Baklava is amazing. It’s a nut lovers dream and has long been a baking fantasy of mine. I am pretty well known for my holiday baking. You know, the usual chocolate crinkle cookies, pecan tassies, buckeyes, and snowballs. But year after year I stop into my local bulk foods store and pick up a giant tray. I have always been a little intimidated by this dessert with it’s layer upon layer of walnuts, honey, and buttery flaky goodness. Finally, I attempted a Baklava recipe for the very first time and it turned out wonderful.
Why on earth was I so afraid of making Baklava?
It turns out that it isn’t so difficult to make after all. It is a bit time consuming, but easy peasy. Did you know that Baklava is a classic Greek pastry? It has layers of buttered phyllo dough and walnuts or pistachios, that are soaked in a honey based syrup. Sounds pretty amazing, right? The nuts are the star of this dish so it’s important that any Baklava recipe is made with very good nuts. Traditionally, Baklava is prepared with either walnuts, pistachios, or even hazelnuts. I decided to make this first pan with Walnuts, although I plan to make this again closer to the holidays to try the pistachio version. I will let you know how that turns out.
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I searched the web for Baklava recipes and found little to no variation in them. I ended up using a combination of recipes from Michael Symon, Allrecipes, and The Pioneer Woman. This is what I came up with…
To make Baklava you need a box of phyllo dough. It’s sold in frozen packages. Take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge about 24 hours before you plan to use it. Then an hour before you are ready to start baking, take it out of the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter. Spanakopita, also known as Greek Spinach Pie, is another great recipe that uses phyllo dough.
When you are ready to make the Baklava, place your chopped walnuts or pistachios into a bowl, sprinkle them with a teaspoon of cinnamon, and toss to combine.
Make sure your 9 inch by 13 inch pan is very generously greased with butter. Lots of butter. While you have the butter out, go ahead and melt some. You will need a lot of melted butter to brush over the phyllo sheets.
Tip: Phyllo dough dries out very quickly. Take out a couple sheets at a time to work with, and keep the rest on a cookie sheet covered with a piece of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel. You will want to work fast while assembling the Baklava, so your dough does not dry out.
Make sure the phyllo sheets fit into the bottom of your pan. If the sheets are to large for your pan, be sure to trim them down so they lay flat. Then you start brushing on the melted butter.
Start out by brushing melted butter onto the top of the first two phyllo sheets you’ve pulled out. Once covered in butter, take those first two sheets and place them into the bottom of your pan butter side down. Repeat this process with 2 more sheets, then 2 more sheets again until you have a total of 6 sheets in the bottom of your pan.
Brush the top sheet with butter, and sprinkle about 1/4 of your nut mixture over top.
Like you did in the beginning, take your next two sheets of phyllo and brush the top with butter. Place butter side down on top of the nut layer.
Brush the top with butter, then sprinkle on another layer of nuts. Repeat this another two times using 1/4 of your nuts for each layer.
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Remember in the beginning when you had 3 layers of just phyllo, 2 sheets per layer, and buttering between each layer? You’re going to do this again, but on top of the nut layers you just placed.
That’s it for the layers. Brush the top with more melted butter, and with a very sharp knife cut from one corner to the next. Continue to cute diagonally across, and then in the reverse direction until you have diamond shaped pieces like in my picture below.
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Place the pan in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until it is browned and crisp. If it starts getting too dark too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil and remove for the last few minutes of baking. My oven has been running hot, so I had to do this.
While the Baklava is in the oven, you’ll make your sauce as directed below in the recipe. As soon as you pull the Baklava out of the oven, start pouring over the sauce. I found this easiest to do with a ladle. This honey sauce is wonderfully sticky and delicious. I had some left over sauce, so it’s okay if you don’t use it all.
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It’s important that you let the Baklava sit for 3 to 4 hours to soak in all the wonderful sauce. This was absolute torture for me and my daughter on the day that we made this. But it was worth every single minute.
Baklava Recipe
Baklava Recipe
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 24 portions
Baklava is such a wonderful, decadent dessert. This classic Greek Baklava recipe is finger licking good.
Ingredients
- 1 package Phyllo Dough
- 1 pound Diamond Chopped Walnuts Or Pistachios
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1-1/2 stick Butter, Melted
- 2 cups Honey
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Remove phyllo dough package from freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. Remove from fridge approximately 1 hour before using.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F when you are ready to start making the Baklava. Generously butter a rectangle baking pan.
- Keep phyllo dough on a baking sheet covered in a piece of plastic wrap and a damp cloth. It will dry out quickly, so only pull out what you need. Make sure dough will lay flat in the bottom of the pan, and trim if necessary.
