Maple season will soon be upon us so now is the time to put new recipes out there for all the maple syrup enthusiasts. After all, there is much more that can be done with this delicious sweetener than pour it on waffles and pancakes.
I am not the first to come up with the idea of making baklava with maple syrup as a sweetener, but all the recipes I found on line also added refined white sugar. It is beyond me why one would want to mix maple and sugar since avoiding the latter is one good reason to use the former. To cut the sweetness of the syrup, I used some plain almond milk, but any milk would work fine. This and a conservative amount of syrup resulted in delicious but not overly sweet dessert. If you want it sweeter, you can add more syrup. Walnuts seemed like the logical choice for the filling since they pair so well with maple, but hazelnuts, pistachios or a mixture of any of these would also work well.
Maple Walnut Baklava
Ingredients
filo pastry
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cup almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground sumac (optional)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
Method
Chop the nuts and mix well with the spices.
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Butter the base of a 9″ square pan. Place two sheets of filo pastry in the pan and brush with some melted butter. Repeat this three more times for a total of eight sheets of filo. Sprinkle two cups of the nuts over the pastry, then cover with two more sheets of filo. Brush with butter and repeat with two more sheets. Brush the top with more butter and sprinkle the remaining nuts on top. Cut with a sharp knife into squares or diamond shapes.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden.
Mix and heat the syrup and milk and pour over the pan. Allow to cool.
I’m off to Fiesta Friday to share these treats with everyone. A big thank you to our host Angie and co-hosts Suzanne and Sue for keeping the party going.
February 13, 2015 at 4:14 pm
Oooh this looks lovely – I do envy you with all that maple syrup 🙂
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February 13, 2015 at 4:31 pm
Thanks. We are lucky, but then I figure every area has its own special flavours. There is little enough in this recipe that it might be doable even if you are not in a maple region. A little goes a long way.
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February 13, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Baklava is SOOOOO scrumptious and I’ve been having a very random craving for it lately, and the maple-walnut combination along with it makes me wayyyy toooooo hungry- I’m definitely saving this recipe!! Thank you Hilda!
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February 13, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Thanks Stephanie. I should have mentioned but I hope it’s obvious that you can make this with more layers of pastry and more nuts and pretty much any amount or shape you want. I was just so pleased with the result of the syrup and milk as a sweetener.
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February 13, 2015 at 5:08 pm
You had me at “maple walnut” Hilda! This looks fantastic!!
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February 13, 2015 at 5:15 pm
It’s true Lori. I could just eat the walnuts with maple syrup and be happy, but this makes it more presentable to serve to others.
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February 13, 2015 at 5:22 pm
I love your idea of maple and milk syrup – usually baklava is headache-inducingly sweet but this sounds just perfect. I also love the sound of maple and walnut – delicious! Thanks Hilda and Happy Fiesta Friday!
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February 13, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Thanks Selma. Happy FF to you too!
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February 13, 2015 at 5:47 pm
This just reminded me that it’s been way too long since I’ve made baklava. I love the idea of mixing the maple syrup and almond milk. Looks delicious 🙂
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February 13, 2015 at 5:58 pm
Thanks Natalie for stopping by. I was a bit hesitant to try the almond milk, but it worked so well I’m glad I took the leap.
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February 13, 2015 at 6:17 pm
I love your healthier version of Baklava Hilda! Love the use of maple syrup! Thank you so much for the idea 🙂 & happy FF!
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February 13, 2015 at 10:13 pm
Very delectable, Yum! Happy Valentine’s Day, dear Hilda! ❤
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February 14, 2015 at 2:10 am
Thanks Fae. And the dame to you.
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February 14, 2015 at 2:10 am
I mean ‘same’ to you. It is time for me to take a break apparently.
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February 14, 2015 at 12:40 am
What a great treat! Love the healthy ingredients!
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February 14, 2015 at 12:41 am
Oh this looks fabulous….. yummm
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February 14, 2015 at 2:09 am
Dies the sumac give it a citrus like tang?
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February 14, 2015 at 2:47 am
Just a little. It is not necessary, and could be substituted with a little grated lemon or orange rind too.
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February 14, 2015 at 2:10 am
* Does
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February 14, 2015 at 2:54 am
Oh my, that looks incredible!!
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February 14, 2015 at 3:07 am
I love baklava, but agree it can be a bit overly-sweet at times, and so this seems like a great way to enjoy it without it being too much. Plus I love maple syrup as well so an added bonus!
