Baklava

What would the holidays be without a challenging yet delicious dessert! This dessert has threaded it's self through my life for years as a treat with so much awe around it. Here are a few of the times I'm thinking of

1. The bakery I worked in as a teenager. I remember them telling me it was too difficult and time consuming for them to make. So, they bought it from another bakery out in never never land.

2. The feisty Greek woman I had as a client in hair school. She shared with me how she loved making Baklava for her big Greek extended family gatherings. She was a lady that I would have to tease her hair just right or she would try and sometimes did steal the comb right from my very hand!

3. And lastly a few years back my husband came home from work with a few pieces of Baklava his Boss’s (and friend) wife had made. I remember thinking WOW she made that?! I was truly impressed with her! Of course I remember thinking to myself how it was probably time I should give it a try too. So when I asked her for her recipe she told me she found it online. Thus began my research for the best Baklava recipe I could find.  This of course was just the beginning of my Internet searches for yummy recipes. So, after much searching this is the most perfect recipe I found and here it is for you today.


By the way once you get the hang of it it's not as challenging as you originally  thought:)

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 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.  May need to be cut 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. Allrecipes