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This blog post is about how to make baklava at home. Close up of piece of baklava garnished with chopped pumpkin seeds and nuts.

How to Make Baklava

Marinela Malcheva
How to make baklava at home? This baklava recipe is easy to make at home. It's a perfect sweet treat for the whole family. This is the best make-ahead dessert.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Balkanian, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Servings 17 pieces
Calories 276 kcal

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Saucepan
  • Baking pan

Ingredients
  

For the nut and peanut butter filling

  • ½ cup hazelnuts finely chopped
  • ½ cup almonds finely chopped
  • ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup peanut butter

For the dressing

  • ¼ cup sunflower oil plus more for greasing the baking pan
  • ⅔ cup mineral water
  • ¼ tablespoon baking soda

For the baklava syrup

  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cup fresh water
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced

For baklava

  • 500 grams filo dough

Instructions
 

  • First, prepare the filling. In a food processor put all nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts). Next, pulse a few times until the nuts are well chopped. Then, transfer it to a big bowl and add dry cranberries and peanut butter. Mix well all the ingredients.
  • Next, in a large coffee mug mix mineral water, oil, and baking soda. With a spoon, mix frequently before you sprinkle the filo with it.
  • Then, take one sheet from the filo pastry and lightly sprinkle it with the water-oil dressing. You don't need to soak the entire sheet, just sprinkle with a spoon, to cover most of it. Be careful not to tear it down.
  • Fold evenly, from both sides, toward the center. Sprinkle with dressing again. It's best if you move relatively quickly to prevent the phyllo from drying out.
  • After that, fold the sheet one more time, overlapping both sides. Sprinkle once more, and at one end put approximately ⅛ cup of the filling.
  • Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling to the opposite edge, thus creating a triangle
  • Continue to fold the triangle up and over to the opposite side each time, until you reach the end of the sheet.​Without delay, repeat the same with the remaining sheets and filling.
  • In the end, place all triangles on the greased baking pan. Pour the remaining dressing over the triangles.
  • Bake baklava triangles in a preheated oven at 200°C for 25-30minutes or until golden. Allow triangles to cool at room temperature for 30minutes before pouring the syrup.
  • In the meantime, combine water, sugar, and slices of 1 lemon in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then let it simmer for 5 minutes. Leave it on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The syrup should be lukewarm (slightly warm, not very hot), for you to pour over the baklava.
  • Pour the warm syrup over the cooled baklava and let it soak for at least 10 hours (it's best for it to rest overnight). The baklava should be uncovered ( to prevent sogginess) at room temperature, give it enough time for the syrup to be properly absorbed, soften the layers, and for all flavors to blend together.
  • Finally, garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or the remains of the nut filling. Serve it with your favorite coffee and enjoy! This baklava dessert is best after it seats for a while, at least 6-8 hours is fine, to let the sheets be softened and absorb the syrup. Baklava is even better the next day.

Notes

  • Make sure first to defrost the filo dough in the fridge. 
  • It's very important that the syrup is lukewarm, and baklava is cooled when you pour it over it.
  • Handle the filo sheets gently.
  • Finally, this baklava dessert is best after it seats for a while, so it's perfectly fine if you could make it the day before you plan to serve it.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal
Keyword almond milk pulp recipes, baklava, baklava recipe, dessert, easy, filo dough, homemade, how to make baklava
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