Baklava

Since I like to cook and bake so much, I usually offer to bring treats to work if it's one of my co-workers birthdays.  Yesterday was such a day.  My co-worker, Jeff, asked if I could make baklava.  I had no idea what this was when he first mentioned it, but doing some reseach, I found this recipe.  It is really simple and incredibly delicious!  I recommend melting the butter and brushing it on the phyllo dough.  This will save you time and a mess.

Baklava

Servings Per Recipe: 18

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough (thawed)

1 pound chopped nuts

1 cup butter (melted) 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

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. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 393

Total Fat: 25.9g

Cholesterol: 27mg

Sodium: 196mg

Total Carbs: 37.5g

    Dietary Fiber: 3.1g

Protein: 6.1g

Everyone I work with said this was the best baklava they had ever tasted.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to make.  This is one of those recipes where it looks like you spent all day in the kitchen making it, but you really didn't! :)  ENJOY!