Ingredients
- 225g cream cheese, softened
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 280g all-purpose flour
- 100ml Quebec maple syrup (dark)
- 100g finely chopped pecans
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method
- Blend cream cheese, butter, and flour into a dough; divide into 3 disks and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll each disk into a circle, brush with maple syrup, and sprinkle with pecans and cinnamon.
- Cut into 8 wedges per circle and roll up from the wide edge to the point.
- Place on baking sheets and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 22-25 minutes until golden.
- Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 100g granulated sugar and apricot jam
Conversion used: Substituted the sugar-jam filling with a concentrated dark maple syrup glaze, reducing the baking temperature by 10°C to prevent seepage from scorching.
Why Quebec maple syrup: The pairing of cream cheese dough with maple-caramelized pecans elevates this traditional Jewish pastry with a rich Canadian signature flavor.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →