Air fryer maple pecan hand pies are quick to make and delicious! Puff pastry makes these mini pecan pies extra flaky and buttery. Add them to your kid’s lunch box or enjoy them as an afternoon snack!
These air fryer hand pies are so easy to make. I love using puff pastry to make them because they are just a bit tastier with all that flaky crust.
For maple pecan pies you don’t need many ingredients. Just puff pastry, maple syrup, pecan nuts, sugar and butter.
How to make maple pecan hand pies in air fryer
First, make the pecan filling. This is such an easy filling to make but tastes amazing. In a bowl, combine maple syrup, pecans and sugar. The mixture will be quite runny so we need to make it thicker by placing it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, unfold your pastry if you haven’t done so yet and roll it out slightly and cut it into equal-sized pieces.
Put about a teaspoon or two onto each piece of pastry and spread it around slightly. Fold together and secure the edges with a fork by pressing down.
These maple pecan hand pies will have to be baked in 2 batches (I have a 5.8-quart/5.8-liter air fryer). They only need about 7 minutes.
Tips for making air fryer maple pecan hand pies
Pecans – I finely chop pecans with a knife. If you want, you can use a food processor. If you do, just make sure not to process them too much. You want to feel some crunch when you bite into the hand pie.
If you don’t have brown sugar on hand, you can still make these maple pecan hand pies. Just use white sugar instead.
Puff pastry – you can use either fresh or frozen (defrosted) pastry. Just note that when using the fresh one, you might need to reduce the cooking time slightly.
Why is my puff pastry not rising?
There are two most common reasons. First one is wrong temperature – either it was cooked on very low temperature and your pastries/pies/snacks … could not rise properly.
Second reason is that the wet filling you used was way too wet, so the pastry stayed soggy instead of puffing up. To avoid this, you should avoid using thin (liquid-y) fillings. That is also why I put the filling for these air fryer maple pecan hand pies in the freezer until it solidifies a bit.
Air fryer cooking tips
- There are various brands of air fryers on the market. For this reason, the cooking times can vary slightly. Because air fryer is easy to operate, you can easily reduce or add time, if needed so if not sure, start with less time and add more only if it is needed.
- Cooking spray helps the foods get the nice golden-brown look as well as add some crispiness. I did not use any when making these air fryer maple pecan hand pies as I felt they did not need it at all.
- Pre-heating: Do you need to preheat air fryer? I recommend preheating it. My model does not have any special button for this, so I simply set it to my desired temperature and set time for 2 minutes. This seems to work. Your model can do the preheating just by pressing one button. It should be explained in your manual.
More puff pastry recipes:
Air Fryer Maple Pecan Hand Pies
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet Puff Pastry , thawed (see note 1)
- 4 tablespoons Brown Sugar
- ½ stick Unsalted Butter , melted (55 grams)
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- ½ cup Pecans , finely chopped (55 grams)
- Powdered Sugar for Dusting (optional)
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Instructions
- First, prepare the filling by combining the butter, maple syrup and finely chopped pecans. Put this into the freezer for 10 minutes or until the butter has solidified a bit (does not have to be stone-hard, just not dripping).
- Now, unfold the puff pastry and place it onto a floured worktop. Roll it out gently, don’t press down too much. Cut it into equal-sized rectangles.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling onto the right side each pastry rectangle, leaving the edges free from the filling. Take the left side and fold it over the filling. With a fork, crimp the pastry edges to seal them. Pierce each pie with a fork.
- Cook in 2 batches in a preheated air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for 7 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
- When cooled down, dust them with powdered sugar (optional).
Notes
- It takes about 30 minutes to thaw the puff pastry. I recommend unfolding it while still a bit frozen as it is easier to handle and does not stick.
- I got 8 pies out of this recipe (2×4 inches/6×10 cm). You can get less or more. This will depend on how much pastry you have as well as how large you make the hand pies.
Carrie says
These are so adorable and they look yummy! What a perfect fall treat!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Carrie.
Caroline says
I love how easy these look, and that filling sounds so good – maple and pecan work so well together.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
The best flavor combo, right? :)
Andrea says
You had me at maple pecan! I might just have to get an air fryer to make these. I love that they’re not too large…just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Andrea!
Heidy L. McCallum says
This recipe came out so awesome. I really wish I had made a double batch and would have if I had known how delicious these hand pies were. Saving this recipe to make again!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks for your feedback, Heidy!
estelle says
I don’t have an air fryer but I would loveeee to use that pecan filling in another recipe! yum!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Feel free to do so! :)
Sherill says
How would you do these in a stove with built in air fryer function?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Sherill. I am not sure. I’d say to test it with similar temperature but keep an eye on them as the cook time may vary. Once the pastry is nicely puffed and brown (on the bottom as well), they should be done. Hope this helps.