Baklava with Pistachio Nuts
Ingredients
Syrup
- 4 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks, each 3 inches long
- ¾ cups honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Nut mixture
- 1½ lb pistachio nuts
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
Pastry
- 1 lb phyllo dough, at room temperature
- 1¼ lb unsalted butter, melted
Steps
- Thaw frozen phyllo inside its unopened plastic package. To hurry, thaw the sealed package in warm water.
- Chop the nuts with the powdered cinnamon in a food processor to a fine chop, not powder.
- Combine sugar, honey, water, cinnamon sticks and lemon juice in a large pot. Stir. Boil to 220°F (100°C) on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from heat. Skim the top. Cool. Remove the cinnamon sticks. The lemon keeps the syrup from crystallizing.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan while the syrup boils. Clarifying is optional.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Open and unfold the phyllo. Brush the inside of the baking pan with melted butter. Cover unused phyllo with a damp towel while assembling. Keep the butter very liquid.
- Put 6 phyllo sheets in the pan, brushing each with melted butter. Set aside another 6 sheets for the top.
- Sprinkle a handful of nut mixture over the last sheet. Add another sheet and repeat until the last 6 sheets.
- Place the last 6 sheets on top, brushing each with butter. Cut all the way through into diamond shapes with a very sharp knife. Sprinkle the top with water.
- Bake 1 hour, until the tops are medium golden brown. Remove from oven. Ladle the cool syrup over the hot pastry.
- Sit 5–15 minutes. Drain excess syrup by tilting the pan up to 45 degrees. Cool to near room temperature before eating.
Notes from the original
- For the syrup, you can add more honey and reduce the amount of sugar.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Baklava with Pistachio Nuts” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-10-26, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.






