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Ingredients
- 1 pound cashews, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 sticks melted butter
- 1 pound phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Details
Adapted from myweb.cableone.net
Preparation
Step 1
Make at least 24 hours ahead (a week is best). The longer you let it sit, the better it gets. Thaw dough in refrigerator....it sticks together if you thaw at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine and set aside nuts, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan with melted butter.
Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs (or 12 half leafs) in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (the edges will extend over the side)
Spread 1 cup of the nut mixture.
Cut the remaining phyllo dough in half.
Layer 8 half sheets; butter each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan.
Spread 1 cup of the nut mixture.
Repeat 8 sheets and nut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts.
Layer the remaining half sheets on top; butter each layer.
Brush the top with the remaining butter.
Trim the edges off.
Cut halfway through the layers using traditional baklava pattern (do NOT cut from corner to corner). This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.
Bake 1 hour until golden brown.
15 minutes before it should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.
Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.
Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered, but not in the refrigerator) longer if you can stand it!
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