Baklava

One of my all time favorite deserts is baklava. Recently my sister and I made it for the first time and it was surprisingly easy. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe sites are: allrecipes, recipezaar--both allow you to sort recipes by rating which ensures you'll select a winner, therecipelink is also good if you're looking for copycat recipes--let me know if you're aware of any other good sites). Here's the baklava recipe:

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough (available in the freezer section at most grocery stores)
1 pound chopped nuts (I used 1/2 lb pecans and 1/2 lb walnuts, pistachios are also a good choice)
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.