Simple Fresh Apple Baklava 🍏

This light and delicious version of Baklava is

an easy to assemble traditional Greek style pastry.

Ingredients:

1 pound filo (phyllo) dough**

1 1/2 cups butter, melted

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2 large apples)

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups chopped toasted almonds

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup honey

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 15 x 10 inch (or 14.5 x 10.5 inch) baking pan with butter and set aside.

Add the raisins and rum extract to a bowl. Cover with just enough boiling water to cover and soak for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Place almonds in a single layer on an ungreased shallow pan. Bake for 4 minutes stir and contiue toasting for an additional 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place apple, walnuts, sugar, raisins, lemon peel, lemon juice and cinnamon in a bowl. Chop the almonds and add to the other ingredients. Stir to mix.

Unfold the filo dough and keep covered with a damp towel. Lay 10 sheets of dough in the bottom of the prepared pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter before laying another on top.

Spoon half of the apple and nut mixture over the dough. Spread in an even layer.

Top with 6 more buttered sheets of filo dough and another layer of the apples and nuts. Top with the remaining layers of dough, buttering each one. 

Use a serrated knife to score the pastry into 35 squares. 

Bake at 350* for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Warm the honey and drizzle over the top of the baked pastry. Cool. Store covered in the refrigerator. Makes 40 servings.

**Filo (phyllo) dough can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Store in the freezer at home and defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using. (If stored longterm in the refrigerator, the dough will become stale and/or rancid.

Notes:

Baklava is a rich, flaky and sweet pastry, mostly of nuts and honey, that originates from the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. The pastry has a rich history and many different variations. This simple version is a family favorite that I have been making since the early 1980's.