- In a bowl, toss together your nuts and cinnamon.
- Take out two sheets of phyllo. Butter the top sheet of dough with melted butter, then pick up both sheets, the buttered and unbuttered sheet below it. Place into the bottom of the pan, buttered sheet facing down. Press lightly into the pan. Repeat this process twice more, so that you have six sheets of phyllo in the pan, three of the sheets buttered.
- Sprinkle on 1/4 of the walnuts to make a single layer. Butter the top of two sheets of phyllo and place them on top of the walnuts, buttered side face down. Add more walnuts, then two more buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat this two more times, or until you’re out of walnuts.
- Just like the bottom sheets in the pan, top with 6 more buttered phyllo sheets. Brush butter over the top. Using a sharp knife, cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- While the baklava is baking, combine 1 stick of the butter, honey, water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half the saucepan evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and absorb for a few minutes, then drizzle on more until you think it’s thoroughly moistened. It’s okay if you have some of the honey mixture leftover. You want it to be sufficiently drenched, but not drowning in sauce. As the baklava sits, it will soak in all that delicious goodness.
- This is the hard part. Allow the baklava to cool completely, and rest for several hours to soak in the syrup.
- Get prepared for some sticky fingers!
Courses Dessert
Cuisine Greek
If you like this recipe, please Pin It and share it with your friends!
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Looks so good. I am not a baker but I like to pretend this will make me look like an expert lol
Thank you thank you I had lost this recipe. A trick I learned from a Greek baker put the baklava in the freezer before adding the syrup the colder the baklava the better it will absorb the syrup
I love Baklava! I am pinning your recipe and when I get my nerve up, I will try it myself. 🙂
Well, I never made it before either, but tried it tonight. My phyllo dough came out of the package all rumpled up and folded under itself. It wouldn’t come apart in 2 sheets, but 3 or 4, and it tore up even though I had it covered with the plastic and wet towel. Probably a bad batch:( Anyway, I went on and tried this out. I put in dried cranberries and raisins along with the nuts. I had trouble cutting it into diamonds. It kept sticking to the knife, my fingers and who knows how, but I got it on my sock:( It doesn’t look as nice as the picture, but I think it will be o.k. I know I will get better with practice, and I’m not giving up until it looks perfect, or at least better. If I can do it, you guys can too. Give it a go, it was fun!
It does sound like you had a not so good batch of phyllo. So glad you tried this recipe though. Turns out it’s not as difficult as you would initially think. I bet your next batch is perfect!!!
Sometimes you get a bad batch of dough. Or maybe you kept it too damp. When cutting the dough if your knife starts sticking dab more melted butter on it. Also to get the true diamond cut pattern, do the vertical cuts as shown. To do diagonal cuts start at the center of one side and cut to the corner of the opposite side. I also get more pieces that way.
When cutting the baklava before baking only score the top layer of dough. Do not cut all the way through to bottom of pan. Prior to baking dip your fingers in plain water and sprinkle the top before baking. This will help keep edges from curling up. After cooking syrup let it cool before pouring onto baked “hot” pastry. This will keep it from becoming soggy. I prefer pistachios to walnuts. This might be a regional preference as I learned from a Turkish gentleman.
Same here! Sounds simple but I just can’t garner the courage to do it just yet
It is very easy. Patience for the phyllo pastry and the rest is simple.
I let my girls make it. They are 8 and 9 now, and extremely efficient at making it. I do the heating the sauce part but I try to stay out of their way, lol.
Looks yummy! I wish I could bake!
Come on April! Everyone can bake, some just better than others, but you can do it! Roll up your sleeves and get in there and try it out. Sure, like when I started baking, it wasn’t pretty, but my son pointed out “Are you going to marry it or eat it?” So, we sat down to eat an ugly cake and it was pretty good, and with practice, I got better. You just have to take that first step. Now, get in that kitchen and don’t be afraid. The only thing I would suggest you do, is have a sink of hot soapy water so you can wash things as you go along. Other than that, try it, you’ll like it ~ and I bet you will be just fine. Heck, it just may be your hidden talent!
Can you get the Phyllo in Canada? Doesn’t sound familier here in Windsor Ontario. I can’t find it. Do I have to go stateside and get at a Walmart?
That’s just positively sinful. I’ve had it and you can only do a piece at a time, but oh is it worth it!
wowwwwwwww
that looks amazing
and i’m sure that we’d be miserable just waiting for the time to pass before we could take a bite!
I’ve never tried baking this either, I’ll have to try sometime!
this one of my most sinful guilty pleasures but never ever considered making. This looks like so doable. Great idea to try for the holidays.
