Maple Pecan Kolaches
This Maple Pecan Kolaches recipe is made with a soft, buttery dough, maple cream cheese filling and topped with pecans and brown sugar.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients:
- 10 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 to 4-1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp salt
- Optional Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp milk or cream
Maple Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp maple extract
Topping:
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Combine the warm melted butter and warm milk in the bottom of your mixing bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, AP flour, eggs and salt, place the bowl on your stand mixer and using your dough hook, let the mixture knead for about 5 minutes. (I use speed 2 on my KitchenAid mixer.) The dough will be nice and smooth.
- Form in to a ball, cover and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.
- Prepare 2 baking pans by lining with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Punch down the dough and divide it in to 24 evenly sized portions. I like to weigh mine on a kitchen scale so they are pretty even, but (Each portion is usually around 1.5-1.75 oz.)
- Roll each portion in to a ball and place on the prepared baking pans, (divide equally), then cover each pan lightly with a clean towel and let rise another 20 minutes in a warm place. (I usually let my oven heat just for a minute or two, not letting it get above 100 degrees or so, then turn the oven off and let them rise in there.)
To make the maple cream cheese filling:
- Beat together the softened cream cheese and granulated sugar. Beat in the egg yolk. Beat in the powdered sugar and maple extract till nice and smooth.
- When ready to fill and bake, preheat your oven to 350.
- Use a 1/4 cup measure to make a well in the middle of each ball of dough on the prepared baking sheet and then use your fingers to tap down until they have a nice indent with a rim around the edge.
- Optional: At this point, if you want a golden color, you can brush each with an egg wash of 1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp milk or heavy cream. If you want them traditionally more pale, skip the egg wash.)
- Use a small cookie scoop to fill each well with the maple cream cheese filling, (about 1/2-3/4 of a scoop in each one.)
- Sprinkle with the chopped pecans and the brown sugar.
- Let sit 10 additional minutes with the filling in them before baking.
- Bake 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until just starting to turn brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack until cooled, then serve!
Notes
Recipe Note: You can brush these with egg wash, (1 egg yolk whisked together with 1 Tbsp milk), before filling if you want a more golden color, which I did for some batches, but I have read traditional Kolaches are actually quite pale. I love these just the way they are.)