These pecan pie kolaches are made with a soft and buttery dough with a hint of nutmeg. They are topped with a sticky, sweet pecan pie filling. A perfect autumn treat!
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🍂An autumn twist of a kolache
Kolaches are a Czech sweet, yeasted pastry that is usually filled with fruit or jam. They are commonly served for breakfast or a mid morning treat. They are quite similar to a Danish.
Since I love pecan pie, I decided to make pecan pie kolaches. The kolache dough is a perfect vessel for the pecan pie filling! The dough is puffy, buttery, and really easy to make! The dough is a yeast dough. You let it rise and then roll it out on a floured surface. Use a circle cookie cutter and cut circles of pastry, similar to cutting out biscuits.
Make a small indent to the tops of your kolaches, then top with pecan pie filling. Let rise until puffy and then bake. Brush melted butter on the kolaches when they are still warm. These are best on the same day they are made, but can be stored in the refrigerator and warmed back up in in the microwave.
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Pecans - Use pecan halves instead of whole pecans to save from chopping them in half.
- Brown sugar - Either light or dark brown sugar will work. I used light brown sugar in this recipe.
- Unsalted butter - Salted butter can be substituted. Omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- Corn syrup - Maple syrup can be used instead.
- Milk - I like to use whole milk in baking recipes. You can use 2% milk, but I don't advice using a lower fat milk than that.
- Yeast - I use active dry yeast. Use whichever yeast you are used to working with. New to using yeast? I have a tutorial here that goes over everything.
🔪Instructions
Kolache Dough
To make the dough, add milk, sugar and yeast to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast is frothy.
Add butter, eggs, salt, and nutmeg and mix to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl. Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Pecan Pie Filling
Mix egg, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and 1.5 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the filling thickens. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon, and when you draw a line through it with your finger, the line should stay solid.
Remove saucepan from heat. Use a fine mesh sieve to sieve the filling into a medium bowl. This is to sieve out any cooked egg. Mix in pecans and let sit while you assemble.
Assembly
Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick. Use a 3 inch circle cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. You can reroll dough to use it all up.
Cover baking sheets and let the dough circles sit until puffy, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). When dough circles have puffed up, lightly press the back of a spoon into the center of each circle to create a well. Fill well with pecan pie filling for each circle. Cover and let sit for 10 more minutes.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until kolaches are lightly browned. Remove from oven. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush over each kolache. Let them cool at room temperature before serving.
✔️Expert tips
- Pecan pie filing can be made the day before. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
- You can use maple syrup instead of corn syrup for the pecan pie filling.
- You can make the dough the night before. Let it rise until doubled in size and then store in the refrigerator covered until the next day. Let it come to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
- Buy pecan halves instead of whole pecans. It will save you time from chopping them up.
💭FAQs
Kolaches are sweet pastries from Czech. The pastries are made from a yeasted dough that traditionally holds fruit and jams.
Both Danishes and kolaches are pastries filled with jams. Danishes though are light and flaky, while kolaches are a yeasted dough. So they are more dense and brioche-like.
Wrap kolaches individually and freeze for up to 30 days. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave.
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📋 Recipe
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Pecan Pie Kolaches
Ingredients
Kolache Dough
- ⅔ cup milk warm
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- ½ cup unsalted butter chopped into 1" pieces, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour
Pecan Pie Filling
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter + 2 tablespoons
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pecans halved
Instructions
Kolache Dough
- Add milk, sugar and yeast to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast is frothy.
- Add butter, eggs, salt, and nutmeg and mix to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the bowl.
- Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Pecan Pie Filling
- Mix egg, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and 1.5 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan.
- Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the filling thickens. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon, and when you draw a line through it with your finger, the line should stay solid.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Use a fine mesh sieve to sieve the filling into a medium bowl. This is to sieve out any cooked egg. Mix in pecans and let sit while you assemble.
Assembly
- Remove dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick. Use a 3 inch circle cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. You can reroll dough to use it all up.
- Cover baking sheets and let the dough circles sit until puffy, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- When dough circles have puffed up, lightly press the back of a spoon into the center of each circle to create a well. Fill well with pecan pie filling for each circle. Cover and let sit for 10 more minutes.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until kolaches are lightly browned. Remove from oven. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush over each kolache. Let them cool at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Pecan pie filing can be made the day before. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.
- You can use maple syrup instead of corn syrup for the pecan pie filling.
- You can make the dough the night before. Let it rise until doubled in size and then store in the refrigerator covered until the next day. Let it come to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
- Buy pecan halves instead of whole pecans. It will save you time from chopping them up.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️