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Coconut Baklava

by 47 Comments

Coconut Baklava | www.diethood.com | Layers of phyllo sheets filled with shredded sweetened coconut and walnuts | #dessert #recipe #baklava #coconut

Bust out the Phyllo sheets, my friends! I’ve got a project for you!

You are going to make Baklava this weekend! Coconut Baklava, that is!

I can’t even begin to count how many emails I have received from my fellow countrymen/women about a recipe for Baklava. Sure, they can go to Google and ask him, but that’s no fun! You want to go straight to the horse’s, or in this case, blogger’s mouth and hear it from the expert. buahahhaha I just called me an expert! Far from it! BUT! I do make a killer Baklava, so that’s that.

Coconut Baklava | www.diethood.com | Layers of phyllo sheets filled with shredded sweetened coconut and walnuts | #dessert #recipe #baklava #coconut

Baklava has been claimed by many and all; Turks, Greeks, Persians, Armenians, Macedonians… the list goes on. The truth is, we all make it, but we all also have our own ways of making it. The only standard is the Phyllo sheets.

Baklava is just that; a stack of those sheets filled with whatever the heck you want and drowned in a delicious simple syrup.

Macedonian Baklava is usually filled with just walnuts, but I am not a fan of the whole honey and nuts filling; I need more. So I added shredded coconut. That was a smart move. No. It was brilliant!!

This is the best baklava! Ever. Yes, I say that a lot, but seriously…it’s SO good! Wait until you read the ingredients and you’ll see that it is the best.

Ever.

The result is pure, sweet, coconutty goodness.

Coconut Baklava | www.diethood.com | Layers of phyllo sheets filled with shredded sweetened coconut and walnuts | #dessert #recipe #baklava #coconut

ENJOY!

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Coconut Baklava | www.diethood.com | Layers of phyllo sheets filled with shredded sweetened coconut and walnuts | #dessert #recipe #baklava #coconut
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Coconut Baklava

Layers of Phyllo sheets filled with a mixture of shredded coconut and walnuts.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Baklava

  • 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1-1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 20 Phyllo Sheets , divided
  • 1 stick butter , melted

For the Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Combine coconut, walnuts, vanilla, milk, and honey in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
  3. Lightly grease a jellyroll pan.
  4. Layer 10 pieces of Phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with the melted butter before adding the next.
  5. Sprinkle the entire coconut mixture over the dough.
  6. Layer the remaining 10 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next.
  7. Cut the baklava. You can cut the baklava into a diamond pattern, like I did, or squares.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.
  9. Remove from oven and let completely cool.
  10. In the meantime, prepare the syrup.
  11. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil; lower heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
  12. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
  13. Pour the hot syrup over the completely cooled baklava.
  14. Let stand, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight.

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Comments

  2. You had me at Coconut but then you followed with baklava! Be still my heart! THIS will be for Valentine’s Day!

    Reply

  6. Hello,

    I don’t like many food blogs, but I do enjoy 2 of them. I really like yours and “Cooking With Mr. C.” on Facebook. Between the two of you, I get so many ideas.
    Keep those recipes coming.

    Dale

    Reply

  7. Milk and honey in the stuffing of Baklava is a global prototype. It’s to much to even call that baklava.
    Almonds, walnuts, green pistachios are only acceptable – the rest are just inventions.
    As for th syrup does not include honey in Greek versions and the most accomplished sweet – maker in Greece (and the great masters of baklava in turkey) use hot over hot so the sheet can absorb it and steel remain crunchy.

    Reply

  10. I’m a big fan of baklava and my family used to buy sheets of it from a Middle Eastern bakery outside Detroit. Since I’ve moved away from the area now is the time to try homemade, and coconut does sound like a brilliant addition!

    Reply

  12. I just had Baklava for the first time a few weeks ago and it was amazing! As much as this recipe looks amazing, I would probably destroy it. I’m not the world’s best baker and this looks so hard! It’s so good though

    Reply

  14. This is a complete stroke of genius. My favorite coconut that I associate with my Indian self to the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Baklava. How brilliant. BTW the 1st & last pics, OMG.

    Reply

  16. I love the coconut with that sweet filling… looks heavenly. You cut them perfectly too… I don’t know if I could make such perfect diamonds. 🙂

    Reply

  17. I pried myself on making the best baklava but when I saw your addition of coconut, I knew it would be an ingredient I would try. I can’t wait to make this!

    Reply

  24. I grew up eating my mom’s walnut filled baklava and I’ve found nothing better in the middle eastern bakeries I’ve visited so far but I would like to give a bite of your version a try. 🙂

    I’ve never heard of using milk and honey in the filling though some syrups DO use honey and cardamom as well as the lemon juice. You learn something new every day,I guess.

    Reply

  33. Oh, my! Kate, you have outdone yourself by adding coconut to traditional Baklava. LOVE. IT! However, I do prefer the kiss of honey to my homemade Baklava. (Still love me?) You definitely will have me adding coconut! Averie already has me adding chocolate. Now, I’m thinking of adding BOTH! Pinning! xo

    Reply

  34. Kate: I love baklava… And with coconut , one of my fav ingredients, I know that I will love it even more. Wow! I so wish there would be a way to receive yours in a box for Mother’s Day. Well, enjoy it. Wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day. xx

    Reply

  35. You rock, my friend. This is one of my most favorite desserts. And, I might add, I make a killer version as well. I’m guessing it’s because we learned to as babes, eh?

    I’ve been told that Greek baklava is different than other countries versions because they use honey, not the simple syrup. I like our way better. The lemon juice really adds. My mom also taught me that you can pour hot syrup on cold baklava or cold syrup on hot baklava, but if they were both the same temperature, the baklava would get soggy. You hear that too?

    Reply

    • Yes!! They can’t be the same temp, and my mom’s words, exactly, “Don’t you dare pour that hot syrup over the hot Baklava!!” That was a few years ago….I was trying to save time. 🙂

      Reply

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