Sweet, tender, delicious Cinnamon Pecan Knots are fun to make and such a wonderful breakfast treat!
OMG! I’ve had so much fun with the recipe for these Cinnamon Pecan Knots guys!
You know I’ve always been a little timid when it comes to bread baking right?
Well, I threw caution to the wind and went all in with this recipe.
I was determined to keep trying until I got it right.
First, I thought I’d make the dough into a loaf. Then I decided, nope, knots were the way to go.
When recipe testing, first time around I added too much brown sugar. Second time around, I creamed the brown sugar with the butter for the filling, but still added too much of both. Total mess all over the pan!
They were delish, but too much of the filling oozed out. Time to try again.
Third time was a total charm!
I’ve made several batches over the past few weeks and have had multiple testers of the final recipe with a double thumbs up from everyone. Woohoo!
A sweet, buttery, dough with a brown sugar, cinnamon and pecan filling, baked to perfection into a deliciously decadent knot makes for a breakfast treat to remember folks! They’re simply divine. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Cinnamon Pecan Knots Recipe:
You know me and my pecans folks. For me, it was an easy choice to add the pecans, but you could delete the nuts totally or opt for walnuts or almonds.
The knots don’t have to look perfect. You just hold each end of the dough strip and twist a few times then simply make a knot and tuck in the ends.
I like to sprinkle the top of the knots with some pure cane sugar before baking. It gives the knots a beautiful, sparkly look.
Cinnamon Pecan Knots
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup warm milk, about 105 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided and softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- pure cane sugar for sprinkling
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp. water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine warm milk and yeast and let stand until mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the yeast mixture, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. Continue to mix until the dough starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for 6-7 minutes. Switch to the dough hook attachment and with the mixer on medium-high speed, add the 1/2 cup butter, two tablespoons at a time. Beat until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes.
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray and add the dough to the bowl turning the dough to make sure all sides are well greased. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- While the dough is rising, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt until well combined. Cover with platic wrap and set aside until dough has risen.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aisde.
- When dough is ready, transfer to a well floured surface and roll out into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the remaining 1/4 cup softened butter. Evenly sprinkle with the filling mixture and then press the mixture gently into the dough. With one of the the shortest edges of the dough closest to you, fold the top half of the dough carefully over the bottom half of the dough. You will have a 12x8-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12 equal strips.
- Holding both ends of each strip, twists about 6 times. Tie the strip into a knot and then tuck the ends under. Push one end through center. They don't need to look perfect. Repeat with remaining strips and place 6 on each prepared baking sheet. Cover trays with tea towels and let rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, beat egg and water for egg wash until well combined. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. When buns are finished rising the second time, brush with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with pure can sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating sheets mid way, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack before serving.
You definitely went all in, my friend! How freakin’ delicious do these look? I can practically smell ’em through my screen. Can’t wait to give these a go on a Saturday morning :) Pinned! Happy almost Friday!
I’ll be making these all fall and winter Dawn with a side of hot cider or hot chocolate! They’re totally cozy!
These look fabulous! Definitely will try them out! :)
They’re soooo good Amy! They were a total hit with family and friends. Hope you enjoy making them!
Absolutely on my list once the super heat decides to move away :-)
Yay! I know you’re going to LOVE them!
Honestly, I had no clue you were timid when it came to baking! I mean, all your baked goods are KILLER DELICIOUS! And, obviously, these knots are no exception! These look absolutely fantastic, Mare! You can never go wrong with the combination of brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans! Throw that combo into a buttery, yeasty treat and I’m totally ALL IN! I can’t wait to try these!!! Pinned!
Bread baking always scares me a bit Chey! But this recipe was so much fun to work on! Hope you give it a go. I’m lining this one up for fall!
My mouth is watering looking at these and imagining how fabulous they smell!! Thank you for going to the effort to perfect this one, Mary Ann. Just WOW!
Thanks Marissa! My kitchen smelled dreamy while these were baking for sure. Happy weekend!
I’m glad you kept at the recipe testing because these look like absolute perfection! As I downed my half a pot of coffee this morning, one (or three) of these would have made a great breakfast! Pinning for sure! Happy weekend Mary Ann!
Perfect with a side of coffee Leanne! Happy weekend to you too!
Definitely craving one of these with my coffee right now! What a delicious looking sweet treat! Cinnamon everything always makes me so happy :)
You’d find them irresistible for sure Alex! Happy weekend!
My morning coffee should be so lucky to have this delicious treat by its side!! Perfection!
Thanks Annie!
These would be such a fun breakfast treat, Mary Ann! Anything baked with cinnamon and I’m in. I just know we’d devour them!
Me too Katherine! You’d love these!
Wow! These are stunning! No more being intimidated by the dough! You’ve got this mastered. These knots are not only delicious, but they are impressive to look at too!
They were so fun to make Kathy! These will be a staple for fall and winter weekends!
Oh my word…these are absolutely stunning! I need these on my table for breakfast in the morning! They look just absolutely divine! Great job, Mary Ann!
Thanks Haylie. They were so fun to make and honestly, even more fun to eat!
Do you think a bread machine could be used on this recipe?
I have only tested this recipe making the dough by hand. I don’t have a bread machine, so I don’t know enough about them to guide you. Sorry.
Great way to start the day, these look great too! Bet these taste great with a hot cup of coffee too!
They do Kevin! They taste totally cozy, if that makes sense!
These are perfection, Mary Ann! You know my love for baking with yeast, so you can be sure I’ll be making these soon :)
I loved making these Jennifer! You’re my inspiration!
I just want to dive face-first into your pics. Nothing is better than homemade bread! These look AMAZING, Mary Ann!
Thanks so much Kelsie! You’re the best!
Mary Ann! These look fabulous! I can just imagine the aroma wafting through my house. can’t wait to make these – pinning!
The aroma was amazing in the house while these were baking Laura! You’re going to love them!
Mmmm these Cinnamon Pecan Knots look fantastic! They’re like the elegant cousin of the cinnamon roll and the perfect breakfast treat!
Thanks so much Ashlyn!
They are great: One question: do you think it would be possible to make the dough the day before and bake them the next morning?
Yes, you can make the dough the night before and then just place in the fridge and in the morning proceed with step 4.