| Preparation time | 30 min |
| Cooking Time | 1 h |
| Ready In | 3 h |
| Level of Difficulty | Moderate |
| Servings | 8 |
Ingredients
Filling2 1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios or a combination)1/2 box phyllo dough, thawed in the refrigerator overnight2/3 cup butter1/3 cup chopped tart cherries1 teaspoon cinnamonzest of 1 orangeSyrup1/2 cup water (or less)1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup honeyzest of 1 orangeJuice of 2 oranges
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place butter in a microwave safe bowl, heat for one minute or until melted. Lightly brush a 2 qt rectangular baking dish (roughly half the size of a 9x13 pan).
- Place nuts in a food processor and roughly pulse until the nuts are small even sized pieces. Add cinnamon, tart cherries and orange zest. Pulse two more times to blend.
- Remove phyllo dough from the package and wrap in a damp towel (a flour cloth towel works very well for this). Take one sheet and fold it in half and lay in the bottom of the dish, evenly and lightly brush with butter. Repeat this step 3 more times (this will equal 8 phyllo layers).
- Evenly sprinkle a layer of nuts on top of the phyllo, till the phyllo is just covered. Fold another phyllo sheet in half, place over the nuts and brush with butter, repeat with another folded phyllo and butter. Continue this process until all the nut mixture is used, ending with nuts on the top.
- Finish the layers, by folding the remaining phyllo sheets in half, brushing with butter and repeating until the remainder of the sheets are used. Melt more butter if necessary, if there is extra butter pour it over the top.
- Cut baklava into diamonds about 2" big, about 12 pieces. Use a sharp knife and cut all the way through to the the bottom. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown and flaky on top.
- While the baklava is baking make syrup. Add juice to a measuring cup, add just enough water to bring it to 1/2 cup. In a medium saucepan combine water, sugar, honey, zest and orange juice. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer, simmer long enough to have the sugar completely dissolve. Remove from heat.
- Pour syrup over baklava. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours and preferably 4 or more.