Armenian Paklava Recipe

Indulge in the rich and sweet flavors of Armenian Paklava with this easy-to-follow recipe. Discover the secret to creating layers of flaky pastry and ground nuts, all bathed in a luscious honey syrup, making it the perfect dessert for any occasion.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Armenian, Middle Eastern

Keyword Armenian Paklava Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 45

Servings slices

Calories 303kcal

Author Bon Appeteach

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 boxes Phyllo Dough defrosted but chilled
1 lb Clarified Butter see notes in the article on how to clarify butter

Walnut Filling

2 lb Walnuts
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt

Simple Syrup

2 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 Lemon juiced
Pinch of Salt

Instructions

Clarifying Butter

Place the butter pieces in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or a small skillet. Use a pan with a light-colored bottom so you can easily see the changes in the butter as it clarifies. Heat the butter over low to medium-low heat.
As the butter melts, it will start to foam on the surface. This foam is the milk solids separating from the butterfat. Use a spoon to gently skim off this foam and discard it.
Continue to cook the butter over low heat, and you will notice that the milk solids will settle at the bottom of the pan, and the clear, golden liquid on top is the clarified butter. Clarified butter is ready when the liquid becomes clear, and you can see a layer of milk solids at the bottom. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes. Be careful not to overheat the butter, as it can burn.
To ensure you remove all the milk solids, strain the clarified butter through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean container. The solids will be caught in the strainer, and you'll be left with pure, clarified butter to use for the phyllo dough.

Walnut Filling

In a food processor combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and pulse until a fine crumble forms. You do not want this to be to fine that it forms a paste so process with caution!

Building Your Paklava

Prep the area to start by removing the phyllo dough from the packaging. Phyllo can tear easily (mine often does but you can make it work- be patient) and also dry out quickly so keep plastic wrap or a damp towel near your work area to keep it covered.
Brush a thin layer of the clarified butter across the bottom and sides of the baking sheet.
To cover the bottom of a large baking sheet you will need two sheets total in one single layer across the bottom. After placing down the first layer, brush the top of the phyllo with butter and repeat the process until you have about 8 sheets layered (16 in total)
Next, half of the walnut filling across the bottom of the pan in a nice single layer then add two more buttered layers of the phyllo to cover it. Then finish it off with the second half of the walnut mixture and cover with another 10 layers of carefully placed phyllo, brushing with the butter between each layer.
Let it set up and cut into squares or the classic diagonal shapes (see photos and video on how to do this). Bake at 350 F. for 45-55 minutes or until the phyllo has puffed up and is golden brown on top.

Simple Syrup

While the paklava is baking, make the simple syrup by combing the water, sugar, lemon juice and pinch of salt together in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it fully cool to room temperature (the syrup shouldn't be hot when you pour it over the paklava).

Adding The Syrup To The Paklava

When the paklava is fully baked and golden brown remove it from the oven.
While the paklava is still hot, carefully pour only half of the simple syrup mixture over the sheets of cooked phyllo. Allow it to absorb and sink in and slowly continue to add as much is needed (you want it absorb into the phyllo and not pool up- sometimes I have extra syrup that I do not need).
Let it cool completely to room temperature and allow the syrup to set and absorb fully. Serve after a few hours or keep covered and stored for up to 7 days.

Notes

Feel free to experiment with different nuts like pistachios for example.

Nutrition