• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Top Recipes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • 6 Ingredient Meals
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • One Pan Meals
    • By Course
      • Main Course
      • Side Dish
      • Dessert
      • Appetizer/Snack
      • More
    • By Diet
      • Gluten-free
      • Low-carb
      • Vegetarian
      • More
    • By Meat
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Lamb
      • Egg
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Turkey
      • More
    • By Cuisine
      • Cajun and Creole
      • Chinese
      • Greek
      • Italian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Mexican
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • More
    • By Type
      • Burger
      • Cake
      • Cookie
      • Dip
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Salad
      • Sandwich
      • Soup
      • More
    • By Ingredient
      • Avocado
      • Bacon
      • Cauliflower
      • Mushroom
      • Pumpkin
      • Quinoa
      • Shrimp
      • Strawberry
      • More
  • Cookbooks
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to the email Newsletter!

Baklava

[heart_this] · Mar 24, 2008 · 64 Comments

Baklava

Light and flaky phyllo pastry layered with walnuts and cinnamon covered in a honey based syrup.

Baklava is one of my all time favorite desserts and I have been wanting to try making it for a while now. I kept putting it off because the recipe sounded a little bit intimidating. The baklava has actually made it to my meal plan a few times but I either ran out of time or forgot to thaw the phyllo dough. I finally got over procrastinating and got to it and made baklava. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I though it would be.
I decided to go the easy way and used store bought phyllo dough. The dough needs to be thawed overnight in the fridge so you need to think about it the day before. It helps to have everything ready before you start. I mixed the nut filling and melted the butter ahead of time. I pulled out the phyllo dough and covered it with a slightly damp towel to keep it moist. Assembly was as simple as brushing butter onto the dough and placing it into the pan. Over all it was surprisingly easy.
I used this recipe for baklava as I liked the sound of using the lemon and orange peal in the syrup. The syrup smelled really amazing while simmering with the cinnamon and citrus peals. I used some good local honey that I got at the farmers market.
The baklava turned out really well! It was nice and crispy on top and slightly damp with the honey syrup on the bottom. The baklava had a cinnamon and citrus aroma though I could not really taste any of the citrus. There was a really nice honey flavour to the baklava where most store bought baklava that I have had doesn’t have any honey flavour. With baklava being so easy to make and being so good I will be making this a lot in the future. I am already thinking that I could try it with different nuts and sweeteners.

Baklava

Baklava

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes Servings: 1

Light and flaky phyllo pastry layered with walnuts and cinnamon covered in a honey based syrup.

ingredients
  • 4 cups walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 pound phyllo pastry, thawed
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 inch slice lemon peel
  • 2 inch slice orange peel
  • 3/4 cup honey
directions
  1. Mix the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
  2. Brush the bottom of a 9X13 inch pan with butter.
  3. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 8 sheets in the pan.
  4. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.
  5. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 2 sheets on top of the nut mixture.
  6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.
  7. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 2 sheets on top of the nut mixture.
  8. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture onto the phyllo in the pan.
  9. Brush butter onto the top of a sheet of the phyllo dough and place the sheet into the pan. Repeat until there are 8 sheets on top of the nut mixture.
  10. Slice the baklava with a sharp knife.
  11. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until golden brown on top, about 25-35 minutes.
  12. Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon, lemon and orange to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  13. Add the honey and simmer for 2 minutes.
  14. Remove the cinnamon, and peals from the syrup.
  15. Pour the syrup over the baklava when it comes out of the oven.
  16. Let the baklava cool for a few hours.
Similar Recipes:
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Kanafeh (Sweet Cheese Pastry)

Use leftover phyllo dough in:
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel with Balsamic Syrup
Tomato Tart
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Chicken and Date Pastilla
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)
Fiddlehead and Gruyere Tart

Dessert, Food, Greek, Recipe, Turkish, Vegetarian

eCookbook Bundle Cover

Get ALL 16 Closet Cooking eCookbooks in a bundle for 70% off! Enjoy some of the tastiest recipes from Closet Cooking along with exclusive cookbook recipes!

Get the Cookbook Bundle Now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    March 24, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    Well, if there was ever a recipe to inspire me to play around with phyllo pastry again, this would be it. Fantastic.

    Reply
  2. Rebecca says

    March 24, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    OH! I love baklava, too, but have alsways been afraid-now I’m going to try to make it-thanks and looks delish!

    Reply
  3. Elle says

    March 24, 2008 at 11:38 pm

    I love baklava, too. But it seems so daunting. I lose my patience with phyllo dough so easily, hehe. Looks great!

