Middle Eastern Phyllo Nut Dessert (Printable Version)
Crispy phyllo layers filled with chopped nuts and soaked in sweet honey syrup for a classic Middle Eastern treat.
# Ingredient List:
→ Pastry and Filling
01 - 18-20 sheets phyllo dough (approximately 14 oz)
02 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)
03 - 1 3/4 cups walnuts, finely chopped (about 7 oz)
04 - 3/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped (about 3.5 oz)
05 - 3/4 cup almonds, finely chopped (about 3 oz)
06 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Syrup
08 - 1 cup water
09 - 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
11 - 2 tablespoons honey
12 - 1 cinnamon stick
13 - 1 strip orange peel
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, combine walnuts, pistachios, almonds, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed.
03 - Unroll phyllo dough and cover completely with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying out during assembly.
04 - Place 8 sheets of phyllo in the prepared dish, brushing each sheet generously with melted butter before adding the next.
05 - Sprinkle approximately one-third of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo base.
06 - Layer 4 more phyllo sheets, buttering each individually. Spread half of the remaining nuts over the surface.
07 - Place 4 more phyllo sheets, buttering each layer. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly.
08 - Finish with remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet thoroughly with melted butter as you layer.
09 - Using a sharp knife, carefully cut through all layers to form diamond or square shapes before baking.
10 - Bake for 35-40 minutes until deeply golden and crisp throughout.
11 - While baklava bakes, combine water, sugar, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon stick, and orange peel in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and orange peel, allow syrup to cool slightly.
12 - Immediately pour the warm syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Let cool completely at room temperature to allow full syrup absorption before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The contrast between shatteringly crisp phyllo and syrup soaked layers is absolutely addictive
- Your kitchen will smell like butter and honey for hours, which is never a bad thing
02 -
- Always pour cool syrup over hot baklava, or hot syrup over cool baklava, never hot on hot or cold on cold
- Cutting all the way through the layers before baking is essential for clean edges and proper syrup absorption
03 -
- Use clarified butter if you want an even richer flavor and slightly higher smoke point
- A pizza cutter works beautifully for cutting diamonds once you have the initial lines scored