Pumpkin-Pecan Braid

posted by Marion @Life Tastes Good on 2012-10-30

This pumpkin-pecan braid is delicious. It is fairly easy to make too! I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, and I even liked it. Don LOVED it! With the emphasis being on the past tense because it is GONE already! This is easy to make with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and so very pretty!  This recipe can be adapted with any filling, which makes it a keeper in my book. I love versatility!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 egg, separated
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for the glaze)
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In medium bowl mix 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 egg yolk. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans.
2. Unroll crescent roll dough onto cookie sheet; firmly press perforations to seal. Press to form 13x7" rectangle. I did use a measuring tape for this. Spread filling in a 3 1/2 " wide strip lengthwise down the center of dough leaving 1" on both short ends (I measured for this as well, but I'm sure you can eyeball it).
3. With a sharp knife, make cuts 1" apart on long sides of dough just to edge of filling (once again I measured these cuts - I really wanted it to look pretty). Fold strips at an angle across filling, overlapping ends and alternating from side to side. Beat 1 egg white in a small bowl until foamy and brush over dough.
4. Bake 20-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and place on a serving platter. 
5. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons milk (or whatever it takes to reach desired consistency). Drizzle over warm coffee cake and sprinkle with 1 tablespoons of pecans. Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by - allrecipes.com Pumpkin-Pecan Braid

My thoughts and prayers have been with everyone in the northeast riding out the storm. Especially my family living in Cape May County, NJ where the storm made landfall. I hope everyone is waking up safe and sound with very little property damage today.  If you do find yourself with significant damage in the wake of this storm, please know that as overwhelming as it feels right now, you will get through this. We lost our home in the hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004. We spent a year rebuilding and made it through better than ever. I won't sugar coat it - it was a hard year for us. Dealing with storm damage is challenging.  Keep smiling and keep moving forward! Every new day is a day closer to getting past it.

Happy Halloween!

Madison's 1st Halloween

Not sure why I don't have a costume pic for her 2nd  year

My Princess on her third Halloween

The 1st Dog Costume we made together

Madison with Nick the clown and Megan the kitty cat
Madison always wanted to grow up to be Ariel - The Little Mermaid

The girl dog costume :)

looking so grown up at age 6

Madison as Maria Montessori for the living historical timeline