Easy Vegan Baklava
I love making a big pan of baklava for a group gathering or picnic, its always a crowd pleaser! Its very easy, most of the work is simply assembling, and don’t worry about the phyllo dough; it’s actually much more forgiving than people give it credit for. In my recipe, I prefer to sub maple syrup for the honey, but that does have a more distinctive flavor… you might prefer agave syrup instead. I also add a little orange zest for just an extra little flavor lift, but that’s completely optional… or, add your own twist! I enjoy 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 pistachio , but you can use any combination of walnuts, pistachio, almonds… or other! Be sure to read the instructions on the phyllo dough, plan ahead for defrosting time!
Ingredients:
— 1lb phyllo dough
— 1lb raw walnuts and pistachios
— 1 tsp ground cinnamon
— 1 cup vegan butter, melted ( i have made it once with oil, and it was perfectly good!)
— 1 tsp vanilla extract
— 1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar (i like to go a little light on the sugar here…but as you like.)
—1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup
— 1 cup water
— 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
add nuts and cinnamon to a food processor and grind together. Have your nut mix, melted butter, thawed phyllo and 9x13 pan set out at your work station.
brush the bottom of the pan with butter, lay 2 sheets down, and brush the top sheet with butter. Repeat until you have 8 sheets as a base. Sprinkle with two heaping spoonfuls of nut mixture, lay 2 more sheets of phyllo down, and each time, brush the top layer with butter. Repeat until you are out of nuts or until there are six sheets of phyllo left. Stack the final 6 layers on top of the pan. With a sharp knife score the pan into the shape of your choice, squares or triangles.
Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for about 45 minutes. Sometimes it needs an extra few minutes for the top to get nicely browned.
While the baklava is baking, put the water, sugar, maple, and vanilla into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Take the baklava out of the over and pour the syrup evenly over the pan. (here’s where i sprinkle a little orange zest over the top)
allow to cool and then with a sharp knife go ahead and cut all the way through the shapes, and serve! Lasts for weeks in the fridge and months in the freezer (i’ve never had enough left over to freeze)
