Baklava

Ever since I was a child, I have LOVED baklava. You can literally do anything that you want with such simple ingredients. I have changed the type of nuts in this so many different times! You also can not go wrong at all with the butter that is used in this! Also, the touch of lemon that is in it to balance it all out. Can you say, "YUM."


Here you can find the original recipe. As Natasha puts it. These things are a party in your mouth.


Here are the things that you will need to go and buy.



So, I am going to be honest with you, this will take A LONG TIME the first time you make this. The reason for that is because you are going to butter each layer of phyllo dough as you place them. You also have to keep the dough covered as you work with it too because it dries out easily. Which, you also need to know that the dough breaks easily too. I have found this to be pretty easy to make now though after 4 times and can have one prepped in about 30 minutes.


Prep work:

  1. Thaw your phyllo dough according to package instructions. You may also need to trim the dough to the size of your dish. I choose not to because I like to have the smashed up corner sides look.
  2. Butter the bottom and sides of your baking pan. You have to start all that buttery goodness somewhere.

Begin your honey sauce

  1. This is going to need time to cool, which is why you are making this first. I think this helps with keeping your baklava cripsy instead of soggy at the end. I am not sure why but Natasha say's so, so we do what she says(unless we change part of the recipe to our liking, whoopsie.)
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to med/low and boil additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.

Time for the for the fun part! The baklava!

  1. In a food processor, you are going to pulse the nut of your choosing to the size nut you like. It is all a personal preference what nut you are feeling like at the end of the day, no judgement. I have had these with walnuts and pecans. Both times have came out delcious.
  2. In a bowl, you are going to combine your nuts and 1tsp of cinnamon. I honestly eyeball this according to how espicy I am feeling. I also add in Pumpkin Pie Spice too, because I stan PSLs.
  3. So, you are going to begin by placing down two damp towls to keep the dough in between the two. Remember, the dough is easy to break and brittle. Begin placing one sheet of dough at a time in your baking dish, until you get to 10 sheets place down. You are going to butter each piece of dough in the process. The process will be place sheet, cover dough back up, butter placed sheet, get another piece of dough, place sheet, repeat.
  4. Once you have gotten to 10 buttered sheets down, you are going to place about 1/5 of the nut mixture down on the dough.
  5. You are going to then do the butter sheet process, but with counting up to 5 sheets. Then place another layer of nuts. You are going to repeat the entire process 4 times.
  6. This will leave you with some sheets of dough at the end. You are going to finish off by placing 10 buttered dough pieces down. This will leave you with a beautiful top layer.
  7. I am going to be completely honest though, I have gotten lazy at the end before and just placed all the sheets down. Then I poured the entire melted butter over those pieces. It is up to you and how you are feeling after all of this work. I like the layered look, so depending on the occasion I would do the individual sheets method.
  8. Once you have placed all your sheets, you are going to cut your masterpiece into strips of your liking. I have done super tiny half inch squares before and large diamond sizes too. Each time came out perfect!
  9. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 min or until tops are golden brown.
  10. Remove from oven and immediately spoon cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava (you'll hear it sizzle). This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp. For best results, let baklava sit 4-6 hours or overnight at room temperature for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers.
  11. Garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or drizzle with melted chocolate.
  12. Store at room temp, covered with a tea towel for 1 to 2 weeks. (You will eat all of them by then, trust me.)