Greek Baklava with Honey Syrup (Printer-friendly)

Crisp phyllo layers filled with mixed nuts soaked in aromatic honey syrup for authentic Greek sweetness.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Nut Filling

01 - 7 oz walnuts, finely chopped
02 - 3.5 oz pistachios, finely chopped
03 - 1.75 oz almonds, finely chopped
04 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 tsp ground cloves
06 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar

→ Pastry Layers

07 - 14 oz phyllo dough sheets (about 20 sheets), thawed if frozen
08 - 7 oz unsalted butter, melted

→ Honey Syrup

09 - 9 oz granulated sugar
10 - 3/4 cup water
11 - 6.5 oz honey
12 - 1 cinnamon stick
13 - 3 strips lemon peel

# How-To Guide:

01 - Preheat oven to 340°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a little melted butter.
02 - Combine walnuts, pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar in a bowl. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed.
03 - Unroll phyllo dough and cover with a lightly damp cloth to prevent drying while working.
04 - Place one phyllo sheet in the dish, brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat with 7 more sheets, buttering each layer (total 8 sheets).
05 - Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture evenly over the buttered phyllo base.
06 - Add 4 more phyllo sheets, buttering each. Sprinkle another 1/3 of nuts. Repeat with 4 more buttered sheets and remaining nuts.
07 - Layer remaining 4 phyllo sheets, buttering each. Brush the top generously with butter.
08 - Using a sharp knife, cut the assembled baklava into diamond or square shapes before baking.
09 - Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and crisp throughout.
10 - While baklava bakes, combine sugar, water, honey, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Cool slightly and discard cinnamon stick and peel.
11 - Immediately remove baklava from oven and slowly pour warm syrup evenly over the surface. Allow to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of walnuts, pistachios, and almonds creates layers of flavor that keep you discovering something new with every bite
  • That moment when warm syrup hits hot pastry and you hear it sizzling is kitchen magic that never gets old
  • Makes enough to feed a crowd or keep you happy for days, since it actually improves overnight
02 -
  • Hot pastry needs warm syrup, not cold, or the syrup will slide right off instead of absorbing properly
  • Cutting through all those layers before baking is non negotiable unless you want jagged, shatter prone pieces
  • Room temperature butter melts into phyllo better than cold butter, so plan accordingly
03 -
  • Keep a small bowl of cold water nearby to rinse your fingers if the melted butter makes them too slippery to handle phyllo
  • Buy extra phyllo sheets because there will always be a few that tear or dry out despite your best efforts

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