    Reply
  4. Tarah says

    March 25, 2008 at 12:56 am

    Hmm, I’ve only had baklava once, and it didn’t seem to taste good to me (then again, it was made by someone who’s baking skills were… well, ok). But, after seeing this, I think I may make my own Baklava and see how I like it :]

    Lovely photo!

    Reply
  5. Cafe Johnsonia says

    March 25, 2008 at 1:34 am

    OH MY GOSH. We love Baklava. I have to make this for my husband. Yours looks so yummy!

    Reply
  6. Mochachocolata Rita says

    March 25, 2008 at 1:51 am

    havent tried this before…this looks heavenly ^_^

    Reply
  7. javagirlkt's cookin' says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:14 am

    i LOVE baklava. it’s at the very top of my list of 100 things to make. this recipe looks fantastic.

    Reply
  8. maybahay says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:27 am

    yum. i’ve never had the version with lemon and orange peel, sounds great.

    Reply
  9. Brilynn says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:37 am

    I made baklava once last year and was surprised at how easy it was and how well it turned out. Yours looks great!

    Reply
  10. Steph says

    March 25, 2008 at 3:01 am

    Looks absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  11. Chris says

    March 25, 2008 at 3:02 am

    Love it too! A childhood girlfriend of mine was Greek and her mom always had some on hand for me. 🙂 Wow….I miss that! I have made it a couple of times and love the smells, too. But, nothing like Ms. A’s baklava.

    Reply
  12. Elly says

    March 25, 2008 at 3:03 am

    Gorgeous first baklava, Kevin. I made my first baklava several years ago but it did NOT look nearly as pretty 🙂

    Reply
  13. Ferdzy says

    March 25, 2008 at 3:29 am

    One of my faves too! Yours looks terrific.

    Reply
  14. Proud Italian Cook says

    March 25, 2008 at 4:16 am

    This looks so good, you could sell it!!(i’d buy it!!)

    Reply
  15. Jen Yu says

    March 25, 2008 at 4:21 am

    Kev – listen babe, sistah cannot keep up with all of your cooking madness! Your baklava is gorgeous. And the curry dishes – those little dough pockets of yumminess? Looked FANTASTIC. You stud!

    Reply
  16. Kitt says

    March 25, 2008 at 5:17 am

    Wow, that’s ambitious! And let me tell you, trying to make your own phyllo would have just tipped it over the edge from ambitious to insane.

    It looks gorgeous and delectable.

    Reply
  17. Diana Evans says

    March 25, 2008 at 5:26 am

    wow…this looks wonderful…your presentation is amazing!

    I am hungry now…but will head off to bed…

    I bet I will be dreaming about your cooking….lol

    Cheers,
    Diana

    Reply
  18. StickyGooeyCreamyChewy says

    March 25, 2008 at 5:52 am

    Kevin, you are a total rock star in the kitchen! That baklava looks awesome!

    Reply
  19. Allen says

    March 25, 2008 at 6:05 am

    Kevin, this looks superb — good job! I’ve been thinking about making baklava again sometime keep forgetting to buy the phyllo 🙂

    Reply
  20. hatice says

    March 25, 2008 at 6:15 am

    baklava is famous food in Turkey ( Türkiye) When we celebrate to bayram, we make baklava, look here, http://www.halilibrahimbaklava.com/ you can see there lots of baklava,
    you are very sucessful, superrr

    Reply
  21. noble pig says

    March 25, 2008 at 7:05 am

    Oh geez, I have been looking for a new recipe to try becuase I haven’t been happy with mine lately. This looks better than perfect. Thanks.

    Reply
  22. Peter M says

    March 25, 2008 at 7:51 am

    Kevin, this one of your best posts since you’ve blogged.

    There are many “takes” on baklava and this looks as good as any I saw in Istanbul (Turkey). Bravo!

    Reply
  23. Sylvia says

    March 25, 2008 at 10:42 am

    I love baklava too, but I never tried
    to make. You inspired me.

    Reply
  24. Mike of Mike's Table says

    March 25, 2008 at 11:08 am

    I also love baklava and this looks great! Its a rare treat, and I also keep meaning to do it, but it just never seems to happen. This might be just the kick in the pants I need to go and just do it already…because now I can’t stop thinking about it! 😛

    Reply
  25. chocolate shavings says

    March 25, 2008 at 11:09 am

    Now that looks really tasty!

