Baklava

Are you drooling yet? Because I am.

What do you get when you mix sweet honey, with crunchy walnuts and crispy Phyllo dough? Amazing.... I mean, Baklava.

And as impressive as it presents itself, its rather easy to whip up. Just devote a little love and time to this baby and she will be all yours. Or I guess you could share.

You will Need:
1 package Phyllo (Fillo) Dough
3 cups chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon quality cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup Honey
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons quality vanilla

1. Remove phyllo dough from freezer and place in your fridge 24 hours before making the Baklava. Remove and set on the counter 1 hour before baking.
2. Toss together the chopped walnuts and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter a 13x9 pan. You want your sheets of phyllo to generously fill the pan but if it is much bigger, trim the edges with a knife.
4. Butter the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter, then grab it and the un-buttered sheet underneath and place in the pan butter side down. Press lightly. Repeat this twice more so you have six sheets of phyllo in the pan, three of them buttered. 
5. Brush the top sheet with butter and sprinkle evenly with nuts. Next butter two sheets of phyllo and place on top of the walnuts. Add more walnuts, then two more buttered sheets. Continue this pattern a couple times until you are out of walnuts.* 
6. Top with 6 more buttered sheets of phyllo (as though you started in the beginning) and brush the top with melted butter. Cut a diagonal patter in the baklava using a sharp knife (you will cut corner to corner). 

(*or to save time and energy, no one will blame you for buttering every sheet of Phyllo)

Bake for 45 minutes or until very golden.
With 10 minutes left of baking, combine the butter, honey, water, sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat.

Once you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half of the sauce all over the top. Allow it to absorb for 1 minute. Drizzle over more sauce until you think it is thoroughly moistened.
Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered, for several hours.

The baklava will be sticky, sweet and divine. You can enjoy with coffee, tea, water, alone, standing up, outside.... anywhere. Just make this, please?