Chocolate Baklava

I can’t believe it, but this weekend is me and my husbands 1 year wedding anniversary. The year has flown by! In honor of our honeymoon in Greece I decided to make a Greek feast inclusive of grilled octopus, lamb chops, Tzatiki, feta cheese and more! In Athens there were bakeries everywhere with beautiful trays of baklava and traditional Greek pastries in the windows. Of course I insisted on trying every single one in the search to find the BEST baklava in Greece. We finally found a restaurant that only serves lavish desserts called Nancy’s Sweet Home. They had Chocolate Baklava on the menu which I had never seen before! Being the Chocoholic that I am I knew I HAD to have it and….it was absolutely incredible. Since I can’t easily hop over to Athens and enjoy a big block of this perfect dessert, I decided to make up my own recipe. Crisp layers of paper thin phyllo dough, rich melty chocolate, crunchy nuts and sweet, sticky vanilla honey syrup.

Ingredients-

BAKLAVA:

• One (16 ounce) package frozen phyllo dough, thawed

• 1 1/4 cups salted butter (no butter substitutes), melted

• 1/2 pound shelled Walnuts, finely chopped

• 1/2 pound roasted, lightly salted shelled pistachios, finely chopped 

• 1 (12 ounce) package miniature semisweet chocolate chips

• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

SYRUP:

• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste ( pure vanilla extract or freshly scraped vanilla beans also works!) 

• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

Steps-

BAKLAVA:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.

2. Layer eight sheets of phyllo dough (one at a time) in pan, brushing each with butter before adding the next sheet.

3. In a bowl, combine nuts, chocolate chips, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 cups over top layer of phyllo.

4. Add four more sheets of phyllo dough (one at a time), brushing each with butter before adding the next. Top with 2 more cups nut mixture.

5. Layer and brush four more sheets of dough with butter; top with remaining nut mixture. Top with the remaining dough, brushing each sheet with butter. Drizzle any remaining butter over top.

6. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into approx 2 inch diamonds.

7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. While baklava is baking, combine the syrup ingredients in a saucepan;

8. Bring the syrup ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Right when the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the syrup over the hot baklava.

9. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before you enjoy.

To store, just leave it at room temperature lightly covered with paper towels and or aluminum foil. Do not cover with plastic wrap or put it in a plastic container or it may get soggy.