Baklava!

Well the big surprise dessert I made over the weekend was baklava!  I have been wanting to make it for a while, but just never found the time, so this weekend I was determined to set aside enough time to try it.  Below is the step by step process.  Leave a comment or email me if you have questions about it!

Ingredients
1 16oz. package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)
1 1/3 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or more)
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 honey (or more)

Thaw phyllo dough as directed on package. Preheat oven to 350.  Butter the bottoms and side of a 9x13 glass dish using a pastry brush.  Chop nuts and combine in a bowl with cinnamon.  Gently unroll the phyllo dough and place the first sheet in the bottom of the dish.  Have a damp towel on hand to cover the unused phyllo as you work so it doesn't dry out.

Place 7 layers of phyllo on the bottom, brushing butter between each one.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut/cinnamon mixture over the layers.  Pour a little butter over it.

Place 2 layers of phyllo dough with butter.  Repeat 2 more times with the remaining mixture, except layer 7 phyllo sheets on the very top.

Cut vertically into 5 sections.

Cut horizontally into 3 sections.

Cut each square in half diagonally.  Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, boil water and sugar.  Add honey and vanilla.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from the oven and pour honey mixture evenly over the pieces.  Let cool before removing from the dish. 

 Place in cupcake liners to serve.

I still can't believe I made baklava.  I always imagined it to be near impossible, but after making it this weekend I'm already wanting to make my next batch!

*It is very important to put enough butter between each layer and on top of the nuts before adding another sheet of phyllo dough.  This video was really helpful, too.