Maple Pecan Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Looking for a quick yet impressive dessert to bring to your next party? Try these Maple Pecan Puff Pastry Pinwheels! They are a lot like cinnamon rolls, but they take a fraction of the time to make. Use refrigerated puff pastry dough (I used Jus-Rol brand) over frozen to remove time spent thawing. The addition of maple syrup and pecans enhances the classic cinnamon sugar flavors. For extra sweetness, add on a cream cheese icing drizzle.
Make the Maple Cinnamon Sugar Filling
To make the filling for the pinwheels, simply stir together softened butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. You should have a paste-like consistency that is easy to spread.
Assemble the Pinwheels
Unroll the puff pastry dough on a clean work surface. Then, spread the maple cinnamon sugar butter mixture evenly over the dough. Next, sprinkle on some chopped pecans, pressing down gently so they stay put when rolling the dough.
Tightly roll up the dough so you have a long cylinder and cut into 16 equal slices (see the image below). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at least 2 inches apart.
Bake the Pastries
Bake at 425°F for 25-30 minutes until the pastry has puffed and is a golden brown color. Allow to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing.
Make the Icing
For a sweeter treat, you can add a cream cheese icing drizzle.
To make the icing, stir together very soft cream cheese (microwave for ~15 seconds to help soften), maple syrup, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt until smooth.
Drizzle the icing over the pastries and enjoy!
Puff pastry is best served fresh, but if needed, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
Maple Pecan Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Nutty pecans, sweet maple syrup, and warm cinnamon are swirled with flaky puff pastry in this easy yet crowd pleasing dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 package refrigerated puff pastry
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 oz cream cheese, very soft
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unroll the puff pastry and place it on a clean work surface.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Spread over the puff pastry in an even layer.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the pastry. Press down gently so the pecans stay in place while rolling.
- Tightly roll up the puff pastry so you have a long cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 16 even pieces.
- Place the cut rolls on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for the 25-30 minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown. Allow the pastry to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before icing.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In a medium bowl, stir together the soft cream cheese (you can microwave it for ~15 seconds to help soften), maple syrup, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fully combined.
- Drizzle the icing over the pastries.
- Puff pastry is best served fresh, but if needed, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 1-3 days.
