dawn's baklava

How To Make dawn's baklava

• 1

  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and all sides of a 9x13 baking dish.
• 2

  Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Set aside.
• 3

  Unroll your phyllo dough and let it warm for a few minutes. Have a clean, damp cloth nearby to keep the dough from drying out.
• 4

  The sheets should be approximately the right size for the size pan you are using. Place two sheets of phyllo in the pan. Brush with butter thoroughly. Repeat Once. Sprinkle with nut mixture.
• 5

  Repeat Step 4, until you are out of the nut mixture. Your top layer should be about 4 to 6 sheets. Lightly brush the top layer with butter.
• 6

  Using a good, sharp knife, cut into diamond-shaped squares. The easy way is cut long rows lengthwise and then make your diagonal cuts. Make sure your cuts all the way through to the bottom of the pan.
• 7

  Bake on the middle rack for about 50 minutes and golden and crisp.
• 8

  Start your syrup while the baklava is baking. In a saucepan combine your sugar and water over medium heat stirring until the sugar is melted. Add your lemon zest, vanilla, and honey. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken a bit, but not a lot.
• 9

  Removing baklava from the oven and immediately spoon all of your syrup evenly over the top of it. Let cool. Do not cover as this will cause your baklava to get soggy. If you need some sort of covering, just lay a piece of parchment paper loosely on top of the pan.
• 10

  This dessert freezes well. Serve in the traditional paper cupcake papers.
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