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I got this idea from a fellow blogger, but I couldn’t help but make my own modifications.

If you like the sticky, sweet, nutty, flaky, deliciousness that is Greek Baklava you are in for a treat. This version is super easy, fairly fast, and totally yummy!

Baklava is traditionally a layered pastry dessert from the Ottoman Empire, made of phyllo (or filo) pastry, chopped nuts, and sweetened with honey. It can be made with pistachios or walnuts – I use both! Its name historically means ‘to tie, wrap up, or pile up’, so rolling it is not really that strange.

Rolled Baklava

1 cup roasted salted and shelled pistachios
1 cup walnut halves
½ 1 box of phyllo dough (20 sheets)
½ cup butter (melted)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
½ tsp lemon juice
¼ cup honey
½ tsp vanilla

To start you need to make a simple syrup.

-Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, honey and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat.
-Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes – stirring often.
-Set it aside to cool.

Next up is the filling.

-Add walnuts to your food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Then set them aside in another bowl.

-Add the pistachios to the food processor and pulse them until they are finely ground.
-Next, add 3 tablespoons of the syrup to your pistachios and pulse until the mixture is a course sticky paste.

At this point preheat the oven to 320ᵒ, then prepare a clean flat surface, a pan for baking (a 9 X 13 or a simple cookie sheet WITH a rim around the edges), and arrange the phyllo dough, pan, melted butter, walnut crumbles and pistachio paste in an easily reachable fashion.

-Take 2 sheets of phyllo, place it in front of you horizontally, and brush the top one lightly with butter (a pastry brush comes in handy here – if you do not have a pastry brush, a kitchen designated paintbrush works just as well).
-Scoop out a spoon full of the filling and roll it between your hands to form a long log shape (not pretty, but it sure will be tasty). Place the filling on one end.
-Sprinkle a handful of the ground walnuts on the rest of the buttered field of the phyllo sheet.
-Starting at the end with the pistachio filling roll the phyllo sheet up and place it in/on the baking pan.

Repeat those steps until you are out of phyllo sheets and filling.

Brush the rest of the butter on the tops of the baklava rolls in the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

-After removing them from the oven set them on a cooling rack or the stove top grates.
-Pour ½ cup of the remaining syrup over the top of the rolls, then let them cool.

Once they are cooled, cut them in half and serve!

*Serving Notes:*
Rolling them instead of the traditional layered way helps minimize the loss of flaky bits (phyllo psoriasis).
They are delicious by themselves, but serving them with pistachio or vanilla ice cream is nice too. If you go that route, you can use the remaining syrup to drizzle over the ice cream.
OR you can use the remaining syrup as a dipping sauce for your rolled baklava.

This dessert is easier than it looks to make, and it is so delicious. I hope y’all enjoy it.

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