This easy Baklava recipe is a heavenly Mediterranean dessert made with layers of phyllo dough and sweet nut filling baked until golden and perfectly flaky. Then, a sweet citrus syrup is poured over the top to soak into the layered pastry making every bite taste incredible.
Make the Simple Syrup: In a small sauce pan, over medium-high heat, combine the water and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until syrup has thickened. Stir in lemon and orange blossom water then remove from heat add and set aside.
Make the Nut Mixture: Add nuts to your food processor and pulse a few times until nuts are coarsely chopped but not too fine. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add cinnamon, allspice, and salt; combine.
Assemble Baklava: Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking tray and preheat the oven to 350 F. Roll out the phyllo dough and trim the dough to fit your baking sheet. Place about 25 sheets of phyllo dough flat into your pan. Top with the nut mixture and spread in an even layer. Add the remaining phyllo dough sheets (should be about 15 sheets left). Tuck in edges and press down firmly to compact the layers. Cut the baklava into your desired shape, making sure to cut all the way to the bottom. Pour the melted butter evenly over the baklava.
Bake: Place in the oven and bake for about 50-55 minutes, turning the plate halfway through, until it gets golden. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the room-temperature syrup on top. Cool for at least an hour then serve!