Baklava Cookies Recipes

BAKLAVA PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until well incorporated. Shape dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll.
• Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. In a small saucepan, heat honey and cinnamon over medium heat, stirring until honey has liquefied and cinnamon is incorporated. Add walnuts and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 13x10-inch rectangle. Using a butter knife, spread honey-walnut mixture evenly over the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges.
• Starting with the long side, tightly roll the dough, jelly-roll style, to form a log. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Unwrap dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices, cut-side down, 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges begin to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove baking sheets to a cooling rack and let cookies cool completely.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine the nuts, cinnamon and ground crackers in a bowl.
• Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the butter. Layer 10 pieces of phyllo in the dish, brushing each piece with butter before adding the next (keep the remaining dough covered with a damp towel). Sprinkle a quarter of the nut mixture over the dough. Layer 4 pieces of phyllo on top, brushing each with butter before adding the next; sprinkle with another quarter of the nut mixture. Add 4 more phyllo pieces on top, brushing each with butter, then add another quarter of the nut mixture, 4 more pieces of phyllo with butter, and the remaining nuts.
• Layer the remaining 10 pieces of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing each with butter; brush the top piece with extra butter. Cut into the baklava to make strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal slices, about 1 1/2 inches apart, to create a diamond pattern. Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup: Bring the sugar, honey and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice and boil 2 more minutes, then let cool slightly.
• Pour the syrup over the warm baklava; let soak, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with nuts.

BAKLAVA THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until firm enough to form into balls, about 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. For topping, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; refrigerate again if dough becomes too warm. Place 2-1/2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Press a deep indentation in center of each cookie with the back of a rounded teaspoon. Fill each with honey and walnuts; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Return to oven and bake until edges begin to brown, 7-9 minutes longer. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cloves; set aside. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter. Unroll 1 package phyllo dough; cut stack into a 10-1/2x9-in. rectangle. Repeat with remaining phyllo. Discard scraps., Line bottom of prepared pan with 2 sheets of phyllo dough (sheets will overlap slightly). Brush with butter. Repeat layers 14 times. (Keep dough covered with a damp towel until ready to use to prevent it from drying out.) , Spread with 2 cups walnut mixture. Top with 5 layers of phyllo dough, brushing with butter between each sheet. Spread with remaining walnut mixture. Top with 1 layer of phyllo dough; brush with butter. Repeat 14 times. Cut into 2-1/2-in. squares; cut each square in half diagonally. Brush remaining butter over top. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown., In a large saucepan, bring syrup ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and discard zest; cool to lukewarm. Pour syrup over warm baklava.

GREEK BAKLAVA

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.

BAKLAVA BLONDIES

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray and line with a piece of parchment paper so that it has 2 inches of overhang on 2 sides of the pan.
• To make the batter: In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, honey, salt, cinnamon, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together for 1 minute until smooth. Add the egg and whisk to incorporate. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Fold in the nuts, scrape into the prepared baking dish and bake until puffed and golden brown on the edges but still light in the center, 28 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan to room temperature.
• Remove the blondie from the pan and spread the Frosting on top in a swirly layer. Garnish with chopped pistachios and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the frosting to get firm for nice slicing. Slice into diamond-shaped bars and serve.
• To prepare the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and honey until light and creamy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice and salt, then whip for 2 to 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy.

EXQUISITE AND ADDICTIVE ROLLED BAKLAVA COOKIES

Steps:

• Spread out one sheet of phyllo dough.
• Keep the other sheets covered with a damp towel to prevent from drying and becoming brittle.
• Lightly brush with butter or spray the oil.
• Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first sheet.
• Brush 2nd sheet with butter or oil and sprinkle the nut, sugar, and cinnamon filling lightly over whole sheet.
• Place a third sheet of phyllo dough over first two sheets.
• Brush with butter or oil and lightly sprinkle nut filling again.
• Roll the 3 sheets up tightly as you would a cigar or jellyroll.
• Slice diagonally into 1 or 2 inch pieces and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet with sides *make sure you have sides on your cookie sheet (aka "jelly roll pan").
• Repeat until all the phyllo dough and filling have been used, using three sheets for each roll.
• Brush tops of baklava pieces with melted butter and sprinkle with raw (turbinado) sugar.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven to cool. Leave in pan.
• In a saucepan heat the honey, sugar, water, and lemon rind together and bring to a boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour over cooled baklava pieces. You may have to turn them once to make sure they are completely saturated with the syrup.
• Let them stay in pan long enough to absorb the syrup.
• Eat and then serve what is left; or serve and eat. It is your choice, but I guarantee there will never be any left!
• Cover and refrigerate. These can be frozen.