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Ingredients
- Syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 (1") strip lemon zest
- Pinch ground cloves
- Pinch ground cardamom
- Filling & Dough:
- 1 pound walnuts (or combination of walnuts, pistachios & almonds)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 pound phyllo, thawed according to package instructions
Details
Servings 36
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 80mins
Preparation
Step 1
Syrup:
Combine the sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, cloves & cardamom in a med saucepan. Cook over med heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook until the syrup is slightly thickened, about 10 mins. Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon zest and set syrup aside to cool.
Filling:
Finely chop the nuts either with a knife or in a food processor.
In a med mixing bowl, combine the nuts, cinnamon and salt and stir well to combine.
Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat a 13x9" or 15x10" baking dish with some of the melted butter.
Open the package of thawed phyllo and lay the thin sheets on a clean work surface. Measure the phyllo sheets; if the type you have purchased measures approximately the same size as the baking dish you are using, then proceed from here. If they are larger than your baking dish, use a sharp knife to cut the phyllo sheets approximately the same size as your baking dish. Discard any scraps. Cover the sheets with a piece of plastic wrap and a lightly damp kitchen towel, as the sheets of phyllo dry out very quickly if left uncovered.
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Place 1 of the sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the buttered baking dish and lightly brush with some of the melted buter. Repeat this procedure with 6 more sheets of phyllo, for a total of 7 layers. Measure about 3/4 cup of the nut mixture and spread it evenly over the butter phyllo sheets. Repeat with 7 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each layer as before and top these sheets with another 3/4 cup of the nut mixture. Continue this layering process, buttering 7 sheets of phyllo and topping each 7 sheets with 3/4 cup of the nuts, until you have used all of the nut mixture. Layer any remaining sheets of pyllo on top, buttering between each layer, until all of the phyllo sheets have been used.
Use a sharp knife to make 4 cuts lengthwise through the layered phyllo at 1 1/2" intervals. You should end up with 5 lengthwise strips 1 1/2" wide. Now use your knife to cut diagonally across the strips at 1 1/2" intervals to form diamond shapes. You should end up with approximately 36 diamond-shaped pieces of baklava in the baking dish.
Bake the baklava until golden brown, about 40 mins.
Remove the baklava from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for 5 mins. Using a ladle or small measuring cup, slowly drizzle the cooled syrup over the warm baklava. Allow to stand several hours before serving.
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