    Reply
  26. KJ says

    March 25, 2008 at 11:25 am

    Your baklava looks really professional. I did not know it could be so simple to make.

    Reply
  27. Meeta says

    March 25, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    Hehehe! I love baklava! I am in Dubai right now visiting my parents and a few houses from where they live there’s an excellent Lebanese bakery. They make the best Baklava ever. I have never actually made it myself but yours looks awesome and encourages me to try it when I get back to Germany! Nice one!

    Reply
  28. giz says

    March 25, 2008 at 12:55 pm

    Great job Kevin – I like the addition of the citrus. Using a good quality honey makes a difference too. Your baklava turned out beautiful. Very cool.

    Reply
  29. Sylvie says

    March 25, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    Phyllo scares me! Whenever I have tried to use it it just rips and doesn’t do what I want it to do at all, so I guess I’ll continue to just buy my baklava. Yours looks wonderful though.

    Reply
  30. eatme_delicious says

    March 25, 2008 at 1:40 pm

    I think I’ve only had store bought baklava. This version looks great!

    Reply
  31. chriesi says

    March 25, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    It looks great. I love baklava too.

    Reply
  32. carolyn says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    That looks totally yummilicious! I love baklava too and it does seem pretty intimidating to make.

    Reply
  33. Patsyk says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    that looks amazing!

    Reply
  34. Deborah says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    I have never made baklava myself, but you have just inspired me!

    Reply
  35. aforkfulofspaghetti says

    March 25, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    With you and Desert Candy both posting about baklava, I’m getting the message – I must make baklava!
    Yours looks absolutely scrumptious.

    Reply
  36. cakewardrobe says

    March 25, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    The other day I took phyllo out of the freezer at the grocery store, then put it back in, took it out, and put it back in.. I didn’t end up making it cause I was having too many mind battles of how difficult I’ve heard it to be. I should try to take a stab at it, even if it comes out unsuccessful. Your’s looks soooooo good!

    Reply
  37. Pixie says

    March 25, 2008 at 5:02 pm

    Looks wonderful, it’s also a recipe I’ve been putting off for a long time!

    Reply
  38. Emiline says

    March 25, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    It’s gorgeous. I’ve never made baklava before, but I’ve eaten it. It’s really good, but sometimes it’s borderline too rich for me.

    Reply
  39. LyB says

    March 25, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    Baklava is absolutely at the top of my favorite desserts, I’ve never made it before as it sounds so complicated but you’ve inspired me to try it! Yours looks just delicious!

    Reply
  40. Jessy and her dog Winnie says

    March 25, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Omg. I was just going to make that last night!

    Reply
  41. Anonymous says

    March 25, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    I’ll admit I’ve felt intimidated by the thought of making baklava. But this looks soooo scrumptious and so do-able, I’m going to give it a whirl. Thanks!!

    Reply
  42. Gloria says

    March 26, 2008 at 1:41 am

    Kevin, I never made Baklava, yours looks lovely!!! Gloria

    Reply
  43. Terri says

    March 26, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    Wow! That looks beautiful! Are you sure you’re not a professional pastry chef?

    Reply
  44. Patricia Scarpin says

    March 26, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    It looks beautiful and delicious, Kevin. I have to be brave and try baklava too!

    Reply
  45. Pam says

    March 26, 2008 at 8:43 pm

    Wow! I am impressed. I love baklava, but I don’t think I’ll ever get up the nerve to try it.

    Reply
  46. HoneyB says

    March 26, 2008 at 11:44 pm

    Hi Kevin, I have only made baklava one time and I wasn’t super happy with the recipe I had. I will be bookmarking your recipe to try in the near future! Thanks! HoneyB
    P.S. Great Photos!

    Reply
  47. cakebrain says

    March 27, 2008 at 4:45 am

    I love baklava but never tried to make it because I thought it too labour intensive. Bravo for creating a positively gorgeous baklava!

    Reply
  48. Nilmandra says

    March 27, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Beautifully presented, as always. I would always buy filo or puff pastry. Too much of a pain to make, heh.

    Reply
  49. Cooking and the City says

    March 28, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    Kevin I only ever made baklava once, years ago. I found it difficult to make, yours looks great 🙂

    Reply
  50. Indonesia-Eats says

    April 28, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    I tried and bought once from a Greek restaurant. It was too sweet for me. I might try to make by myself so I can reduce the sweetnessxpfpxx

    Reply
  51. Laura says

    November 7, 2008 at 1:53 am

    Hi! Love this! I was in Athens in may, and had a wonderful chocolate baklava at a pastry shop called Serbetia, do you happen to have any choco baklava recipes?
    Thank you!!

