Homemade Chocolate Baklava

Homemade Chocolate Baklava - Buttery layers of crisp phyllo dough, filled with roasted nuts and bittersweet chocolate and soaked in a cinnamon scented honey syrup!

WHAT IS BAKLAVA?

Baklava is a pastry dessert made by layering thin sheets of phyllo dough and then filled with chopped nuts and fruits and is finished with a honey syrup. This delicious dessert can be found in middle eastern, Turkish and Greek Cuisine.

Baklava is easily one of my favorite desserts! It's buttery and rich and has a lovely crisp and gooey texture. Truly a unique dessert! This is my take on baklava and by no means is traditional. I've made it a bit easier for the modern home baker. Traditionally, baklava has 40 layers of phyllo, but my version only has 28 sheets and I've added chocolate.

INGREDIENTS FOR BAKLAVA

• Phyllo Sheets - Phyllo dough can be found in the freezer section of your market.
• Hazelnuts & Almonds - I used a combination of roasted hazelnuts and almonds, but feel free to use pistachios, walnuts or pecans.
• Chocolate - Bittersweet chocolate to dark chocolate is best. I used Ghirardelli's 60% chocolate chips. I would advised against milk chocolate as it will be too sweet with the honey syrup.
• Cinnamon - Cinnamon is a must! It works so well with the chocolate and adds an extra layer of flavor.
• Cardamom - Cardamon is optional, but I love the flavor it lends.
• Butter - Use unsalted butter. We will be melting the butter and brushing each layer of phyllo dough.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BAKLAVA

1. In the bowl of your food processor fitted with an 'S' blade, pulse almonds and hazelnuts until you get medium to small pieces. Transfer to a medium sized bowl.

2. Next, add your chocolate into the bowl of your processor and pulse until you get small pieces. Transfer to the bowl with your nuts.

3. Add cinnamon and cardamom and mix until combined.

4. Unroll your thawed phyllo sheets and trim to fit your 9x9 inch (22.8 x 22.8 cm) pan. Place damp kitchen towel on top to prevent the dough from drying out.

Assembly

5. Bush melted butter to the bottom and sides of the pan. Add your first sheet of phyllo and lightly brush your butter on top of every single sheet. Repeat with 7 more sheets. You should end up with a total of 8 for the first layer.

6. Next, evenly spread a third of your nut/chocolate mixture on top.

7. Add 5 more sheets of phyllo, making sure to butter in between each sheet.

8. Evenly spread another third of the nut/chocolate mixture on top.

9. Add 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering in between each layer and then add the rest of the nut/chocolate mixture on top. Top with a final 10 sheets of phyllo, remembering to butter in between each layer.

• Layer 1 - Start with 8 sheets of phyllo
• Layer 2- A third of the nut/chocolate mixture
• Layer 3 - 5 more sheets of phyllo
• Layer 4 - Another third of the nut/chocolate mixture
• Layer 5 - 5 more sheets of phyllo
• Layer 6 - The rest of the nut/chocolate mixture
• Layer 7 - Finish with 10 layers of phyllo.

Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will allow the baklava to firm up and will make it easy to cut.

10. Remove the baklava from the freezer and with a sharp knife, cut the baklava into 9 equal squares. It doesn't have to be perfect, so don't fret!

11. Next, cut each square diagonally, leaving you with 18 triangles. Bake at 325ºF (162ºC) for 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS FOR HONEY SYRUP

• Water
• White Sugar
• Cinnamon Stick - This is optional. The cinnamon stick imparts a subtle cinnamon flavor to the syrup. Alternatively, you can add a pinch of ground cinnamon.
• Honey

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HONEY SYRUP

1. While the baklava is baking, we will make the honey syrup. In a saucepan over medium heat, add water, sugar and cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer.

2. After 5 minutes, add your honey and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the syrup to cool in the pan with the cinnamon stick.

3. Once the baklava comes out of the oven, remove the cinnamon stick and pour the honey syrup on top of the baklava, making sure to get in all the nooks and crevasses. Allow to sit for 4 to 5 hours before serving. Overnight is even better.

TIPS FOR MAKING BAKLAVA

• Thaw the phyllo in the fridge the night before. Phyllo dough can last for 3 weeks in the fridge.
• Phyllo dough can be tricky to work with as it can tear and dry out easily. When you unroll your phyllo, place a damp kitchen towel of top. Everytime you grab a sheet, don't forget to place the damp towel back on top.
• Make sure to precut your baklava before baking. It will be a crispy mess if you do it after it bakes. Placing the baklava in the freezer for 15 minutes will firm it up and will help make cutting them easier.
• Make sure you syrup is completely cooled before pouring over the hot baklava. This is the key to keeping those layers crispy. You can always start with making the syrup first before prepping the baklava or make a day ahead and leave it in the fridge until needed.

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