Prep time 20 minutes, baking time 35-40 minutes, makes about 40 pieces
For those days when you are having guests over for tea, this baklava recipe is the perfect dessert to satiate their sweet tooth. Unlike other baklava that have flakier layers, Azerbaijani baklava is known for it’s softer bite and lower sugar content. The combination of eggs, walnuts, and sugar make for a sweet caramel-like filling, while the cardamom gives it a unique Middle Eastern flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 sheets puff pastry dough
- 2 pounds of walnuts
- 1 teaspoon of cardаmom
- 4 eggs yoks
- 4 egg whites
- 2 cups of sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of honey
Instructions
- Ground walnuts into a coarse consistency using a food processor.
- In the bowl add sugar, cardamom, vanilla, and grounded walnuts, and egg whites. Mix everything thoroughly to create the filling.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour over your rolling surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry dough to roughly 1/8 inch thickness. Press the dough into the baking pan and cut the edges to fit the size of the pan.
- Melt the butter in a microwave and brush the dough with it. Spread 1/2 of the filling over the dough, making sure to cover it all.
5.Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the second layer of puff pastry dough and filling.
6.Repeat step 3 for the last layer of puff pastry dough. Then beat the egg yolks from earlier, brushing the top layer with it. Use a butter knife to draw a shallow diamond shape pattern over the entire sheet. Decorate each diamond with walnut halves.
7.Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. When fully preheated, bake baklava for 20 minutes. Remove sheet and complete the previous shallow diamond cuts all the way to the bottom of the baking sheet with a large sharp knife.
8.Drizzle the top with 1/2 cup of honey. Put back into the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until the baklava is golden. Once golden, remove the sheet from the oven and let it cool for about an hour. Once cool, serve.
