Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

baklava

(17 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Julie Branham
Columbia, SC

As the official dessert maker in a Greek restaurant I've made more baklava than I can even begin to count! It's not a difficult dessert to make but does take some time and patience. As a variation you can mix a cup of chocolate chips into the nut mixture that goes between the layers of phyllo. Then, after the syrup is poured over and allowed to cool, melted semi sweet chocolate can be drizzled all over the top in a decorative pattern. Baklava makes a great gift at Christmas!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

What a great baklava recipe! With just the right amount of butter and honey, this truly is an ideal indulgent delight. Enjoy!!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(17 ratings)
yield serving(s)
prep time 35 Min
cook time 50 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For baklava

  • 1
    package of phylo dough
  • 1 lb
    chopped walnuts or pistachios
  • 2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1 c
    butter melted
  • 1 c
    water
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 1/2 c
    honey
  • 1 tsp
    fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp
    rose or orange blossom water (optional)

How To Make baklava

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Mix chopped nuts with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place one sheet of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. Don't forget to butter the top layer! Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
  • 2
    Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add honey and lemon juice. Simmer for about 20 minutes. If using add rose water or orange blossom water now. Remove baklava from oven and pour syrup over as evenly as possible. Let cool. In Middle Eastern bakeries they will serve each individual piece of baklava in a cupcake liner.
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