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February 14, 2015 at 7:42 am
This is brilliant! My Mum found me some baklava made with maple syrup in Abu Dhabi airport of all places!!! What does the sumac give to the final flavour?
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February 14, 2015 at 8:26 am
I like walnuts so this version of Baklava is a winner for me Hilda .
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February 14, 2015 at 12:49 pm
Oh man this baklava looks amazing, I need to make some asap!
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February 14, 2015 at 1:37 pm
I would love to have a piece! It looks delicious and I love the flavour of maple syrup! 🙂
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February 14, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Love the flavors in your Baklava Hilda, I just hope you’ve got enough to go around. Maple syrup, brilliant idea!
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February 14, 2015 at 2:18 pm
Love this recipe Hilda!!! 🙂
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February 14, 2015 at 8:21 pm
Wow, Hilda!! I had never thought of using maple syrup for baklava! What a great idea! We don’t get to collect our own maple s. out here on the west coast, but I do buy copious quantities of it! I love that you used sumac too! Very lovely! 😀
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February 14, 2015 at 9:18 pm
Thanks Julianna. I am still talking to all who will listen about your chocolate vodka chilis.
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February 15, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Really? Well, that is great…but they are pretty interesting, aren’t they? I love it when I find new things like this1
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February 14, 2015 at 8:54 pm
I too also love the idea of maple syrup for a less sweet baklava! Thank you! 🙂
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February 14, 2015 at 9:17 pm
Thanks Lili. I am beginning to think it wasn’t such a good idea as they are just a little too easy to eat. I can’t win!
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February 14, 2015 at 9:22 pm
Yes Hilda. A baker’s is a hard life! But you need to keep making those sacrifices 🙂
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February 14, 2015 at 9:26 pm
OMG!!! Hilda!!! You made Baklava!!! I heard it was one of the most difficult pastry to make. I bow to you, my friend 🙂
They look yummy I would not mind a piece or two right now.
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February 15, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Thanks Pang. It is not really difficult, as long as you don’t try and make your own phylo.
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February 14, 2015 at 11:09 pm
I’ve never made Baklava. I dearly love good maple syrup especially with nuts!
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February 15, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Thanks Julie. The nuts do make a perfect vehicle for the syrup.
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February 15, 2015 at 3:54 am
Baklava is a HUGE weakness of mine. I’m bookmarking this to save and make later, thanks for sharing Hilda 🙂
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February 15, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Thanks Jess. Hope you enjoy it.
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February 15, 2015 at 4:18 pm
Hi Hilda, I have to admit I am so exhausted from hosting the party this week . . . I thought I finished then went back through the entries and see that I missed you and also Elaine. You certainly have more patience and speed and finesse than me for working with filo . . . and I love your rif on the traditional baklava. Very Canadian! Thank you for bringing and I really also like how you added almond milk to cut the sweetness of the dish instead of just using less syrup and then risking dryness. Bravo!
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February 15, 2015 at 4:25 pm
Thanks so much Sue for your kind words. To be honest, I was pretty rough with the filo, but it is more forgiving than I thought. So many layers hide the tiny tears. I can imagine being co-host is a challenge when you actually work full-time too, but your presence and comments are much appreciated. Hope you have a pleasant rest-of-the weekend.
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February 15, 2015 at 7:25 pm
I never really thought about that but you’re right about the safety net of layers!
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February 15, 2015 at 6:53 pm
They look wonderful!! ❤
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February 16, 2015 at 1:04 am
Canadian maple syrup is amazing. Baklava is also a personal favorite with a nice, crunchy nut. Delicious, Hilda.
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February 16, 2015 at 3:05 am
It really is delicious – and maybe just a little too easy to make.
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February 16, 2015 at 3:37 am
Only a pro would say that. 😉 They are perfectly baked. I will repeat that I am a *huge* real maple fan from Canada, Maine as well-great use here. Why use sugar when you can use fresh maple syrup? It’s smart to use creamy almond milk to echo the flavors of the almonds in the recipe. Sure they went quickly.
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February 16, 2015 at 1:20 am
I’ve never tried this before, but it looks amazing! Beautiful blog!
-Kate
from katierutt.wordpress.com
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February 18, 2015 at 4:23 pm
Excellent recipe Hilda! Very unique flavors for a baklavah including sumac.
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April 11, 2015 at 5:51 am
Looks lovely and i bet it was very delicious!
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