Baklava with pistachios, walnuts and almonds

This particular recipe has been in our family for a few years now. My aunt had made home-made Baklava and I had no idea how easy it was to make until I got down to actually making it myself. Not only is Baklava relatively easy to make, it is also fun to make! Making the filling and preparing the layers is easy and somehow makes for great stress-relief. I typically use a little rose essence in the syrup but you can substitute it with flavor of choice.

Ingredients:

Filing:

2 lbs mixed nuts. (I used a mixture of pistachios, almonds, walnuts and pecans)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

Other Ingredients:
1/2 lb sweet butter

1/2 lb phyllo pastry

Syrup:

1 cup honey

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp grated orange peel(optional)

1 tsp rose essence

Directions:

1. In a food processor, grind or chop all the nuts to make a coarse nut mixture. I personally like my Baklava a little crunchy, but you can make it smooth, based on preference. Add in the cinnamon, allspice and sugar and set aside in a bowl. 

2. Melt the butter such that you can brush on the butter with a brush. Brush a 9x13 pan with some butter. Lay a sheet of the phyllo pastry on the bottom of the pan. Brush the sheet of phyllo with a layer of butter. Add another sheet and repeat brushing it on with butter. Every part of the phyllo sheet must be brushed with butter to bring out the flakiness.

3. For every 2-3 sheets of phyllo, add the nut mixture evenly throughout the pan. Repeat until you have used up around 9-12 phyllo sheets. I typically have 2-3 layers of nut mixture.

4. With a sharp knife, cut into the phyllo sheets and cut the phyllo sheets to make triangles or diamond shaped pieces. Insert a clove on the edges of the pieces, if you like. 

5. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour until the baklava has browned.

6. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, if you like, and let it cool.

7. When the Baklava has browned, remove from the oven, and pour the syrup over it evenly such that it penetrates into the layers. Let cool and then serve.