Thanks for passing on it looks yummy. My Mom is a big fan of Bahlava and I am going to have to try this to surprise her!
I’ve never even tasted it before. Looks delicious!
We LOVE baklava and yes I have been very intimidated by it but now I guess I should give it a shot. Yummy!
I love holiday baking and make tons of candy every year. I have never tried baklava though. Looks delicious!
I love Baklava – I used to have friends who would make it special for me. I have never tried to make it myself. I will pin this and try it – maybe – lol. Looks so good! 🙂
Wow, your baklava looks amazing. I’m glad you gave it a try and I’m waiting for you to bring me some. I always thought it was challenging to make as well but I do enjoy it!
This is something my mom ate when she was a kid. I personally have never tried it, looks good!!
Oh my…..So SWEET! Love it! 🙂 Looks wonderful! 🙂
NICE!!! This would be a hit for the holidays!! Great recipe!!
Your Baklava looks mighty delicious!
The baklava looks like it should be in a bakery. Yum! I’m always intimidated by any recipe that calls for Phyllo dough. I don’t know why. You did great– Wish I could taste it!
You made it look so easy! I adore baklava. It’s one of my favorite desserts. Just wish I could find a gluten free version!
Oh my goodness, my niece and I were just discussing that we wanted to learn how to make baklava… Thank you
I love baklava. Haven’t made it for years but I should again.
I LOVE baklava, I always make it during the holidays 🙂
Oh my god, YESS. I’m going to try this for sure this holiday season!
Oh my! You make it look easy. I have always been intimidated by this dish. I might just give it another try. Thanks!
I’m not sure I have a fantasy dessert, there are some I havent’ tried, like streudel. You really took the spookiness out of making baklava, now I do want to make it. I want to buy the freshest butter, the most top organic honey and great nuts – I’m thinking almonds b/c pistachios are so expensive, and I make so many walnut recipes already I want something different. I’ve never used phyllo before! Even though I consider myself an ‘experienced’ baker, I guess we can get in a rut – time to try something different – it looks soooooo good! Great for a holiday. I bet the pistachio will be a big hit.
This is one of my fave desserts. Thanks for showing me how to make it. I was afraid to make it as well because it seemed challenging.
That looks heavenly!!
That looks delicious! And it doesnt sound nearly as hard as I always thought it would be to fix it…
Really? This is your first time making Baklava? That looks drop dead amazing! I totally LOVE Baklava and haven’t had it in ages. I need to try this for the holidays, thanks!
I have never had homemade baklava – and it’s been a while since I bought any at the store. Now I really want some!!
Oh boy, does this look delicious!! I’ve always been afraid to try to make Baklava!
I really need to try Baklava sometime.
Ohhh my! Never made Baklava, never tried it, but this looks scrumptious! Gonna have to try some at a bakery and make some too!
The successes we attain after being afraid to try something are so very sweet. Congratulations for getting another treat under your belt.
I love Baklava. I have never tried making this at home, but you made it look so easy. I am gonna have to try this. Thanks
i love baklava and your recipe sounds really good, i bet making it with hazelnuts is good too. a friend of mine makes baklava and she also said that it isnt as hard as it seems and that you do have to work fast because of the phyllo. thanks for sharing!
I love Baklava! I never knew how to make it! Thanks for the recipe! It look so good!
That looks very tasty! It looks like something I would definitely mess up. I am not the best baker 🙁 I’ll have to let someone else make this for me!
Ooh, I love baklava! I’ll have to try this, you make it look easy!!
I cannot wait to try this. I love baking with nuts and have the luxury of TWO softshelled pecan trees in my back yard!
Baklava is one of my all time favorites! Great recipe!!
Okay, I’ve never made Baklava before, either. I’m still not convinced I could do it… but boy does yours look good!
I used to love to eat this when I was a kid!
I am nuts for nuts so I def want to try this!
I LOVE Baklava, but I’ve never made it myself before. I’m not that great with using phyllo dough (I’ve wrecked more than one apple strudel in my life time!)
I’d herd about them but never seen one. My father would love that I think.
You have me wanting to make these now!
WOW, that looks and sounds fabulous!
I LOVE the taste of Baklava but it’s just sooooo sweet. I may have to make this recipe though for a Christmas party so that I can share it lol.
Baklava is a recipe that scares me simply due to the complexity of the entire baking process. You honestly made it look easier than expected and it looks beyond delicious!
My fiance loves making Baklava. You made it look so easy and amazing!
Ohhh this looks yummy! I don’t know if I’ve ever had Baklava. My baking fantasy is this yummy Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and a Chocolate Ganache (recipe found on Smitten Kitchen). So yummy!
