Baklava Recipe

Recipe Yield 3 dozen
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped fine nuts ( I like blanched Almonds and roasted walnuts mixed )
1 cup butter
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or cardamom (optional)
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar plus a little extra for the top
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey


Directions


1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2.Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan.
Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work.
Place two sheets 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.
3.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.
4.Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted.
Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5.Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sugar on the top.
Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

VARIATIONS

Instead of brushing each layer of phyllo with butter, cut the unbaked baklava into diamonds all the way through, drizzle with 1 cup vegetable oil, and let stand for 10 minutes before baking.


Persian Baklava:
Using the almonds and cardamom in the filling: Omit the lemon juice and cinnamon from the syrup
and add 1/4 cup rose water or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water after it has cooled.

Paklava(Azerbaijani Baklava):
For the filling, use 2 cups blanched almonds, 2 cups unsalted pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar,
1 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Crush 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads and let steep in 3 tablespoons of the melted butter for 15 minutes
and use to brush the top sheet of phyllo.