These Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots are a version of a chocolate pecan pie wrapped in a soft, buttery yeast dough, glazed with maple syrup, and formed into a beautiful knot. Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots are a decadent dessert, coffee break snack, or even better…breakfast!
Chocolate pecan pie is a favorite and so are cinnamon knots, so why not combine a beloved pie flavor with some buttery, pillowy-soft pastry? And ta-da these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots were created.
I’m gonna be real here: putting these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots together is NOT complicated, but you need to pay attention. There’s some rolling, measuring (yes, I used a ruler), cutting, and twisting involved.
Thankfully the uber-talented Thida Bevington, home-baker extraordinaire and all-around brilliant single mom, shows you exactly how to get it done. Follow her on Instagram and check out her IG Story Highlights for Babka Knots. I used that exact tutorial to form these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots.
The process of forming these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots can get a little messy because the sweet, salty, crunchy filling has the tendency to spill out of the dough as you form the knots. Don’t worry though. Gather all of the extra filling scattered across your work surface, and save it to top muffins or a loaf of quick bread.
I used the extra pecan and chocolate filling from my Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots as a topping for a loaf of banana bread. It gave my humble, but still scrumptious, banana bread some extra texture and flavor.
When you read the recipe, you’ll notice that I the pecan filling is made with chopped pecans mixed with sugar, salt, vanilla, and a bit of butter. This sandy, wet mixture helps the pecans remain sandwiched between the layers of buttery dough as they are being twisted and knotted. Plus, the added ingredients help highlight the flavor of the pecans.
The dough I used for these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots isn’t sweet on its own. And the filling itself isn’t too sweet either. So to add a little extra sweetness, I brushed the warm knots with warm maple syrup. The syrup adds a pure maple flavor, some extra needed sweetness, and a gorgeous, shiny finish. If you’re tempted to skip the maple syrup, do NOT do it. It takes a few extra seconds (and maybe creates an extra dish or two to wash), but it’s so worth it!
I got these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots out of my house ASAP. Sweets like this always result in a positive correlation: the longer they’re in my kitchen the more I eat. So, like any compulsive baker who wants to stay healthy, I packaged these suckers up and gifted them to friends. Let’s just say one friend who received two of these knots texted me the following: “I’m not sure what these are, but I already ate one entire knot.” And another friend said, “These are in the hall of fame of your desserts. ” Well, thats some positive feedback. I’ll take it, and it’s a sure sign that these Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots are a winner!
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These Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots are a version of a chocolate pecan pie wrapped in a soft, buttery yeast dough, glazed with maple syrup, and formed into a beautiful knot. Chocolate Pecan Maple Knots are a decadent dessert, coffee break snack, or even breakfast!
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 250 g milk (I use unsweetened plain almond milk or coconut milk)
- 60g unsalted butter
- 500g bread flour
- 120g granulated sugar
- 15g instant yeast
- 1 large egg
- 10g salt (I always use Kosher salt)
For the Filling:
- 200g unsalted, raw pecans
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 173g mini chocolate chips
- 150g brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 56g unsalted butter, melted
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp of water
For Topping:
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, warm the milk and butter until it’s warm to the touch (about 105-110℉)
- Place the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Mix until just combined.
- Add the milk mixture, egg, and salt to the flour mixture. Mix with the dough hook for about 2 minutes on low.
- Increase the speed of the mixer to the next notch up. Knead for another 5-6 minutes.
- Scrape the the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead lightly into a ball.
- Grease a clean bowl. Place dough into bowl, and cover. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in volume.
For the Filling:
- While the dough rises, make the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 300℉. Place a single layer of pecans on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 min, then stir nuts (turn as you stir).Bake for an additional 10 min. Allow nuts to cool before proceeding with the recipe.
- In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add the nuts, salt, and brown sugar. Pulse until chopped. Add the vanilla, and proceed to pulse until a clumpy crumble-like texture forms.
- Set aside until ready to assemble the knots.
Forming the Knots:
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into about a 9×14 inch rectangle.
- Spread butter on the middle third of the dough. Sprinkle with 1/3 of chocolate chips and nut mixture.
- Fold one side of the dough over the filling. And again spread 1/3 of butter, 1/3 of chocolate, and 1/3 nut mixture.
- Finally, fold the last third of the dough over. Now you have 3 layers of dough.
- Roll the dough out into a longer rectangle.
- Cut the dough vertically into 8 equal strips. Cut each strip in half.
- Take one half strip and form a teardrop with one end over the other. Tuck another half strip into the first loop to create the knot. For photographic directions, please see Thida Bevington’s Instagram Story Highlights for Babka Knots. You can find her profile here.
Baking and Finishing the Knots:
- Place the formed knots on a lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 min or place in fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 340℉.
- Brush tops of knots with egg wash.
- Bake for 24 min. Flip the pan half way through baking.
- While knots are in the oven, warm the maple syrup over a low heat.
- Brush warm knots out of the oven with warm maple syrup.
Notes
- A lot of your filling will come out as you form the knots. Save it and use it to top muffins or a loaf of quick bread before baking.
- The recipe for the dough comes from Thida Bevington. So does the process of forming the knots!
- The filling and topping recipe is mine.
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