Mini Baklava: an easy and creative Greek dessert recipe

Love baklava but find it messy to eat and/or wish there was a way to eat a smaller portion size?

You can buy bit-sized phyllo shells ready-made and frozen, but if you can’t get hold of any (they’re hard to find in the UK) you can make your own phyllo shells. All you need is a muffin tin, phyllo, melted butter and a bit of patience!

These mini baklava are phyllo shells filled with a tasty mixture of pecans, walnuts, honey and cinnamon, and are perfect for a chic dinner party dessert when paired with crème fraiche to cut the sweetness of the honey.

You can also put these cupcake-sized mini baklavas up on a tray for party fare – but soon you’ll be inundated with requests to make more of these gorgeous treats!

Instructions Step by Step

Preheat oven to 350F/fan 160C. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar and cinnamon.

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Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F/fan 160C. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar and cinnamon.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add pecans and walnuts, tossing to coat in the mix. Simmer, uncovered, until nuts are lightly toasted, around 5-10 minutes.

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Step 4

Bring to a boil.

For the home made phyllo shells

Melt 3 tbsp melted butter either on the hob or in the microwave. Separate the phyllo into 4 layers, and brush each layer with ¼ of the melted butter.

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Step 7

Reduce heat and add pecans and walnuts, tossing to coat in the mix. Simmer, uncovered, until nuts are lightly toasted, around 5-10 minutes.

Stack each layer on top of one another so you have one large layer.

Cut this layer into 12 squares with a sharp knife, then carefully lift and press them into a muffin tin until you have filled all 12 holes.

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Step 10

Melt 3 tbsp melted butter either on the hob or in the microwave. Separate the phyllo into 4 layers, and brush each layer with ¼ of the melted butter.

For frozen mini phyllo shells

Place phyllo shells on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. All you need to do now is fill them.

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Step 13

Stack each layer on top of one another so you have one large layer.

Filling

Spoon nut mixture and butter sauce evenly into shells.

Bake until golden brown, around 9-11 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Drizzle a generous blob of honey into each shell, and let stand, covered, until serving.

Serve with additional honey if desired, and some crème fraiche or extra-thick cream on the side.

Notes

Don’t be put off by making your own phyllo shells – it’s not as hard as it seems, and you don’t have to get the phyllo pieces to fit exactly.

Don’t make the shells until you have the nut mixture ready to be put in them. Phyllo pastry dries out very quickly, so you need to keep it in the packet until you’re ready to use it, and keep it under a clean, damp cloth until you are going to work with it.