can pair with a pungent blue quite wonderfully.

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE PASTRIES

Steps:

• Make syrup:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15 x 10 x 1-inch nonstick jelly roll pan. Mix brown sugar, maple syrup, unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; bring mixture to boil. Boil until candy thermometer inserted into mixture reaches 240°F, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chopped pecans
• Make filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Set filling aside.
• Make dough:
• Mix unbleached flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Using fork, cut in unsalted butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in enough milk to form moist dough. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten dough into disks. Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 3 3/4- to 4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds from dough. (Reroll dough scraps if necessary.) Place generous 2 teaspoonfuls cream cheese filling in center of each dough round. Spread filling over rounds, leaving 1/4-inch border. Roll up rounds jelly roll style. Place cheese pastries on prepared jelly roll pan, seam side down, spacing apart. Repeat with remaining dough disk and cheese filling.
• Bake pastries until firm to touch and beginning to brown at edges, about 25 minutes. Spoon syrup mixture over pastries. Bake 5 minutes longer. Let stand 1 minute. Using metal spatula, transfer pastries to platter. Serve pastries warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE PECAN KOLACHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F.
• Mix cream cheese and granulated sugar in a mixer. Add egg yolk and mix to combine. Pour in powdered sugar, mixing on low speed, until there is none left, then increase the speed to high and beat until well mixed. Add maple syrup, mixing, then beat until the filling is fluffy.
• Cup a piece of dough in your hand to form a crater in the center. Fill the crater with a small portion of filling. Top the kolache with pecans in a star formation and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Bake, flipping halfway through, for 8 minutes. Cool and serve.