Recipe: Martha Stewart's Walnut and Honey Baklava

WAINUT AND HONEY BAKLAVA

"The many buttered layers of phyllo dough, walnut filling, and sweet syrup make baklava the ultimate special-occasion dessert in Greece. Cutting it into a pretty pattern turns it into cookie-like bites."



"We used Greek honey in this recipe: it's dense, aromatic, and well worth seeking out. We use butter, too, but many Greek cooks use olive oil, which is a carryover from the days when butter was more of a precious (and therefore expensive) commodity."

4 cups walnut halves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey, preferably Greek
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
28 sheets phyllo (from a 1 1/2 pound package), thawed if frozen

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse walnuts, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar until finely ground.

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

Brush a 2-inch-deep, 12-inch round cake pan with butter. Trim each phyllo sheet into a 13-inch round (cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel as you work). Carefully layer 7 phyllo sheets in pan, brushing butter between each layer. (Since the edges dry out before the center, brush on butter from the edges inward.)

Sprinkle one-third of nut mixture over top. 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. 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 2 straight cuts, 1-inch apart, parallel to one side of wedge. Make 2 more cuts, parallel to opposite side of same wedge, creating a diamond pattern.

Bake until deep golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour syrup over baklava. Let cool completely before serving. (Baklava can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.)

TIP:
Make sure your hands are dry when working with phyllo. The dough will become gummy and unmanageable if it gets wet.

Makes about 40 pieces
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection: 100+ Recipes to Take Your Sweet Treats to the Next Level by Editors of Martha Stewart Living, Oct 15, 2019