Baklava (from the Farsi for "many leaves"), a pastry perfected by royal bakers in the sultan's palace in Istanbul, consists of layers of phyllo filled with nuts and spices and drenched in a syrup. It has become a traditional Middle Eastern Rosh Hashannah and Purim treat but is enjoyed at celebrations throughout the year. There are numerous variations of baklava, many a closely guarded secret passed down within families. A walnut filling is more prevalent in the Levant, while pistachios and pistachio-almond fillings are preferred in Iran. Blanched almonds are traditional on Rosh Hashannah to produce a light color so that the year should be dulce y aclarada ("sweet and bright"). Sephardim refrain from serving dark-colored pastries such as those made from walnuts on Rosh Hashannah, which would portend a dark year. Although purists disdain anything except the classic nut filling, some cooks innovated by adding such items as dates and chocolate chips. Hungarians make an apricot version. This very rich treat is usually served in small portions.
Ingredients
Makes about 36 small diamond-shaped pastries
Syrup:
Filling:
Step 1
1. To make the syrup: Stir the sugar, water, lemon juice, and if using, the corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, and/or cloves over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes (it will register 225 degrees on a candy thermometer). Discard the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Let cool.
Step 2
2. To make the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients.
Step 3
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-by-9-inch or 13-by-9-inch baking pan or 15-by-10-inch jelly roll pan.
Step 4
4. Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan and lightly brush with butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Use any torn sheets in the middle layer. Spread with the remaining nut mixture and end with a top layer of 8 sheets, continuing to brush each with butter. Trim any overhanging edges.
Step 5
5. Using a sharp knife, cut 6 equal lengthwise strips (about 1 3/4 inches wide) through the top layer of pastry. Make 1 1/2-inch-wide diagonal cuts across the strips to form diamond shapes.
Step 6
6. Just before baking, lightly sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water. This inhibits the pastry from curling. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 additional minutes.
Step 7
7. Cut through the scored lines. Drizzle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. If the baklava dries out while being stored, drizzle with a little additional hot syrup.
VARIATIONS
Step 8
Instead of brushing each layer of phyllo with butter, cut the unbaked baklava into diamonds all the way through, drizzle with 1 cup vegetable oil, and let stand for 10 minutes before baking.
Persian Baklava:
Step 9
Using the almonds and cardamom in the filling: Omit the lemon juice and cinnamon from the syrup and add 1/4 cup rose water or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water after it has cooled.
Paklava(Azerbaijani Baklava):
Step 10
For the filling, use 2 cups blanched almonds, 2 cups unsalted pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Crush 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads and let steep in 3 tablespoons of the melted butter for 15 minutes and use to brush the top sheet of phyllo.
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Reviews (101)
Back to TopThis is an excellent recipe. I’ve made it several times with walnuts and always came out delicious. This time I made with pumpkin and sunflower seed to avoid nuts. Great flavor and got rave reviews.
asmafs
Baltimore, MD
5/2/2021
Big hint. Score the top layers of Phyllo dough before baking. Pour hot syrup over cold baklava OR cold syrup over hot baklava. Make at least one day ahead for the syrup to soak in.
Anonymous
NH
12/17/2018
This was great! And I don’t even usually like baklava! I used a combination of walnuts, pistachios and almonds. I only needed 1 stick of butter and I skipped the corn syrup. It does look like a lot of syrup when you first pour it on, but by the time I served it, about 36 hours after I made it, it was perfect. The liquid had all been absorbed and it was not soggy at all. Will definitely be making again.
catherine31
New York
4/15/2018
Love this recipe! Tried it out.. and i couldn't believe how yummy and good looking the end result was. As per previous comments, I did really cut down the sugar qty. Perfect recipe... and no doubt will be making again. Thank you!!
