Layers of honey-soaked crisp phyllo pastry and cinnamon-scented walnuts. Baklava with honey syrup is the perfect make-ahead dessert because it's even better the next day!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Prep Time 14 hourshours
Cook Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 30pieces
Ingredients
16ozphyllo dough,thawed by package instructions
1 1/4cupsunsalted butter,melted
1lbwalnuts,finely chopped
1 1/2tspcinnamon
1 cupgranulated sugar
2tbsplemon juice,about the juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4cupswater
1/2cuphoney
Melted chocolate chips & chopped walnuts for garnish,optional
Instructions
Prep
Thaw phyllo dough by package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hr before starting your recipe to bring it to room temp)
Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. You can trim one stack at a time and then cover it with a damp towel to keep it from drying out
Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9 non-stick baking pan.
Honey Sauce
n 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 an additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
Baklava
Pulse walnuts 10 times in a food processor or until coarsely ground/chopped.
In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Place 10 phyllo sheets into the baking pan one at a time, brushing each sheet with butter once it's in the pan before adding the next until you have all 10 sheets in the pan. Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times.
Spread about 1/5 of the nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.
Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat x 4. Finish off with 10 layers of buttered phyllo sheets.
Cut pastry into 1 1/2" wide strips, then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 min or until tops are golden brown.
Remove from the 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 the baklava cool completely, uncovered, and at room temp.
Notes
For best results, let baklava sit for 4-6 hours or overnight at room temperature for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers. Garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or drizzle with melted chocolate. Store at room temperature, covered with a tea towel for 1 week for more crisp baklava, or in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 weeks for softer baklava.