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About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Crisp phyllo, buttery walnuts, warm cinnamon, and shiny lemon syrup make these Balkan baklava rolls sweet, elegant, and impossible to stop eating. 🍯

Ingredients

• Walnut filling 🌰
• 🌰 300 g walnuts, finely chopped (3 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🍚 60 g granulated sugar (¼ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌿 4 g ground cinnamon (2 tsp / 0.14 oz)
• 🧂 1 g fine sea salt (⅙ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🍋 2 g finely grated lemon zest (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• Phyllo rolls 🥐
• 🥐 450 g phyllo pastry sheets, thawed (1 lb)
• 🧈 180 g unsalted butter, melted (¾ cup / 6.3 oz) dairy
• 🫒 30 ml neutral oil or sunflower oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• Honey lemon syrup 🍯
• 🍚 250 g granulated sugar (1¼ cups / 8.8 oz)
• 💧 220 ml water (¾ cup + 2 tbsp / 7.4 fl oz)
• 🍯 90 g honey (¼ cup / 3.2 oz)
• 🍋 30 ml lemon juice (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍋 2 wide lemon peel strips
• 🌼 5 ml vanilla extract, optional (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• Finish ✨
• 🌰 30 g finely chopped walnuts, for topping (¼ cup / 1 oz)
• 🍯 15 g honey, optional drizzle (2 tsp / 0.5 oz)

Preparation

• 1 Make the syrup 🍯 In a small pot, combine sugar, water, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla if using. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 8 min until lightly glossy. Remove from heat and cool completely.
• 2 Mix the walnut filling 🌰 In a bowl, combine chopped walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Mix well so the walnuts are evenly fragrant and lightly sweet.
• 3 Prepare the phyllo 🥐 Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Mix melted butter with oil. Keep the phyllo sheets covered with a clean towel so they do not dry out while you work.
• 4 Roll the baklava ✨ Place one phyllo sheet on the work surface and brush lightly with butter. Add a second sheet on top and brush again. Sprinkle 3–4 tbsp walnut filling across the lower third, then roll tightly into a long log.
• 5 Cut and arrange 🔪 Cut each log into 4–5 smaller rolls. Place them seam-side down in a buttered baking dish, close together but not crushed. Repeat until all filling and phyllo are used.
• 6 Bake until crisp 🔥 Brush the tops generously with the remaining butter. Bake for 32–35 min until deeply golden, crisp, and flaky on top.
• 7 Syrup while hot 🍯 Immediately pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava rolls. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and let the rolls absorb the syrup slowly.
• 8 Rest before serving 🛋 Let the baklava rest for at least 2 h before serving. For the best texture, rest 4 h so the syrup reaches the center while the tops stay crisp.

Timing details

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving.

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