Baklava

Baklava is one of those desserts that always had me wondering “how do they make this?” It’s these small flaky and crispy bites of sweetness filled with walnuts and topped with pistachios. It has a very floral aroma and a stickiness that has you knowing it’s about to be the sweetest bite you’ve taken all day. Well after diving into my curiosity, I’ve figured out how to put this wonderful delicacy together and I hope it’s something you try as well.

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Serves: 8

Time: 2 hours

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Ingredients

• 1 pack - Frozen Filo Dough

• 1 sticks - Unsalted Butter

• 2 cups - Fresh Walnuts

• 1 cup - Granulated Sugar

• Crushed Pistachios

• 1 cup - Water

• 2 cups - Granulated Sugar

• Juice of half a lemon

• Splash of Rose Water

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Instructions

Let the filo dough thaw to room temperature so it is easy to work with. Using a blender or food processor, combine the walnuts and sugar and blend until there are no chunky pieces left then keep to the side. You can also crush the walnuts by hand but just takes a lot more time. Then place a small pot on high heat. Add the water and granulated sugar. Bring to a light simmer for 10 minutes then cut the heat and add the rose water and lemon juice. Let it cool completely (30 min) then into the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Place the butter into a small pot and melt on low heat until completely melted. Grab a large baking tray and brush with butter. Lay a sheet of filo dough down and brush with butter. Repeat until you have used half the sheets in the packet (7-9 sheets).

Spread the grinded up walnuts all over until it evenly covers the whole tray. Top with the remaining filo dough and brushing each layer with butter. Cut a diagonal pattern into the baklava so you get these diamond shaped pieces.

Place in a 350F oven for 45 minutes or until the top is nicely golden browned. Remove from the oven and immediately cover in the cold simple syrup then let it sit for 1 hour to cool and set. Plate, garnish with pistachio, and enjoy.