Baklava With Cooky Filling

Servings: 36
Ingredients:

-------------------------------COOKY FILLING-------------------------------
2 c  Sweet butter
1 c  Confectioners' sugar
1    Egg yolk
1 ts Vanilla or almond extract
4 c  Flour

———————————–SYRUP———————————–
4 c Granulated sugar
4 c Water
1 c Honey
Lemon juice to taste

———————————-BAKLAVA———————————-
1 lb Toasted blanched almonds *
1/2 c Zwieback crumbs
4 tb Granulated sugar
1 ds Cinnamon
1 lb Phyllo pastry sheets
1 1/2 c Sweet butter; melted

*Note: Either toasted blanched almonds, or walnut meats, or half of each,
(finely chopped) may be used.

Cooky Filling: Cream the 2 cups sweet butter until light. Gradually beat
in the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until mixture is fluffy.
Add egg yolk and vanilla or almond extract and blend well. Work in about
4 cups flour to make a medium-soft dough. Set aside and make syrup.

Syrup: In a saucepan combine the granulated sugar and water. Bring to a
boil and boil for 15 minutes or until syrup is slightly thick. Add honey
and again bring to the boiling point. Add lemon juice to taste, and cool.

Mix almonds or walnuts, or a combination of the two, with zwieback, 4 T
granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Brush 2 sheets of phyllo pastry evenly
with butter and sprinkle with nut mixture. Place 2 buttered sheets of
phyllo on top and sprinkle with nut mixture. Shape a portion of cooky
filling into a 1/2-inch-thick roll and place the roll along one edge of
the pastry sheets. Roll up loosely, cut into 2-inch slices, and place
slices in a buttered cake pan. (Continue in this method until all phyllo
pastry and/or cooky filling is used.) Brush tops of each slice with
butter and bake in a 350 F oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Dip the hot baklava slices, one at a time, in cold syrup, allowing each
piece to remain in the syrup for a few minutes.

From: ‘The Art of Greek Cookery’
by The Women of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church
(Hempstead, NY)

Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

—–