Think baklava is so decadent you’d never dare to make it? Well, we’ve got a simple and delicious recipe that will leave your dinner guests begging for more.
Cook Time: 2 hours
9-inch round pan
Ingredients:
- 16 sheets homemade filo/phyllo dough (or 1 package frozen filo/phyllo dough, defrosted)
- 1 stick (1/2-cup) melted unsalted butter
Syrup:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange blossom water (or sub some orange and lemon peel)
Nut Mixture:
- 2 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 1 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour, then let it rest for 5 minutes. Apply the syrup and serve.
Instructions:
Throw your walnuts and pistachios into a food processor or blender. Add a pinch of cinnamon, and place the lid on top. You want to give it short bursts here. The goal isn’t to break the nuts down to a powder. Get it to a nice crumble.
Take your 9-inch pan and coat it with a thin layer of melted butter. This helps the baklava slip right out of the pan once it’s ready to eat.
Next, it’s time to break out the filo dough. If you plan to go the homemade route and you haven’t worked with this type of dough before, we recommend you check out this video here.
Otherwise, for the rest of us pre-packaged warriors, lay out 5-6 sheets of dough into the pan to create a flaky base.
When adding in your layers, add some melted butter every 2 sheets. However, since the dough is sensitive and can break easily, we recommend speckling the butter in little bits on top.
Add in 1/3 of your nut mixture to the pan.
Consider this the lasagna of pastries –it’s all about the layers.
In between each layer of nuts, lay down 2 disks of filo and butter them both.
Then, repeat what you did at the base of the dish by setting down another 5-6 layers on top. Be sure to butter every 2 layers!
Apply the remainder of your butter on the top layer, making sure to cover the edges.
Time to slice your baklava! For firm and clean cuts, place the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This solidifies the baklava, making it easier for your knife to slice through.
Because baklava is flaky by nature, it makes cleanly cutting and portioning nearly impossible if you attempt to after you’ve baked it.
Place the pan into the oven and let it bake for 1 hour – or until it is browned and crisp.
While this is baking, it’s time to prepare the sugar and honey mixture.
In a saucepan, mix in your honey, sugar, cloves, and water placing it over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, and once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat. Add in vanilla extract and orange blossom water. Your mixture is ready!
Once the time is up, take out your beautifully baked baklava and let it rest for 5 minutes before adding the syrup.
Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature.
Trust us, we know it’s hard to wait.
Pro Tip: Shred over some pistachio if you’re really looking to get fancy.
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