Description
Merging Southern pecan pie tradition with Middle Eastern baklava creates a delightful fusion dessert. Crisp phyllo layers, buttery pecans, and rich honey syrup combine in a luxurious sweet treat that satisfies global palate cravings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz (454 g) phyllo dough, thawed
- 2.5 cups (300 g) chopped pecans
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (240 ml) honey
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) light corn syrup
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 0.5 cup (120 ml) water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp bourbon (optional, for depth of flavor)
Instructions
- Pecan Mixture Preparation: Blend finely chopped pecans with brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl, creating a fragrant, textured filling for layering.
- Oven and Dish Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish to establish a golden, crisp foundation.
- Phyllo Layering Technique: Carefully stack phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter, alternating between buttered phyllo and pecan mixture to build delicate, flaky layers.
- Baklava Assembly: Continue layering until all ingredients are used, ensuring even distribution of pecan mixture and finishing with a top layer of buttered phyllo sheets.
- Pre-Baking Scoring: Use a sharp knife to create elegant diamond or square cuts across the unbaked pastry, facilitating easier serving after baking.
- Baking Process: Bake for 45-50 minutes, monitoring until the surface turns golden-brown and edges become crisp, indicating perfect doneness.
- Syrup Creation: Combine honey, corn syrup, brown sugar, water, vanilla, salt, and bourbon in a saucepan, bringing to a boil before reducing to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes.
- Syrup Application: Immediately after removing baklava from the oven, pour warm syrup evenly over the hot pastry, ensuring complete saturation and flavor infusion.
- Resting and Flavor Development: Allow baklava to rest for at least 4 hours or overnight, enabling the pastry to absorb the syrup and intensify its decadent flavor profile.
Notes
- Prepare Precise Layers: Brush each phyllo sheet carefully with melted butter to create a consistently flaky and crisp texture throughout the baklava.
- Control Oven Temperature: Watch closely during baking to prevent over-browning, rotating the dish if needed to ensure even golden coloration and prevent burning.
- Master Syrup Absorption: Pour warm syrup over hot baklava immediately after baking to guarantee maximum flavor penetration and a moist, rich dessert.
- Optimize Resting Time: Allow baklava to sit for at least 4 hours or overnight, enabling the pastry to fully soak up the syrup and develop deep, complex flavors.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American-Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 408
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg