Baklava Recipe

16oz phyllo dough          

1 cup butter

---filling

1lb chopped nuts (I did 2/3rds walnuts 1/3^rd pistachios)

1 teaspoon cinnamon   

----sauce

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup honey

Oven @ 350

Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9 pan

Chop nuts/food processor to small pieces, toss with cinnamon.

Unroll thawed phyllo dough, keep covered with damp towel to prevent drying out.

Place two sheets of phyllo in pan, and brush thoroughly with butter, repeat until you have 8 layered sheets.

Butter top and then Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture, top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go.

The top layer should be 6-8 sheets deep.(or go until you run out of nuts/or real estate)

layer 4-6 sheets of just butter and dough for the top.

Cut into diamonds or squares, all the way to the bottom of the pan.

Bake for about 50 mins until baklava is golden and crisp

While baklava is baking, add water and sugar to sauce pan and bring to boil until sugar is fully dissolved, reduce heat to medium and add vanilla extract and honey. Simmer about 10mins (you can add the zest of a lemon with the van extract and honey as well for a lighter bright sauce, just don’t add it until the last 2-5mins of the simmer)

Let cool on stove until baklava is out of oven

Removed baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over entire dessert, let cool.

Freezes well (1-2 months)(covered and wrapped up).

Leave it uncovered at room temp(5ish days) (gets soggy if you cover it up)