• 33 sheets phyllo (filo)
• 8oz pistachios
• 8os walnuts
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 stick melted butter

syrup

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• fat squeeze of lemon juice

topping

• 1/4 cup sifted pistachio bits
• cinnamon to taste

1. To begin make the syrup so it’s completely cooled for later. Combine the sugar, honey, and water in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until it resembles a heavy syrup. Cool completely and add a squeeze of lemon. Reserve.
2. Add your pistachios to a food processor and pulse until it’s a coarse crumble with everything a similar size. I then take the pistachios and sift a bit of it to reserve some of the really fine stuff for the topping. To make that topping simply add a dash of cinnamon and reserve.
3. Pulse your walnuts until they’re the same size as the pistachios then combine the two. Add your cinnamon and cardamom and mix well. Reserve.
4. If you’re using store bought phyllo make sure it’s thawed. When using it, keep it covered with a very lightly damp towel so it doesn’t dry out while you’re working with it.
5. I used a 9″ cake pan for my baklava but you can also use a 9×13 baking dish. Also I place my melted butter in a small spray bottle, it’s a lot easier to apply evenly than a brush. If you don’t have a bottle you can use a pastry brush to apply the butter. But butter up the sides and bottom of your dish and begin layering the phyllo.
6. I place 9 sheets of phyllo on the bottom, buttering every other layer. Add 1/3 of the nuts, then 7 sheets of phyllo buttering every other layer. Another 1/3 of nuts, 7 sheets of phyllo buttering every other layer. Add the last of the nuts and for the remaining sheets of phyllo butter every layer, with a generous amount of butter on the very top. So the phyllo count is 9,7,7,10.
7. Place the baklava in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up, making it easier to cut. When it’s chilled, make a cuts going longways about 2″ apart. You should be looking at very long rectangles. Turn your dish and make cuts going diagonally two inches apart to create the diamond shape. You can take your knife and trace the pattern on top before you cut if you’re unsure.
8. Place the baklava into the oven at 350f/176c for one hour, or until the top is golden brown and flakey.
9. While it’s fresh out of the oven and still hot pour over the sugar syrup. Be careful, sometimes the syrup can bubble like crazy.
10. Let it cool completely then cover the top. Be careful with plastic wrap, the sticky top will cling to it and you might end up pulling it off. I just placed another dish on top. Let it sit at room temperature overnight preferably, but 6 hours at least so the nuts and phyllo harmonize and soak up the sugar syrup.
11. You can store this covered at room temperature for around a week. You can place it in the fridge but the phyllo will get soggy after a couple days. If you want it crispy keep it room temp.