This baklava recipe combines delicious, honey-soaked phyllo pastry layers and spiced walnuts and is pure heaven. It’s the perfect treat to make ahead and give it to family members for a holiday gift. The important thing about this baklava recipe is that it’s so simple – just a wee bit time consuming, but I PROMISE it’s worth it. Baklava has become a Christmas tradition in my family, and I have been making this recipe since I graduated high school. My aunt has always loved baklava so it motivated me to try my hand at it. Guess what? I was hooked. Some people complain that baklava is tedious to make – but I actually find it relaxing. I just pop a movie in or turn on some music while I make it and chill out.
If you’ve never had baklava, it’s layers and layers of butter-brushed phyllo dough with layers of cinnamon-spiced walnuts. After it’s done baking, you pour a cooled honey syrup over it (which causes it to sizzle deliciously). Over the next couple of hours, the syrup soaks through all the layers and creates a crispy, sweet, and impressive dessert.
The history of baklava is as rich as its flavor. It dates back to the 8th century with roots in the Middle East (the most common countries being Greece and Turkey). It’s a bit of an old-world dessert with simple ingredients. The flavors can differ a bit depending on what country it’s from. Greece tends to use walnuts and Turkey opts for pistachios. Some baklava is sweeter, some are more heavily spiced – using cardamom and cloves in addition to the traditional cinnamon.
Baklava is also one of the most practical desserts in terms of storage. This dessert lasts for about 2-3 weeks. It should be stored in an airtight container, either at room temperature or in the fridge. This long shelf life makes it perfect for gifting. Note: Sitting at room temp tends to preserve the crispiness better, so that’s my method of storing.
Order of Assembly
- 10 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
- 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
- 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
- 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
- 5 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet, then 3/4 cup walnut mixture;
- 10 phyllo sheets, brushed with butter between each sheet and also butter the final sheet on top.
Baklava
Ingredients
for the honey syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 strip orange rind
for the baklava
- 16 oz. (40 sheets) package of phyllo dough
- 4 cups finely chopped walnuts
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, melted
Instructions
for the phyllo dough
- Thaw the phyllo dough according to the instructions on the box. It usually instructs you to let it come to room temperature (about an hour on the kitchen counter).
for the honey syrup
- Mix together the honey, water, sugar, lemon juice, and orange rind in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar is dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to boil for about 4 minutes, without stirring. This allows the mixture to thicken into a syrupy consistency.
- Remove the orange rind and set aside. The syrup should be completely cool before pouring it over the finished baklava.
for the nut filling
- Blend together the walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Stir in the cinnamon and mix well.
assembling the baklava and baking
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- Unroll the phyllo dough and trim the sheets to the size of your pan. I typically use a 9" x 13" glass pan and it ends up working very well with the size of the dough. Cover the sheets with a damp towel and keep them covered while assembling the Baklava. As you take a phyllo sheet from the stack, immediately cover the stack (this is critical to keep them from drying out).
- Brush the bottom of your glass pan with the melted butter.
- Lay one phyllo sheet down. Brush the top with melted butter. Lay another sheet down and brush with butter. Continue for a total of ten sheets.
- Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the spiced walnut mixture over the tenth buttered phyllo sheet.
- Layer five more sheets of phyllo, buttering each one. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the walnut mixture over the fifth buttered sheet. Repeat this step three more times.
- Finish with the final ten sheets, buttering the top of each one – including the final sheet.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the baklava into four strips. Then cut some diagonal lines in it to make diamond shaped pieces. I find the knife cuts best when you use the tip and gently saw up and down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the baklava is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately drizzle all of the cooled honey syrup over the baklava, making sure everything gets coated. You should hear a nice sizzling going on between the hot baklava and the cooled syrup.
- Using a sharp knife, gently run it through the cut baklava again, to ensure each piece can easily be removed later.
- Let the baklava cool completely at room temperature for at least 6 hours (ideally overnight) without being covered (to prevent sogginess) so every layer can soak up the honey syrup.
