Baklava II

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 cups sugar, water, honey, cinnamon stick, lemon and vanilla. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam that is formed. Set side.
2. In a small bowl, combine chopped almonds, 2 tablespoons sugar, ground cinnamon and cloves; set aside. Brush butter on bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Each sheet of phyllo dough is twice as big as the pan, so cut each in half, making 2 sheets. Place a sheet of phyllo on bottom of pan, and brush with melted butter. Repeat process for a total of 8 sheets, buttering each. Sprinkle about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of nut mixture evenly over the phyllo, and cover with 4 more sheets, buttering each. Continue sprinkling nuts after every 4 sheets of phyllo, until all but 8 sheets (4 full sheets) are used.
3. Use remaining 8 sheets for the top layer, buttering each sheet of phyllo. Before buttering the last sheet, tuck in any loose edges. Press down layers with palms of your hands. Pour remaining butter over the top. With a large knife, cut 5 strips lengthwise about 1/2 inch deep, then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and immediately pour syrup over baklava. Allow to cool thoroughly. Cut diamonds to go all the way through, and serve.

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Reviews (29)

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98

Stephanie

Jul. 26, 2008

"Being Greek Orthodox I took al the shortcuts my mom does, add some buttter to the nut recipe then you dont have to butter so much between the Phillo, and u dont have to thaw the Phillo out all the way..." See more it handles better partially thawed, simmer your syrup for at least 2 hours"

39

carablossom

Jan. 10, 2006

"To echo someone earlier: This Is It. I've been dreaming of this recipe since the first time I tasted baklava, homemade by my best friend's mom 13 years ago :) After many disappointments from other re..." See morecipes and storebought baklava, this is the sweet stuff that I remember -- so if you don't like sweet, check out another recipe. My tip: do NOT generously butter every single layer, or it'll end up dripping butter -- not the ideal baklava. I'll try spray butter next, or every 2 layers. Mmm!"

39

CAMILLE_LT

Dec. 30, 2003

"completely delicious! i was afraid to try it because it sounded difficult. i was happy to find out that it was not difficult, just time consuming. AND well worth the time and effort!..." See more"