A cross between Armenian paklava and cheese borek, Shaabiyat Lebanese Pastry is a buttery, flaky, lightly-sweetened pastry that is filled with a thick, creamy goodness. Topped with an orange blossom syrup and a sprinkling of toasted pistachio nuts, Shaabiyat makes for a pretty presentation as well.
Just one bite of these delicate pastries will have you thinking you have died and gone to heaven! What could be better than layers of paper-thin sheets of phyllo dough brushed with butter and then filled with cream? Serve them with a cup of hot cocoa for breakfast or dessert!
Jump to:
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Shaabiyat Lebanese Pastry?
- phyllo dough
- butter
- half and half
- heavy whipping cream
- farina
- sugar
- honey
- orange blossom water
- lemon juice
- toasted or honey roasted pistachio nuts (optional)
How Do I Make Shaabiyat Lebanese Pastry?
Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. You'll want to make sure that the dough is completely thawed before working with it or it will stick together and tear.
Pour half and half and heavy cream into a sauce pan and then heat on medium high heat until it begins to boil. Slowly add the farina and continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken, approximately 10 minutes. Then pour the mixture into a cookie sheet to cool quickly.
For the orange blossom sugar syrup: Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until it boils, then reduce the temperature and simmer until it thickens, approximately 20 minutes. Stir in the orange blossom water and lemon juice and then turn off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
Next, carefully unfold the phyllo dough and cover it with a moistened dish towel to prevent it from drying out while working with the dough. Cut the phyllo dough into thirds, lengthwise. Then lay one strip of dough on a buttered cutting board or silicone sheet. Brush this sheet with melted butter. Place another sheet on top of the first and butter the top of this sheet. Finally, place a third sheet on top of the second and butter this sheet.
To save time, you can lay three strips of phyllo dough side by side, butter those all at once, and then butter and layer two more on top of each of those.
Scoop about two tablespoons of the cream mixture into one of the corners of the phyllo dough layers, then fold up the layers, flag-fold style into a triangle shape to seal in the cream.
Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Pour the sugar syrup over the hot Shaabiyat–it will sizzle as you do so. For an extra special presentation and added flavor, garnish with finely-chopped, toasted or honey roasted pistachio nuts. Let the Shaabiyat cool slightly and then transfer it to a dish to serve fresh and warm. If desired, you can drizzle a little extra syrup on top.
If you're not going to eat them right away, you could cover them in air-tight wrap and freeze them before baking them. To reheat any leftovers, it's best to heat them in an oven.
📖 Recipe
Shaabiyat Lebanese Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 lb of phyllo dough
- 2-3 cubes of butter 8-12 ounces for brushing on the phyllo dough
Filling
- 1 quart half and half
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup farina
Sugar Syrup
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Optional
- ½ cup chopped toasted or honey roasted pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours. You'll want to make sure that the dough is completely thawed before working with it or it will stick together and tear.
- Pour half and half and heavy cream into a sauce pan and then heat on medium high heat until it begins to boil. Slowly add the farina and continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken, approximately 10 minutes. Then pour the mixture into a cooking sheet to cool quickly.
- For the orange blossom sugar syrup: Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until it boils, then reduce the temperature and simmer until it thickens, approximately 20 minutes. Stir in the orange blossom water and lemon juice and then turn off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature.
- Next, carefully unfold the phyllo dough and cover with a moistened dish towel to prevent it from drying out while working with the dough. Cut the phyllo dough into thirds, lengthwise. Then lay one strip of dough on a buttered cutting board or silicone sheet. Brush this sheet with melted butter. Place another sheet on top of the first and butter the top of this sheet. Finally, place a third sheet on top of the second and butter this sheet.
- To save time, you can lay three strips of phyllo dough side by side, butter those all at once, and then butter and layer two more on top of each of those.
- Scoop about two tablespoons of the cream mixture into one of the corners of the phyllo dough layers, then fold up the layers, flag-fold style into a triangle shape to seal in the cream.
- Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 16-18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Pour the sugar syrup over the hot Shaabiyat–it will sizzle as you do so. For an extra special presentation and added flavor, garnish with finely-chopped, toasted or honey roasted pistachio nuts. Let the Shaabiyat cool slightly and then transfer it to a dish to serve fresh and warm. If desired, you can drizzle a little extra syrup on top. If you're not going to eat them right away, you could cover them in air-tight wrap and freeze them before baking them. If you want to reheat any leftovers, It's best to heat them in an oven.
Sarah says
My sitto used to make this!! Wonderful recipe!