Mixed Nut Honey Baklava Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
• Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
• Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Steps:

• Cube 8 tablespoons of the butter and place it in the freezer until it is very cold and almost frozen, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pulse the flour, 1/2 cup of the mixed nuts, 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Pulse in the cold cubed butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pulse in 2 tablespoons ice-cold water until the dough holds together when squeezed. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap (it will still be quite crumbly), form into a disk, cover in the plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Put the dough in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Use a fork to dock the bottom of the tart. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the crust begin turning golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is lightly brown and dry to the touch, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the crust bakes, make the filling: Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, honey and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and, stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (If the crust has cooled, return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.) Whisk the vanilla extract and beaten eggs into the filling until smooth. Arrange the remaining nuts (about 2 1/2 cups) in a flat layer in the tart shell and pour the filling over top.
• Bake until the edges are set but the center is still slightly loose, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the honey syrup: Combine the sugar, honey, orange zest, orange juice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and slowly simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool slightly. Remove the orange zest and reserve for the filling. Refrigerate the syrup until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Make the baklava: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the honey, cinnamon, salt and cloves; cook until the skillet is dry and the apples are sticky, 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop the reserved orange zest and add to the nuts. Add the apples and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and stir to combine.
• Melt the remaining 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan over low heat. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter. Unroll the phyllo dough onto a flat surface and cover with a damp towel. Lay 1 sheet of dough in the baking dish and lightly brush with some of the butter. (If there is a little excess phyllo just fold it over and brush lightly with more butter. If the sheet hangs out of the dish, trim to fit.) Sprinkle with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Repeat the layering 5 more times (phyllo, butter, breadcrumbs). Scatter one-quarter of the apple-nut mixture on top.
• Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo on top, brushing with butter in between each; top with another one-quarter of the apple-nut mixture. Repeat this layering 2 more times (4 sheets of buttered phyllo, then one-quarter of the apple-nut mixture). Layer the remaining 6 sheets of phyllo on top, lightly brushing with butter in between each.
• Cut the baklava in half crosswise and lengthwise in the pan with a paring knife to make 4 quarters, cutting all the way through. Halve each quarter crosswise to make 8 rectangles. Cut each rectangle into 4 triangles. (You will end up with a total of 32 pieces.)
• Bake the baklava until golden and crisp, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven; immediately pour the honey syrup over the top. Let the syrup soak in completely while the baklava cools, at least 3 hours.

Steps:

• Soak the diced figs in the rum in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the walnuts and almonds out on a baking sheet and toast until darkened and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Toss the nuts, chocolate, sugar, and spices with the figs and the rum.
• Bring the butter to a simmer over low heat. Skim and discard the foamy solids that rise to the top until the butter is clear, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 16 1/2 by 11 1/2-inch sheet pan. Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll and lay it on the counter next to the pan and cover with a kitchen towel. Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo on the pan and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 11 more sheets of phyllo working quickly and keeping the phyllo covered, as you assemble the baklava. Scatter 1/3 of the nut mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over the layers of phyllo. Repeat 2 more times and top with the remaining 12 sheets of dough. Carefully, cut 3/4 of the way through the phyllo and nut filling to make about 96 (1 1/2-inch) squares.
• Bake the baklava until light brown and cooked through, about 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake until golden crisp, about 5 to 8 more minutes.
• While the baklava crisps make the syrup: Heat the sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and carefully pour the hot syrup over the just baked baklava, making sure to get into all the cuts. Let cool. Complete the pre-made cuts in the baklava and serve with some honey drizzled on top.
• Store the baklava in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the honey-citrus simple syrup: Whisk together the sugar, honey, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the orange peel and continue to boil without stirring, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool while you assemble the baklava. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
• For the nut filling: Add the pistachios and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl along with the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.
• To assemble: Brush a 9-by-13-inch pan with some of the melted butter. Unroll the whole package of phyllo and cut it in half to fit the pan or trim to fit flat. (As you work, cover the unused phyllo sheets with wax paper underneath a damp clean kitchen towel.) Lay 1 sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the pan. Brush with butter, covering the entire surface, then lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Repeat this process until you have 10 layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add half of the nut mixture, spreading it evenly over the buttered surface, then gently press in with your hands. Begin layering the phyllo and melted butter until you have 10 more layers of phyllo, with butter brushed on top. Add the remaining nut mixture, then layer 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing with butter in between layers. Brush the top with melted butter, then score the phyllo dough into diamonds, cutting about 1/4-inch deep. (Cut 4 strips lengthwise, then diagonal cuts for a diamond shape).
• Bake until puffed and golden brown on top, about 1 hour. Ladle the cooled syrup over the top, allowing it to absorb in between pours. Allow the baklava to sit until the syrup is completely absorbed, at least 30 minutes. Separate into bars and serve. The baklava freezes very well.