Homemade Baklava

When I moved out to Colorado for college I was absolutely stunned that my friends had never heard of baklava. There are very few Middle Eastern restaurants in Colorado, so I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Finding a way to veganize this treat was difficult, but they actually turned out pretty well and I plan to perfect it soon!

What you need: a roll of filo dough, a bag of pistachios/pine nuts/walnuts, vegan butter (I used Earth Balance), sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey.

Here’s the recipe:

• Blend 1 c pine nuts, 1 c pistachios, and 1 c walnuts until they are a grainy consistency

• Spread 8 layers of filo dough on a wide square baking dish

• Spread melted vegan butter on top of the filo dough

• Spread your nut mix on top of the butter and sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon on top of that

• Repeat the process of layers of filo dough, butter, nut mix, and cinnamon several times until your dish is filled

• Cut into diamond shapes

• Bake at 350 for 50 minutes

• While that’s baking, mix & boil 1 c coconut sugar, 1/2 c honey, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 c water for 5 min

• Right after you take your baklava out of the oven, pour your sugar mixture on top, let cool and enjoy!