Almond-Pecan Vegan Baklava
This baklava features crunchy, sweet, and sticky layers of phyllo dough with a cinnamon-infused nut mixture that’s guaranteed to hit the sweet spot.
March 26, 2021
Serves: 8
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This traditional Turkish dessert is characterized by its many flaky golden layers and toasty nuts, soaked in a sweet syrup. This plant-based variation from the Dreena’s Kind Kitchen cookbook uses thick coconut cream and sweet agave syrup to pack in the sweet decadence.
What you need:
For the nut mixture:
¾ cup almonds
¾ cup pecans
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
¼ teaspoon salt
For the phyllo layers:
4 to 6 tablespoons refrigerated canned coconut cream, divided
¼ cup almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
½ (1-pound) package frozen phyllo pastry dough, thawed
For the syrup:
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the nut mixture, into a food processor, add almonds and process until crumbly. Add pecans and process until a fine nut meal is achieved. Add all remaining ingredients and pulse.
- For the phyllo layers, wipe inside of an 8 x 11-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of coconut cream. Cut phyllo dough to roughly fit bottom of dish.
- In a small bowl, combine almond meal and sugar.
- Very lightly brush 2 sheets of phyllo with coconut cream and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of almond meal mix. Layer on third sheet and add ¼ cup of processed nut mixture. Layer with another 3 sheets of phyllo, again brushing first 2 sheets with coconut cream and sprinkling with almond meal mix, then adding nut mixture after third sheet. Continue this layering until all nut mixture is used.
- For top layer, use 3 to 4 sheets of phyllo and brush and sprinkle each layer. For the top layer, use a generous brushing of coconut cream and dusting of almond meal mixture.
- Before baking, score baklava in a diamond pattern or squares with a sharp knife, cutting into baklava almost through to bottom.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once mostly cooled, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine nectar and lemon juice. Allow syrup to come to a slow bubble. Once bubbling, remove from heat and slowly drizzle over cooled baklava. Allow baklava to cool enough to cut into pieces along score lines and enjoy.
Photo credit: Dreena Burton