Floryjag
Australia
6/20/2017
This is a great recipe with lovely variations - for those who do not like it too sweet I reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup and use orange juice in place of water. I also double the lemon juice.
shana8
NSW. Australia
2/5/2017
Really delicious. I used butter and needed 2 sticks. I found that if you used a candy thermometer and got the syrup temperature up to 225, it was appropriately thick. Used all of it and didn't make it to sweet. I did use 2 C of sugar and 1 C honey. I also added a dash of rosewater to the syrup while cooking.
jjaclin
New Jersey
7/25/2016
I make baklava from scratch, this one's only good for phyllo (not for traditional Armenian or Jewish baklava). Do use the butter; make your own medley (I add cranberries, dried berries and fruits). I roll my dough into oblong rolls of three sheets - just like in the recipe brushing each layer with melted butter, but only the top layer is covered with the filling medley. Then using a long stick, put the stick on one edge of the layers and roll the layers into one thin (as thin as you can without breaking) roll. Then squeeze both ends into the middle of the roll, to get that wrinkled look. Using the stick still inside the roll, transfer the roll into the pan and slide the stick out. You can now cut the wrinkled roll into smaller pieces, brush with leftover butter and bake. Syrup recipe was meh, ok I guess... I use honey, cinnamon, cloves, and one cup of agave syrup. If you get it down, it's really not that hard. Not a big fan of phyllo but this works for my roll baklava. you can also decorate your pieces with leftover filling before you sprinkle the syrup. Enjoy!
liana_rabin
Sunny Dallas
5/6/2016
The 3 cups sugar to 1.5 cups water ratio is absolutely disgustingly sweet. Waste of my time and money making this recipe-- Nobody here can stand it. Next time I would use 2 cups sugar or less. The nut mixture I made was great, what a shame.
Krysti88
Pennsylvania
12/25/2014
This is very good, but a few things: 1) it is very very wet. So if you want it to be a bit moist but not sopping, then don't pour all of the syrup in. 2) I used coconut palm sugar (1 1/3 cup) 1 c honey, and it was a little too sweet. I think I would cut it down to 1 c of coconut palm sugar (which is just as sweet as sugar but with a lower glycemic index) and 1 c honey next time. 3) I used a combo of walnuts and pistachios in a food processor. I think i would just try to use pistachio next time. 4) I would also cut back to 1 1/2 sticks of butter as I had some butter left over. 5)Don't fret over the phyllo dough. I used a 9x13 inch baking pan and had a heck of a time with my dough ripping, but I just piled it on. If you pat it down with melted butter, it bakes off just the same. And I know this is traditional baklava, but frankly, I'm looking forward to it drying out a bit, because it's really really wet and gooey right now.
tracypie5
San Francisco, CA
6/25/2014
Made this today and to my greatest surprise (never ever made Baklava before) it came out very well. Few modifications: 2 cups of sugar for syrup is plenty enough; had only 1 cup of walnuts and 1.5 cup of sunflower seeds; did not use any of the optional ingredients. And was very conservative on butter also (0.5 max).. I cannot wait to do it with pistachios next time!
skristi80
PA
8/25/2012
Great recipe, I don't use the corn syrup and always use butter - no oil! I often take it on the trail, which means packing it up the side of a mountain for 3 or 4 hours on horseback, so I build it like a jelly role and slice into spirals and bake as you would cinnamon buns. That way I can put the finished rounds back together and roll up in foil to pack behind my saddle. Way more convenient and less messy than a tray. I also think the syrup soaks in better with this construction. I never pack any DOWN the mountain!
tonyasam
Calgary/London
4/13/2012
I used half the butter called for, and half the syrup recipe using honey and sugar. It came out perfect!
tejedad
Los Angeles, CA
1/13/2011
This is my first time making baklava and my first time working with philo dough and I must say I am impressed and motivated by this recipie. It took a fairly difficult pastry dish and made it relativley easy to make, so much so that next time i think i'll have my daughters help! The only suggestion I would have is to make it with almonds over the walnuts. Although walnuts are the nut normally found in baklava in most stores Almonds have a less dense and oily texture making it somewhat more pleasent in baklava. Also, corn syrup is not necessary in the syrup. I made it both ways and prefered the very basic honey, sugar, water and cardmom option. And in order to make the syrup thicker you have to cook it for longer than the recipie states and make sure it is a large pot so it doesn't boil over when you do put it on med heat.
Anonymous
1/6/2010
I did a mixed version using pistachios and walnuts but with the Persian flavored syrup. I replaced the corn syrup with golden syrup also as I don't like the flavor of the other, and used 2 full teaspoons of cinnamon in the filling. It was delicious!
holarosa
pdx
1/3/2010
This is an excellent baklava recipe! I hadn't made it in years and could not find our family recipe. I needed to refresh my memory, so I tried this one. I add 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to the syrup, which makes it perfect! Give this a try, the extra lemon adds a "bite" to the very sugary sweetness!
planetmarcel
Seattle
12/15/2009
