Go Back
+ servings
Armenian paklava

Armenian Paklava

Christina Tsaturyan
A sweet, crispy, flaky, chewy, buttery, cinnamon-y walnut goodness that melts in your mouth!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine Armenian
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 1 16-oz. pkg. phyllo dough
  • 1 lb. chopped walnuts
  • 2-3 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 cup butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease the bottom and sides of pyrex dish with butter.
  • Chop walnuts to a medium fine consistency or pulse in a food processor. Sift with 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
  • In a separate saucepan, melt two cubes of butter (1 cup).
  • Unroll phyllo dough. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough in the casserole dish and with a pastry brush, apply a light layer of melted butter to the top. Place another sheet of phyllo dough on top and brush on another coating of butter. Repeat until you have 5 buttered sheets of phyllo dough. Then sprinkle chopped walnuts evenly over this layer.
  • Repeat with 5 more layers of phyllo dough, brushing a coating of butter on each sheet of dough. Spread another layer of chopped walnuts. Repeat these steps 4 more times until your layering is near the top of the casserole dish. For the final layer, add 10 sheets of phyllo dough. Cut through all layers crosswise, into 8 columns. Then cut diagonally into approximately 5 rows. You can also cut paklava by dividing with a cut lengthwise through the middle, then making two additional cuts on the top and bottom, for a total of four even rows and then cutting diagonally in the other direction.
  • Bake about 45 minutes or until paklava is golden brown. When paklava is done baking, pour over the top of the paklava. It will sizzle and crisp up the layers even more.
  • While baking, make the sugar syrup: Heat water in a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in sugar and honey and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer until it thickens. Then turn off heat and stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Plan on the syrup cooking for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Let cool before serving and keep loosely covered (to allow circulation and prevent sogginess) at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Keyword paklava
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!