Honey Walnut Baklava

Ingredients

• 1 lb (454g) phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the fridge
• 1 cup (2 sticks / 226g) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cups (330g) walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (60g) pistachios, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup (240ml) water
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (for syrup)
• 3/4 cup (255g) honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make the syrup first so it has time to cool: combine the water, sugar, honey, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, remove the cinnamon stick, and let cool completely to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F and brush a 9x13-inch baking pan with melted butter.
3. In a bowl, combine the chopped walnuts, pistachios, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
4. Unroll the phyllo sheets and cover them with a slightly damp kitchen towel at all times you are not actively using a sheet - phyllo dries out and becomes unworkably brittle within minutes of air exposure.
5. Lay one phyllo sheet in the pan and brush thoroughly with melted butter, reaching all the way to the edges. Repeat to layer 8 sheets total, buttering each one.
6. Sprinkle about one-third of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo stack.
7. Layer 4 more buttered phyllo sheets over the nuts, then sprinkle another third of the nuts. Repeat once more, then top with the final 8 sheets of phyllo, buttering each layer including the very top.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamond or square shapes all the way through to the bottom of the pan before baking - cutting after baking shatters the delicate layers.
9. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and you can see crisp, flaky layers along the cut edges.
10. Immediately upon removing from the oven, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava, making sure to get syrup into the cuts - the temperature contrast between hot pastry and cool syrup is what keeps it crisp instead of soggy.
11. Let the baklava sit uncovered at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to allow the syrup to fully absorb before serving.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate per serving and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.