Walnut, Cinnamon and Halloumi Baklava
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:9 large or 16 small pieces
- 2tablespoons/30 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 1½cups/130 grams walnut halves, roasted and finely chopped into ⅛-inch/3-millimeter pieces
- ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon/20 grams granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
- 16sheets of 9-by-9-inch/23-by-23 centimeter phyllo pastry (about 200 grams; phyllo sheets come in different sizes, so just cut them down accordingly)
- 5tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 1½scant cups/130 grams coarsely grated halloumi cheese (5 ounces/140 grams)
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½tablespoons rose water
- 1teaspoon dried rose petals, to garnish
For the Filling
For the Pastry Sheets
For the Rose Water Syrup
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (9 servings)
397 calories; 24 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 309 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/240 degrees Celsius. Mix together all the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
- Step 2
Place one sheet of pastry in an 8-by-8-inch/20-by-20-centimeter baking pan, preferably one with low edges, arranging the pastry so the sides of the sheet rise up the sides of the pan. Brush with a little butter and continue in the same way with 7 more sheets of pastry, brushing each with butter, until you have layered 8 sheets of pastry.
- Step 3
Scatter the grated halloumi on top of the pastry and then sprinkle all of the walnut mixture over evenly. Place another layer of pastry on top, pressing down securely. Brush with more butter and continue with the remaining 7 layers of pastry in the same way. Brush the final layer with butter and use your fingers to gently tuck the pastry edges underneath the baklava so you get a neat edge (a bit like making a bed).
- Step 4
Using a small sharp knife, cut the baklava into 9 or 16 pieces, allowing the knife almost to reach the bottom, but not quite. Transfer to oven and bake for 18 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through baking until baklava is dark golden-brown and crisp on top.
- Step 5
While the baklava is baking, make the rose water syrup: Heat sugar and ⅓ cup/90 milliliters water in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, swirling every once in a while until the sugar has dissolved and started to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add lemon juice and rose water and let simmer gently for 6 to 7 minutes, until you have about ¾ cup/180 milliliters of slightly thickened syrup left. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Step 6
As soon as the baklava has been removed from the oven, pour two-thirds of the syrup over it and sprinkle with rose petals, crushing them slightly as you go. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly, and then serve each slice warm, with an extra 1 or 2 teaspoons of syrup drizzled on top.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Marybeth Wright
What is halloumi cheese and where can you find it? Can you substitute
another cheese if that is unavailable?
Carolyn G.
Halloumi cheese can usually be found in whole food markets like Sprouts, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes (sometimes). It is also known as "Grilling Cheese" - so if you see a package that says that, its Halloumi cheese :)
MT
Halloumi is a Greek cheese made of sheep's milk. It has some semi-unique properties (i.e. can be grilled without melting) so I'm not sure how substitution would work. I've found it pretty regularly in the fancy cheese section of multiple grocery stores.
Mary
The butter is not the problem contributing to your cholesterol issue. It's the pastry and the sugar. Read Mark Hyman, MD and David Perlmutter, MD.
Shelley
The texture of the crispy phyllo and the crunchy filling are perfect here with the warm halloumi. Most phyllo is sold frozen; defrost it slowly in the fridge, and handle with care. Serve the baklava warm if you can — so that the cheese remains soft — straight out of the oven with some ice cream and a drizzle of the syrup. It also works at room temperature, with a coffee, but once it has cooled don’t be tempted to reheat it in the oven.
marlette
If you can't find halloumi you can substitute Queso Blaco, which is a Latin American cheese.
Tina Dimitrion
Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese that can be found in Greek and Mediterranean markets. There are Halloumi "style" cheeses on the market that you can grill, grate or eat, but IMHO not as delicious as the imported. An excellent way to eat Halloumi is to slice it and put it in a non stick frying pan and let it brown on each side. Also great served with watermelon, either sliced or in a watermelon salad. I've seen recipes for ravioli with halloumi that sound really good too.
Leobot
Delicious and not as intimidating as I thought it would be for a phyllo novice. The cinnamon kind of masked the halloumi and rose syrup. Next time I might go with 1/2 teaspoon of it, but that is just a personal quibble.
