Well, as soon as I got back to my cabin that night, I got on the internet and searched for recipes for this delicious dessert. I found quite a few and stored them for when I would get home. Let me tell you: it was amazing. It was a bit complicated, but totally worth it, if you ask me! The taste of this cannot be compared to anything you buy at a store. Homemade is always best for this dessert. You will not regret it at all!
Check out what our friends over at Baking Sense had to say about this:
“Apple Maple Baklava still has everything you love about the ancient treat – many leaves of Phyllo dough layered with walnuts and sweet syrup – but with typical American fall flavors added.”
Oh yes, you are going to love this dessert!
Ingredients
Pastry
16 oz box (about 40 sheets) Phyllo dough, defrosted
1 cup Land O’ Lakes unsalted butter, melted
1 Pound (4 cups, 550 g) shelled walnuts
1/4 cup Domino granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2-3 apples, peeled, cored and diced (about 3 cups of diced apples)
Syrup
1 cup Domino granulated sugar
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
Seeds and pod from 1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 cup (2 oz, 65 ml) lemon juice
Instructions
Make the Pastry
Preheat the oven to 325°F convection or 350°F regular
Combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves in a food processor and grind to a coarse texture
Unroll the Phyllo sheets and cover them with a damp towel so they don’t dry out
Brush the bottom and sides of a 9″x 13″ baking pan with butter
Lay a sheet of Phyllo into the bottom of the pan
Sprinkle the sheet with butter and lay another sheet of Phyllo on top
Layer 10 sheets of Phyllo, sprinkling with butter between every sheet
Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnuts over the dough
Sprinkle 1/3 of the diced apples over the walnuts
Layer another 10 Phyllo sheets with butter
Sprinkle with 1/2 the remaining walnuts and apples
Layer another 10 Phyllo sheets with butter
Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and apples
Finish layering the remaining Phyllo sheets with butter
Brush the entire top layer with butter so it doesn’t dry out
Use a sharp knife to cut the top section of phyllo sheets lengthwise into 6 strips about 1.5 inches wide
Cut strips diagonally to form diamonds
Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown
Make the Syrup
Combine everything but the lemon juice in a small saucepan
Bring the syrup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
Add the Lemon Juice and allow to cool to room temperature
Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and vanilla bean pod
Finish
As soon as the baklava is removed from the oven cut through the scored lines all the way to the pan
Pour the syrup over the hot baklava
Allow the baklava to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving
USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW.
Quick Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature
Thanks again to Baking Sense for this amazing recipe.
