Baklava Cookie Bars
Rating
Baklava cookie bars are a scrumptious twist on traditional baklava, and far less time-consuming than layering temperamental phyllo dough.
Ingredients
- Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1½ cups flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Nut Topping
- ⅓ cup pecans, chopped
- ⅓ cup almonds, chopped
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Syrup
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper. Whisk together melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and orange zest until combined. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; add to butter mixture and fold in until incorporated. Press dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan and bake crust for 15 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set.
- While the crust bakes, make the nut topping. Combine pecans, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a small bowl; add melted butter and stir until incorporated. Spoon topping evenly over warm crust and return pan to oven. Continue baking another 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
- While the bars finish baking, make the syrup. Combine honey, water, and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Place baked bars on a wire rack and drizzle syrup over still-warm topping, tilting pan slightly to coat evenly. Cool bars completely in pan. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into triangles with a sharp knife. If desired, serve with a drizzle of honey. Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
