Prepare time: 30 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Additional: 40 mins
Ready in: 2 hr
This is simple and easy, you’ll see how to make surprisingly simple homemade baklava. This sweet and savory dessert only looks difficult. Phillo dough is layered with a mixture of butter, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, and topped with a sweet honey syrup. Serve this sweet, nutty treat in cupcake papers.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chopped nuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
- Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes.
- While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon or orange zest; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.