Easy Baklava Recipe
You’re going to love my family’s Traditional Baklava Recipe! Flaky sheets of phyllo dough layered with walnuts and topped with a sweet, lemony simple syrup.
Servings : 30 pieces
Ingredients
For the Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the Baklava
- 4 cups walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 16 ounces phyllo dough (about 40 pieces), thawed according to directions on the package
Instructions
- Make the Simple Syrup first; combine water, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Set saucepan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a simmer; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat; set aside and let cool down completely.
- Preheat oven to 325˚F.
- In a large bowl combine chopped walnuts, sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Brush the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with some of the melted butter. Unroll phyllo sheets; as you work with the phyllo sheets, keep the stack covered with a damp paper towel so they don’t dry out while you’re working. You can also use plastic wrap to cover the stack. *IF your phyllo sheets are too large for the pan, use a sharp knife to cut them so that they will fit in your pan.
- Arrange 10 layers of phyllo sheets into the prepared baking pan, one sheet at a time, brushing EACH SHEET with butter before adding the next. (So, layer 1 sheet, brush with butter, then layer the next, brush with butter, and so on…). Sprinkle about ¾ cups of the walnut mixture over the phyllo. Continue to layer 5 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next. Sprinkle with a layer of ¾ cup walnut mixture. Repeat this 4 more times. Finish the baklava with a layer of 10 phyllo sheets and brush the top with more butter.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You can cut it into 4 long rows, and then cut diagonally to make diamond shapes, or straight across to make square shapes.
- Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until top of Baklava is golden and crisp. Remove from oven and pour cooled syrup evenly over the entire Baklava. Let the Baklava cool completely in a dry and cool place. For best results, let Baklava sit overnight. Serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 253 kcal | Carbohydrates: 24 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 17 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Cholesterol: 16 mg | Sodium: 128 mg | Potassium: 82 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 14 g | Vitamin A: 192 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 20 mg | Iron: 1 mg | Net Carbs: 23 g
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.