Walnut Baklava Recipe (With Video)

Yield:

1 12-inch baklava

Making baklava is a delicious project. This popular Greek pastry has many buttered layers of phyllo dough, a lightly spiced walnut filling, and a honey syrup that soaks the entire dessert. Martha’s walnut baklava has a striking star shape that draws your eye. Its intricate diamond pattern is actually much easier to make than it looks—the trick is to use a very sharp knife and work with one section of the baklava at a time. Then all you have to do is make strategic cuts. This stunning dessert is well worth the effort.

Walnut-Honey Baklava — Credit:
Mike Krautter

Have all your ingredients prepped and organized when making baklava. This is key to assembling the dessert successfully. Make sure your phyllo is defrosted, butter melted, and pastry brush ready.

Directions

Preheat oven and grind walnuts and sugar:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse walnuts, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar until finely ground.
Make honey syrup:

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 cup water and remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar over medium-high; bring to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened and sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in honey. Let syrup cool completely.
Prep round cake pan and trim phyllo to rounds

Brush a 12-by-2-inch round cake pan with butter. Trim each phyllo sheet into a 13-inch round (cover with plastic and a damp towel as you work).
Layer phyllo sheets in pan, brushing with butter:

Carefully layer 7 phyllo sheets in pan, brushing butter between each layer.
Sprinkle one-third of nut mixture:

Sprinkle one-third of nut mixture over top.
Repeat layers, ending with buttered phyllo,:

Repeat process twice more, brushing butter between each layer. Top with remaining 7 phyllo sheets, brushing butter between each layer. Generously brush top layer with butter.
Cut into diamond-shaped pieces:

Using a sharp knife with a very thin blade (such as a boning knife), cut baklava into quarters, cutting through all phyllo layers. Halve each quarter to create 8 equal wedges. Working within one wedge at a time, make two straight cuts, 1 inch apart, parallel to one side of wedge. Make two more cuts, parallel to opposite side of same wedge, creating a diamond pattern. Repeat process in remaining 7 wedges.
Bake, pour syrup over hot baklava:

Bake until deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; pour syrup over baklava. Let cool completely before serving.

Credit:
Mike Krautter

Other Greek Dessert Recipes to Try:

Updated by

Victoria Spencer

Walnut-and-Honey Baklava

Directions

Preheat oven and grind walnuts and sugar:

Make honey syrup:

Prep round cake pan and trim phyllo to rounds

Layer phyllo sheets in pan, brushing with butter:

Sprinkle one-third of nut mixture:

Repeat layers, ending with buttered phyllo,:

Cut into diamond-shaped pieces:

Bake, pour syrup over hot baklava:

Other Greek Dessert Recipes to Try:

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