Mmm… Baklava looks so good. I have eaten it a few time ( it was expensive to buy) but I dont recall ever seeing a recipe for it. I am surely going to try making it . thanks so much for the recipe and pictures
I absolutely adore baklava & haven’t made it in awhile.
These turned out amazing! I have actually never had Baklava but it looks so good.
This looks so amazing. I had baklava once when I was in school and have thought about making it for years.
I have always wanted to make Baklava, but was scared of all those sheets too, you make it look easy, maybe I’ll give it a try. My mom makes it all the time, she can do it with her eyes close, lol! 🙂
I’m like You,I love Baklava! It was just so easy to buy it already made! This Looks really YUMMY!
Oh my gosh. You really nailed it with that last photo! For me (being short on patience and not an “exact measurer”, I think I’ll leave the making of baklava to others. One of my favorite restaurants makes good Baklava. And now I wish I had a piece (or three 🙂
Amazing. I’ve never tried Baklava because it always seemed too hard. I might have to try it now.
This is my favorite dessert, but I never tried to make it myself. I am pinning this to give it a go for Christmas!
Baklava is my all time fav dessert! I never thought of tackling the task of making it myself, as I thought it would be to difficult. After reading your experience…I think I am going to give it a try! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Baklava is amazing! And, seriously, how did I NOT know it was mostly nuts? Yum!
That look so good. I have never tried to tackle it but this post makes me want to
I LOVE Baklava…I don’t think I could ever make it myself though.
I have never tried to make my own baklava, but this looks so good, maybe I will give it a shot.
That Baklava looks absolutely amazing!
Oh, that looks so good! I will definitely be making this!
I so want to try this! Thanks for the encouragement!
I made this once about 25 years ago. I think I ate most of the pan and gained around 20 pounds! But Oh, it was sooooo good! And I loved every bite….lesson learned….SHARE!
Looks amazing, can’t wait to try it. Just want to say that baklava was a recipe the Greeks adopted but it was originally an Arabic dessert.
This is one of my all time favorite desserts and I too have been intimidated on making it. Yours looks amazing but I think this is one dessert I will leave to the bakery.
I used to make it frequently and learned a trick to keeping the bottom layer from getting soggy in the syrup. Make your cuts only part way down. In one direction cut through only the top layer of phyllo. In another direction cut through the top TWO layers. That allows the syrup to soak up the top layers of nuts before it works its way through to the bottom of the pan. Do NOT cut through the bottom layer at all untill after it has cooled and set up for the resting time. The bottom remains crisp and flaky.
I worked at the local hospital and I always made this dessert or banana bread for my friends in the emergency room. The doctors and nurses loved it. I have always used the diamond brand, it is the freshest and most tasty nuts. I have never found shells in any of the nuts. Thank you for this recipe it is very close to the one I have. Mine was given to me by a friend who was greek. Thank you. This is a fabulous desert made with wonderful nuts.
This is just a standard baklava recipe. My husband, the Greek in my family, got his recipe from his grandfather – it’s a family recipe. Makes all other baklavas a bit lacking.
i got to try to make.thank you for the recipe.
I will be doing this recipe – similar to what I’ve done in the past but lost my recipe. One thing I did learn is be very careful pouring the honey sauce right after pulling out the baklava – it could burn it if too hot. I pour the sauce (boiling) over the baklava and burnt it. Still tasted good though. This will make great gifts for Christmas!
Thank You…
That’s a great tip. Thanks!
When you cut the baklava, do you cut all the way through or just score the top?
Cut it all the way through into pieces. Please let us know how you like it. Enjoy!
add some fresh orange & lemon slices to that syrup 😉 yummo , my in laws are greek…
I am going to try this recipe this weekend and take it to a gathering of friends who are celebrating Greek Easter. Thank you for sharing this recipe–I’ve always thought baklava was more complicated than this, but you’ve made it seem easy.
By the way, my baking fantasy is madeleines–the delicious cake-like cookie. I tried to make them once, and it was a disaster. I’m working up the courage to try again.
You list cinnamon as an ingredient but it’s never used in your instructions. Where do you use it?
Never mind. I just retread it and found it is mixed with the nuts.
This looks amazing! I love baklava, I got my husband hooked on it too; though we prefer ours with pistachios. 🙂 What would be the best way to store this? And does it ship well?
this receipe is the closest one I have seen to the real one, it really is easy to make guys, just expect to take your time.
My Armenian mother made Paklava, the Armenian name for it. It was delicious!! Her mother made hers from scratch, even the phylo dough.
One of our forklift drivers was Greek and he introduced me to Baklava and then brought me some every time his wife made it. He gave me the recipe for it but by the time I had time to go down to the Greek store to get all the ingredients I had lost the recipe.