    Reply
  52. Kevin says

    November 8, 2008 at 1:55 am

    Laura: I have not had a chocolate baklava… It sounds really good though. I would imagine that you could just replace some of the nuts in one or more layers with some chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.

    Reply
  53. Elaine says

    November 11, 2008 at 12:39 am

    after reading your post and recipe, i thought i’d give it a go!

    here are the results!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/stillreflections/3017636820/

    thanks from london.

    Reply
  54. Mercina says

    February 18, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Great job, Kevin. Don’t forget to very lightly sprinkle a bit of water on the phyllo after you’ve cut it and before you’ve put it in the oven. The water will help it from drying out.

    Reply
  55. Ryan - disgustingly GOOD says

    February 8, 2010 at 10:31 pm

    I made this baklava last night along with your awesome recipe for spanakopita. Once the phyllo is out might as well do it all right? Couldn't believe how good this was. My family thinks I can make anything at this point. Anyway, love your blog, looking forward to hitting up a lot more of your recipes here. Thanks!

    Reply
  56. GÜLSÜM says

    March 5, 2010 at 11:35 am

    ITS DELİCİOUS… OTHER TURKISH FOODS İS THERE…
    http://mutfaktansesler.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  57. Anonymous says

    June 9, 2010 at 6:48 pm

    How do i love thee.. let me count the ways. Baklava is divine.. i am terrified of phylo dough and you have made this sound so simple. Maybe i will give it a try 🙂

    Reply
  58. Chaplin cafe(BURCU) says

    January 31, 2011 at 7:57 pm

    Hello Kevin, i just wanna give some information about baklava(the real,Turkish baklava)
    First of all you don't need to use honey…We use only ÅžERBET(sherbet) its icluding only water,sugar and a little "lemon juice" against the crystallization of sugar.(this is the syrup)
    In Turkish cuisine we never add orange or cinnamon to baklava.
    just the phyllo dough,good quality of butter,walnuts /or unsalted,unroasted pistachio,and the ingredients of the syrup.
    That's all..so simple 🙂
    Try like this one time 😀
    Ow i forgot to write that you have a gift about cooking 🙂 Have fun!
    Loves from Belgium from a Turkish girl…

    Reply
  59. Chaplin cafe(BURCU) says

    January 31, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    Ow i forgot if you want to eat baklava in an restaurant please try both Turkish baklava and Greek baklava…You will see the difference of the taste :))

    Reply
  60. Kevin says

    February 1, 2011 at 12:54 pm

    Chaplin cafe(BURCU): I made sure to try some Turkish baklava when I visited Turkey very briefly a few years ago and it was good! I will definitely have to try making some! Thanks for the info on it!

    Reply
  61. Chaplin cafe(BURCU) says

    March 3, 2011 at 10:36 pm

    I am so glad that you already it Turkish baklava…I hope it was a good one(not everywhere the same quality)
    PS:sorry i forgot to check your answer!

    Reply
  62. Anonymous says

    November 15, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    NO walnuts! Pistachios are the best!!!

    Reply
  63. kevin says

    November 15, 2013 at 10:49 pm

    Anonymous: Pistachios are great as well!

    Reply
    • GhostCat says

      March 19, 2022 at 10:29 pm

      Are you sure you have the right picture? Looks more like Lasagna to me. Looks too dark for the cinnamon to cover that much area, layer by layer. I asked a friend of mine, who does a lot more cooking than I do, and he thought it looked like Lasagna also. Also, there was no mention of what the green stuff was, (on top I thought it was onions), but seeing the plate, pistachios comes to mind.

      Keep coming up with these great recipes!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the free Closet Cooking email newsletter and get a FREE copy of the eBook:
The Best of Closet Cooking!

About Me

Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
Read More

The Best of Closet Cooking 2023 – FREE eCookbook

The Best of Closet Cooking Book Cover

eCookbook Bundle

eCookbook Bundle

Top Recipes

Chicken and Avocado Burritos
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Balsamic Garlic Grilled Mushroom Skewers
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Balsamic Soy Roasted Garlic Mushrooms
Cheesy Beef Enchilada Tortellini Skillet
Parmesan Roasted Carrot Fries
Asiago Roasted Onions
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
About | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Copyright © 2007-2023, Closet Cooking Ltd. All Rights Reserved.