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Pecan Baklava is a flaky dessert with pecans and sweet syrup; this recipe is inspired by classic baklava! It’s Pecan Pie Baklava – a dessert mashup that combines two classic recipes and it’s so good!
Pecan Pie Baklava
Baklava is one of the best recipes to make. Traditionally, it is made with phyllo dough, with pistachios or walnuts, lots of butter, and a sweet sauce made with honey. The baklava is baked and then the sauce is poured over the top to soften and make it sweet and sticky.
This recipe is inspired by the traditional, but with pecan pie flavors. I used pecans as the nuts and used dark corn syrup in the sauce instead of honey. It’s a bit gooier than a more traditional baklava, but it works well because pecan pie is gooey too. It’s a sweet and perfect recipe that’s pecan pie…but not.
Ingredients Needed
- Phyllo Dough: Phyllo is very thin unleavened sheets of dough. You find them in the freezer section. Be sure to read the notes about different size packages of phyllo, and pay attention to the tips about how to work with it.
- Unsalted Butter: The butter will be melted and will be spread between all the layers, creating a flaky pastry.
- Pecans: These will need to be chopped finely.
- Dark Corn Syrup: This sweetens the syrup and makes it more like pecan pie.
How to make Baklava with Pecans
- Brush the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter. Grab it and the sheet below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, in the pan. Repeat two more times, so you have 6 sheets of phyllo in the pan. Cover the phyllo with the plastic/damp towel.
- Sprinkle with pecans.
- Butter another phyllo sheet and grab the one below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, on top the pecans. Sprinkle with pecans. Repeat this about 4 more times, or until you are out of pecans. You’ll then repeat the process without the nuts for about 6 layers.
- Cut all the way through all the layers – we slice before baking. Butter the top of the pan. Bake about 30-40 minutes, until the baklava is golden brown.
- While the baklava is baking, heat the water, sugar, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting until the baklava comes out of the oven.
- When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the corn syrup mixture over the top, being sure to get it in all the cuts. Let cool completely, uncovered, for several hours.
Expert Tips
- Phyllo comes in different size packages. Be sure to pay attention to the size you’re buying and read the recipe notes.
- Make sure to keep the phyllo damp while you’re working with it because it dries out fast. I keep it covered with plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel.
- It can last up to 4-5 days in an airtight container.
- I do not recommend freezing baklava.
Pecan Pie Baklava Recipe
Take a pecan pie and make it into a flaky baklava treat! Layers of flaky phyllo dough are sandwiched with pecans and a sweet syrup reminiscent of pecan pie!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (approx 340g) Phyllo Dough (defrosted, see note)
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , melted
- 2 cups (227g) finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (237ml) water
- ½ cup (118ml) dark corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Assemble your ingredients before you start. Place melted butter in a bowl and have a pastry brush for brushing it on the phyllo. Place nuts in a bowl near your work surface.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter your 9×13-inch pan using a pastry brush. Unwrap your roll of phyllo dough onto a cutting board and cut it in half, so it will fit in your pan. Cover the phyllo dough with a layer of plastic wrap and place a damp kitchen towel over the top.
- Brush the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter. Grab it and the sheet below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, in the pan. Repeat two more times, so you have 6 sheets of phyllo in the pan. Cover the phyllo with the plastic/damp towel.
- Sprinkle with pecans.
- Butter another phyllo sheet and grab the one below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, on top the pecans. Sprinkle with pecans. Repeat this about 4 more times, or until you are out of pecans.
- Butter another phyllo sheet and grab the one below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, on top the last pecan layer. Repeat this two times, so you have 6 layers on top of your last pecan layer. Butter the top of the baklava.
- Using a sharp knife, cut your baklava into squares, being sure to cut all the way though all the layers. You can cut squares or diamonds, whatever you like.
- Bake about 30-40 minutes, until the baklava is golden brown.
- While the baklava is baking, heat the water, sugar, dark corn syrup, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting until the baklava comes out of the oven.
- When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the corn syrup mixture over the top, being sure to get it in all the cuts. Let cool completely, uncovered, for several hours.
Recipe Notes
- Phyllo comes in different size packages. Some have 2 rolls per package, and in those you’ll use just 1 roll. Other packages come in 1 pound sizes, I used approximately 3/4 pound of phyllo.
- Make sure to keep your phyllo covered with plastic and a wet towel – it will dry out really quickly. Cover it in between every layer!
- Leave the phyllo in the refrigerator to thaw before using.
- Baklava will last approximately 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container. Or you can freeze leftovers, but it won’t thaw as crispy, so it’s best to make this and serve within a day or two.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1square | Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Oh I just had to laugh and laugh when I read the bit about the AG dolls. I received my first doll when I was 6 or 7 and from there on out I was obsessed! Every ounce of allowance money went to American Girl. My sister and I saved, pushed the catalog in front of our mom to call and make our orders, and then we would wait for the beloved UPS truck. WELL I’m well into my 20’s and my mother reminds me sometime I should pick up all my doll stuff (where would I store all of it?!). I think the final tally is 11 dolls, 2 tubs of clothes, and quite a bit of furniture! But you know what? I absolutely love them, and I think I have Christmas presents for my daughters and nieces for the next 10 years! My mom’s a sewer so lots of clothes were homemade. I also learned how to sew by sewing doll clothes. My dad and brother would build us furniture. Gosh, I remember my brother made a doll sized stove out of parts from an old microwave! (Don’t worry, it didn’t actually work.)ย
Also, pecan pie + baklava = yowza! Brilliant.ย
I’m so glad the post brought back memories for you! That’s what I love about this blog, the remembering of memories. ๐ And my mom is constantly doing that too (“Do you want this or that or ???”) and I’m all MY HOUSE IS FULL!
Found your recipe on Pinterest and after days of reading through other baklava posts, I’ve decided that today is the day I’m making your variation! I’m not a huge fan of all that honey in the original baklava, and here in Louisiana pecan pie is a Southern staple! I think it will be a great finish to our traditional crawfish boil for Good Friday tomorrow!
Enjoy it!! Happy holiday!
Agree that these dolls arenโt the creepy kind that look like they will come alive and murder
I might have missed this in the comments- but will this freeze well and do you have any suggestions when doing so? Thanks!
I’m not sure how well it freezes. I have some in my freezer, but I haven’t thawed it. I think it would be fine, but it would probably be a little soggier than fresh.
Yup. ย People like that exist. ย My spouse works for AG in their call center. ย They sound like… delightful people.
It must be nice to be them… ๐
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