Holiday Walnut Baklava with Homemade Syrup

• Vegetarian

• Condiments

  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Lemon juice

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 1 lb. box Phyllo dough
  • 2 1/4 cup Sugar

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 4 cups California walnuts, ground

• Dairy

  • 2 1/2 sticks Butter

• Liquids

  • 2 tbsp Rose water
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 tbsp Water, orange blossom

Found on littlespicejar.com

Description

Ingredients

• 4 cups (1 lb.) ground California Walnuts
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) melted butter
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 lb. box phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator overnight
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 2 tablespoons rose water

Directions

• Syrup: Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and honey in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the orange blossom water and rose water. Let cool. Baklava: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, add the ground walnuts, sugar, 4 tablespoons melted butter, and ground cinnamon, stir to combine. Your filling should be coarse, almost like a streusel or a crumb topping. Lightly butter or spray the inside of a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Working on a large clean surface, unroll the phyllo dough and lay flat. Place your baking pan on top of the phyllo and trim off any excess. Cover the phyllo with a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out. Keep it covered as much as possible. Place the first sheet of phyllo in the baking pan, brush with butter until the entire surface is evenly coated. Place a second sheet of phyllo on top and again brush with melted butter. You’ll do this a total of 10 times. Then, sprinkle on ¾ cups (or eyeball about 1/5) of the ground walnut mixture. Here’s the order: 10 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling 5 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling 5 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling 5 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling 5 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling 10 sheets of buttered phyllo, ¾ cup filling Brush the top of the last layer of phyllo with melted butter. Cut into 4 wide strips, turn the pan and cut diagonally to form a diamond pattern. Bake the baklava for 40-50 minutes or until it’s golden brown on top. Immediately pour the simple syrup over the baklava while it’s still hot. Let cool completely to room temperature. For best results, let sit at least 6-8 hours and ideally, overnight. Cover loosely with a cloth once it’s room temperature. Garnish with additional ground walnuts as desired. Baklava can be stored at room temperature for about 1- 1 ½ weeks.