A few weeks ago I become extremely obsessed with the pecan braids at Panera Bread.
When I say obsessed I mean obsessed. To the point that I would be dreaming about them at work and catch myself before I drooled everywhere. To the point where I would drive by a Panera Bread and stare longingly at the storefront rather than the road (the truth is scary sometimes). To the point that I ordered one, or so I thought, and then got to my car only to find out that I accidentally ordered a pecan bun instead and immediately started crying.
Don’t worry, I ate that too. But a pecan braid it was knot (ha. ha. ha.)!
When the weekend rolled around and I was finding myself in a deep depression because of the lack of Panera Breads around our house I knew that perhaps it was time to make my own – and also maybe stop obsessing about the pecan braid. So I tried my hand at the braid thing and try as I may a braid did not emerge from the dough I had.
Who knew that braiding dough would be so hard?
That’s when I decided to do the next best thing and tie it in knots. Stuff each knot with a pecan half. Bake and then dip in a gloriously orange glaze. And then proceed to fight with myself about not eating the entire batch at once.
CINNAMON SUGAR PECAN KNOTS WITH ORANGE GLAZE
- 1 sheet puff pastry dough, completely thawed
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 18 pecan halves
- zest and juice from one orange
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat your oven to 375. Spread out your puff pastry on a board. Spread the butter all over it, then sprinkle evenly with sugar and cinnamon. Gently press the sugar and cinnamon into the butter. Using a pizza cutter slice into 9 even strips, then slice in half going the other way – you should end up with 18 separate strips. Gently take each strip and tie it into a knot, the place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. When all of the knots are tied you’ll gently tuck one pecan half into the top part of the knot – this allows it to toast but not get burned at the high temperatures. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes until puff pastry is baked through and golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely before glazing.
For the glaze you’ll whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar and the zest and juice from the orange. You want the mixture to be runny, not thick, but also not too runny. Think the consistency of Elmer’s glue (as gross as that sounds) – that’s the thickness you’re looking for. If you have a particularly juice orange like I did you’ll need to add more powdered sugar. Note: this will make more glaze than what you’ll use on these knots, but save the rest! You never know when the craving will strike. When the knots are cooled dip each one in the glaze and set on parchment paper to dry slightly. You will have little puddles of glaze, so after a few minutes you can either a) eat them as is with the extra glaze on the side or b) remove them to another plate and lick the parchment paper clean dispose of the parchment paper.
Enjoy!
Y’all, these are most definitely obsession-worthy. Only you’ll probably be a better driver. At least when you’re away from home!
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Ladies, please email me your address at heathersdish [at] gmail [dot] com and I’ll get your fabulous granola out as soon as possible! And a big thanks to everyone who entered…don’t worry, there are more giveaways coming soon!
Whoa GF – tried these tonight and they are delicious!! SO flipping easy and really yummy. Thx for sharing…. we love ’em. 🙂
I love the way you dispose of the parchment paper after glazing. BTW I love pecan pie but have only made it twice in many, many years.
These look amazing Heather! I ALWAYS have a box of PF Puff Pastry in my freezer {it has saved the day on many occasions} I’m going to be trying my hand at these knots {bc really who has time for braiding anyway ; ) }
Pastry….check
Nuts……check
Orange……check
What’s not to love about these mini knots? Thye look gorgeous and coming from a pregnant woman, I would eat them all!!!
I think knots are cuter than braids! And they look so delicious…I am now obsessed with these!
Cute! And now I want them all!
These look yummy and love how they are kinda bite sized! But I couldn’t have just one! I found your blog through Teri’s and I saw you at the Foodbuzz Festival but now I’m glad I know who you are and found your blog!
Umm Yes Please! YummY!
oh my oh my oh my… want.
Your baking always looks so amazing!
I am rather jealous right now, I’m not indulging in any sweet treats for the next two weeks so delicious food like that is off limits 🙁
I’ll just have to save this recipe for next time I go home 😉
And thanks for reminding me that I love cinnamon, definitely going on tomorrow’s breakfast now!
These are adorable – and probably better than Paneras!
Oh yum!
I absolutely adore anything with pecans and sweetness! Im TRYING to ease up on the baked goods a bit at the moment (SO many taking up freezer space right now!)…. but you’ve just inspired me to try pecans with my maple syrup roasted brusels sprouts – that would be all kinds of amazign!! xox
These are too cute! I can tell ya right now… I wouldn’t share these with ANYONE!
Panera Bread is a weakness of mine. It’s a good thing I live far away from one! With the cold weather of fall here I am loving the chance to throw pecans in everything. These look delicious!
These look aswesome – never heard of them before. I work by a Panera bread i might just have to stop by there just to check these out. .
Oooh these look divine!! I love pecans!
I am not a fan of whole nuts, however, I think that orange glaze can convince me to eat a million of these!
I actually worked at a Panera in high school. When I worked closing shift, we would be allowed to take a few leftover pastries and bagels home. They were so hard to resist, but I think I got “Panera pastried out” and haven’t had them in ages!
Is it weird that I have this inexplicable craving for pecans? I almost never eat them and have bought them maybe once in my life, but damn do I want some.
OK I am so glad I am not the only one who bursts into tears over my food! And yes to that orange glaze! Yummy.
Mmmm, yes, these are similar to a wonderful treat that is on my to-do list and yours are making me crave them even more. I love the fact that they are little bite-sized treats. Orange-pecan just says autumn to me. Delicious!
Darn those pesky obsessions. Glad you found something similar to satisfy the craving. 😉 These look fabulous!
I’ve never even seen these at Panera!!! But yours look awesome!