Diane Takvorian
Baking at 450 degrees is way too hot, from my perspective. The top layer was brown halfway through the baking time so i had to cover it. I have been making traditional baklava for a long time and never baked it at more than 350. I'll do that next time. Otherwise it was delicious and the cheese cut the sweetness to make it that much better.
Dyl Pepino
Wasn't able to find rose water in time so I substituted with vanilla extract, worked well. Don't be intimidated by the phyllo but I'd echo the comment below to allow enough time to let it defrost if frozen. I had some cracking which wasn't the end of the world since the layers can still be pieced together if needed.
CL
I miss baklava having developed nut allergy in adulthood. I often sub sunflower seeds for walnuts in baking and wanted to try with this. (130g sunflower seeds is slightly > 1 c) It worked and was tasty, but didn’t hold together as well as I remember. I read notes and decided to try layering the filling (like Mom did) so that may be reason; or might’ve been the seeds needed more finely chopped. Reduced spices to 1/2tsp ea & it was perfect.
Ruth
I use unsalted pistachios instead of walnuts. I first had pistachio baklava in Izmir, Turkey, and fell in love with it. They made 5 different types and yes, I tried each! My Greek neighbor has spoiled us with fresh baklava, still warm from the oven and uses either pistachios or walnuts in hers. Both are delicious!
Diane Takvorian
Baking at 450 degrees is way too hot, from my perspective. The top layer was brown halfway through the baking time so i had to cover it. I have been making traditional baklava for a long time and never baked it at more than 350. I'll do that next time. Otherwise it was delicious and the cheese cut the sweetness to make it that much better.
Jessica
Surprised that this is only one nut/cheese layer. Makes it much easier, but think I may layer it more next time, as I will miss the crunch and the haloumi would help keep the layers together. I am having trouble keeping the top on the pieces, even with the syrup...
Shelley
The texture of the crispy phyllo and the crunchy filling are perfect here with the warm halloumi. Most phyllo is sold frozen; defrost it slowly in the fridge, and handle with care. Serve the baklava warm if you can — so that the cheese remains soft — straight out of the oven with some ice cream and a drizzle of the syrup. It also works at room temperature, with a coffee, but once it has cooled don’t be tempted to reheat it in the oven.
ihatecooking0101
idk what happen but it fall apart and did not hold the shape!! i think i won't add lemon next time.
Leyla
In order to get better results, more sheets of phyllo and the butter must be clarified prior to brushing on the dough. Little heavy on the rose water. (And to be completely honest, nothing will ever compare to my mom's recipe so I'm not coming from an unbiased place).
biztravelhou
Disappointed with the results of this dish. It was savory, not a dessert baklava like you find at typical Mediterranean restaurants.
Leobot
Delicious and not as intimidating as I thought it would be for a phyllo novice. The cinnamon kind of masked the halloumi and rose syrup. Next time I might go with 1/2 teaspoon of it, but that is just a personal quibble.
Tina Dimitrion
Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese that can be found in Greek and Mediterranean markets. There are Halloumi "style" cheeses on the market that you can grill, grate or eat, but IMHO not as delicious as the imported. An excellent way to eat Halloumi is to slice it and put it in a non stick frying pan and let it brown on each side. Also great served with watermelon, either sliced or in a watermelon salad. I've seen recipes for ravioli with halloumi that sound really good too.
Sara
Made this for mother's day--it was the only dessert that got fully eaten! Some notes: the halloumi and rose water flavors were quite strong. My salt sensitive family would've halved the amount. For the rose water I might switch to orange blossom when I make again, or less rose water.
csutak
Soon as as I saw the halloumi as an ingredient, I knew I will never try this. I just can not eat halloumi, find it unbearably salty. So, putting it into a sweet dish... Not my cup of tea
kalu
If you can't find halloumi, then firm feta (ie Greek style rather than danish style) is a reasonable substitute-they both have a strong salty flavour
Ellen Tabor
I think kaseri would work as well.
Tessa
Or panela (Mexican grilling cheese/basket cheese) is usually less salty but keeps its shape well. Paneer might also work.
marlette
If you can't find halloumi you can substitute Queso Blaco, which is a Latin American cheese.
Summer K
just an FYI halloumi is an Arabic name. You might find it in Greek stores.
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