Talk about decadence! I was not prepared for the sticky and buttery goodness that this recipe would bring into my life. I won't lie to you, it's a little time consuming, but it makes a lot and it would be the perfect edition to your next party.
After spending a few months in the Middle East now, I've been able to enjoy some of the local treats - why there's not more Shawarma shops in the states, I'll never understand - but I haven't had a lot of the sweets here. I do love me some baklava though. This recipe is made with puff pastry instead of phyllo dough, so it's softer and fluffier than a typical papery, crispy baklava. Imagine the flakiest biscuit you can think of, add more butter, pistachios, and lots of honey, and you have this version!
Servings: 12-24 (depending on how you slice it)
Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 2 hrs 20 min
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs of puff pastry (4 sheets) - you can buy them at the store, or you can make your own
4 cups pistachios, shelled and coursely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp water
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp honey
1 cup melted butter
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll all 4 puff pastry sheets to fit a 9x11 baking dish.
Grease your baking dish with butter and place one of the puff pastry sheets in the bottom of the pan.
Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter and 1 tablespoon of honey over the puff pastry that's in the pan.
Lay another puff pastry sheet on top and drizzle with another 1/4 cup of butter.
In a medium bowl, combine 3 1/2 cups of your chopped pistachios, 1/4 cup of honey, sugar, and water. Spread mixture evenly over the puff pastry in the dish.
Add the third layer of puff pastry. Drizzle with 1/4 cup butter and another tablespoon of honey.
Finally, add the fourth layer of puff pastry to the top. Once again, you guessed it, drizzle with 1/4 cup of butter and a tablespoon of honey.
Cut the baklava prior to baking into diamonds or squares in the pan with a very sharp knife.
Bake for 90 minutes. The top of the puff pastry should be light golden brown.
Let cool completely before removing from pan. Drizzle with more honey if desired and garnish with the leftover pistachios.
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