Description
Rich layers of phyllo dough showcase this christmas baklava with a festive walnut and spice filling. Honey-soaked pastry celebrates holiday traditions from Greece with sweet, nutty perfection you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pkg (16 oz / 450 g) phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 cup (225 g / 8 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (200 g / 7 oz) mixed nuts (walnuts, pistachios, and almonds), finely chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml / 8 fl oz) water
- 1 cup (200 g / 7 oz) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180 ml / 6 fl oz) honey
- ¼ cup (50 g / 1.8 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 orange peel (zest, removed in large strips)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Chopped pistachios or walnuts
- Edible gold leaf (optional, for a festive touch)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 175C (350F) and thoroughly butter a 9×13-inch baking dish, coating every surface to prevent adherence.
- Nut Mixture: Combine chopped nuts with sugar, cinnamon, and cloves, blending spices to create an aromatic base for the filling.
- Layering: Meticulously arrange phyllo sheets in the dish, gently brushing each layer with melted butter to achieve a delicate, crisp texture. Alternate between phyllo and nut mixture, creating a harmonious stratification of pastry and filling.
- Scoring: Craft precise geometric patterns by cutting diamond or square shapes across the assembled pastry, facilitating syrup absorption and creating an elegant visual design.
- Baking: Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, monitoring the transformation to a rich, golden-brown hue.
- Syrup Creation: While baking, simmer water, sugar, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel to develop a complex, fragrant syrup. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and allow to cool slightly.
- Syrup Infusion: Immediately after removing from the oven, lavishly pour the warm syrup over the hot baklava, ensuring complete saturation of every layer and crevice.
- Resting: Allow the dessert to rest at room temperature for several hours, enabling the syrup to fully permeate and soften the pastry.
- Finishing: Garnish with finely chopped pistachios and optional edible gold leaf for a festive, luxurious presentation.
- Serving: Present at room temperature, showcasing the intricate layers and rich, honeyed essence of this traditional holiday delicacy.
Notes
- Master Phyllo Handling: Work quickly and keep phyllo sheets covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying and cracking, ensuring delicate, crisp layers.
- Butter Technique: Brush each phyllo sheet gently and thoroughly with melted butter, using light strokes to create multiple gossamer-thin layers without tearing.
- Cutting Before Baking: Score the baklava before baking to help syrup penetrate evenly and create clean, beautiful serving pieces that don’t crumble.
- Syrup Temperature Trick: Pour slightly cooled syrup over hot baklava to ensure maximum absorption and prevent soggy bottom layers, allowing the pastry to maintain its crisp texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg