Baklava

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon crisco
• 1 lb phyllo dough, defrosted properly
• 1 -1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 cups walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brandy or 1 tablespoon cognac

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
• 2 melt butter (start with 2 sticks - you can always melt another stick if needed) and crisco together. coat the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 baking pan completely.
• 3 layer phyllo dough for bottom crust: lay down 1 sheet of phyllo and completely brush with melted butter. continue until you have 6 buttered sheets of phyllo.
• 4 mix the nuts, sugar and cinnamon together. sprinkle some of this mixture over your bottom crust.
• 5 then lay down 2 layers of phyllo, one at a time - each sheet needs buttering. sprinkle another coating of your nut mixture. continue alternating with 2 layers of buttered phyllo and a sprinkling of the nut mixture. (make sure you have at least 6 sheets of phyllo dough left for your top crust. ).
• 6 lay your 6 phyllo sheets, 1 buttered at a time, to create your top crust. use remainder of butter over top of crust. (if you didn't have enough butter, you could melt more.).
• 7 score pieces diagonally.
• 8 bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or whenever browned.
• 9 turn oven down to 350 degrees f. and cover baklava with foil. continue baking for another 30 minutes.
• 10 meanwhile make your syrup:.
• 11 boil sugar and water together. add honey, lemon juice and brandy.
• 12 turn to low heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens. this should take approximately 10 minutes. let cool.
• 13 when baklava is done cooking, pour the cooled syrup all over the top, while the baklava is still hot. cool the baklava and finish cutting. keep in a cool place.