Yia Yia's Baklava recipe

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Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
4 whole cloves
½ cinnamon stick
1 lemon, juiced, divided
1 pound finely chopped walnuts
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted, or more as needed
20 sheets phyllo dough

Nutrition Info

385.8 calories
carbohydrate: 44 g
cholesterol: 18.3 mg
fat: 22.9 g
fiber: 2.4 g
protein: 4.9 g
saturatedFat: 6.1 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 94.5 mg
sugar: 30.7 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Stir together water, 2 cups sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, and 1/2 the lemon juice together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavor blends and syrup consistency is reached, about 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 the lemon juice into syrup. Strain and refrigerate until cool, at least 30 minutes.

  2. Stir walnuts, 1 cup sugar, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.

  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush butter on the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

  4. Lay the phyllo dough out on a clean, dry surface and cover it with plastic wrap. Cover the plastic wrap with a damp towel.

  5. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking dish and lightly brush with butter. Lay another 1 sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with butter. Repeat layering and brushing with butter with 4 more sheets of phyllo dough.

  6. Gently spread 1/3 the walnut mixture in an even layer over the phyllo dough in the baking dish. Place a sheet of phyllo dough over the walnut mixture and brush it with butter. Repeat layering and buttering with 3 more sheets of dough.

  7. Spread another 1/3 the walnut mixture in an even layer over the phyllo dough in the baking dish. Place a sheet of phyllo dough over the walnut mixture and brush it with butter. Repeat layering and buttering with 3 more sheets of dough.

  8. Spread the remaining 1/3 walnut mixture in an even layer over the phyllo dough in the baking dish. Place a sheet of phyllo dough over the walnut mixture and brush it with butter. Repeat layering and buttering with the remaining 5 sheets of dough. Cut baklava into 1-inch diamonds.

  9. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

  10. Pour cooled syrup over baked baklava and cool for 1 day to absorb syrup.

Recipe Yield

20 servings

Recipe Note

This recipe was passed from my Yia Yia to her daughter-in-law (my mother) to me. People love this as a Christmas gift. It has gained a big reputation among our friends. One time, my mother donated a small tin of baklava to a church charity auction. It was very competitive, but the price was driven up to $40!

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