Apple Maple Baklava
Apple Maple Baklava has everything you love about the ancient middle-eastern/European treat – many leaves of Phyllo dough layered with walnuts and sweet syrup – but with typical American fall flavors added.
Table of contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
The starting point for this Apple Maple Baklava is a typical Greek-style baklava recipe. I added diced apples to the layers and replaced the sugar syrup with maple syrup. A little lemon juice in the syrup marries the apple and maple flavors perfectly.
How to make Apple Maple Baklava
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Grind the walnuts, sugar and spices to a chunky powder.
- Peel and dice the apples.
- Melt the butter.
- Cover the phyllo dough with damp towels to keep it from drying out.
- Make an assembly line of ingredients to begin building the layers.
- Layer 5 phyllo sheets with melted butter.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnuts and 1/3 of the apples over the phyllo.
- Continue layering the dough and filling.
- Score the top layer of pastry into diamonds. Sprinkle the top with walnuts and bake until golden brown.
- While the pastry bakes, make the syrup.
- As soon as the baklava comes out of the oven, cut through the pastry to separate the pieces.
- Immediately pour the syrup over the warm pastry.
- Allow the baklava to cool for 4 hours before serving.
Work ahead and recipe tips
- The walnut filling can be prepared up to a week in advance. Store it in a covered container at room temperature.
- The syrup can be made several days ahead. Store the syrup in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze for up to a month.
- The apples can be peeled and diced up to a day ahead and refrigerated. They will brown a bit, but you won’t see that in the finished pastry.
- The recipe can be halved and baked in an 8″x 8″ square pan.
Storage
Baklava is best the day it’s made, but it will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Apple Maple Baklava
Apple Maple Baklava still has everything you love about the ancient treat – many leaves of Phyllo dough layered with walnuts and sweet syrup – but with typical American fall flavors added.
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Ingredients
Pastry
- 16 oz walnuts (4 cups)
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 8 oz Phyllo dough (about 20 sheets, defrosted)
- 8 oz unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 apples (peeled, cored (3 cups diced))
Syrup
- 8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 8 oz real maple syrup (1 cup)
- 4 oz water (½ cup)
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ vanilla bean (Seeds and pod)
- 2 oz lemon juice (¼ cup)
Instructions
Make the Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Combine 16 oz walnuts, 2 oz granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves in a food processor and grind to a coarse texture.
- Unroll the Phyllo sheets and cover them with a damp towel so they don't dry out. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9"x 13" baking pan with butter. Lay a sheet of Phyllo into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the sheet with butter and lay another sheet of Phyllo on top. Layer 5 sheets of Phyllo, sprinkling with butter between every sheet. Sprinkle ⅓ of the walnuts over the dough. Sprinkle ⅓ of the diced apples over the walnuts.
- Layer another 5 Phyllo sheets with butter. Sprinkle with ½ the remaining walnuts and apples. Layer another 5 Phyllo sheets with butter. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and apples. Finish layering the remaining Phyllo sheets with butter. Brush the entire top layer with butter so it doesn't dry out.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the top section of phyllo sheets lengthwise into 6 strips about 1½" wide. Cut strips diagonally to form diamonds. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown.
Make the Syrup
- Combine 8 oz granulated sugar, 8 oz real maple syrup, 4 oz water, 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves and ½ vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Bring the syrup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 2 oz lemon juice and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and vanilla bean pod.
Finish
- As soon as the baklava is removed from the oven cut through the scored lines all the way to the pan. Pour the syrup over the hot baklava. Allow the baklava to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving.
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Notes
The baklava is best the day it is made, but will keep for several days at room temperature.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
I make baklava a lot – this sounds like a very nice twist on the classic, I’m definitely going to try it.
For readers who aren’t familiar with fillo dough – a one-pound box of standard (#4) fillo dough contains 40 9″ x 13″ sheets or 20 14″ x 18″ sheets. Something in this recipe needs to be corrected – either the weight should be 1/2 lb, the number of 9″ x 13″ sheets should be 40 (with 10 per layer) or the recipe should specify extra-thick fillo dough, which can be very difficult to find.
You’re correct. I actually used one of the rolls of phyllo from the box. So it would be 8oz. It’s been corrected in the recipe.
Very interesting! When I started making baklava I found I got my best results with Irish butter. But a few years later I started using a light olive oil instead, and it came out crispier (and healthier). Then I made some for a vegan friend and the only hitch was the honey–but as long as I got the honey locally from somebody who is kind to their bees, it was okay; so I found some honey that fit the bill. A maple syrup baklava with olive oil instead of butter would be TOTALLY be vegan, and it would also fit well with my Canadian-in-Florida reputation. 🙂 I wonder about maybe using dried apples, stewing them in the sauce. Thank you for the ideas!
Glad to be an inspiration. I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Thanks. think I will try both fillings. I really look forward to making the baklava. Have a great day!
I so look forward to trying this and sharing with my extended family at Thanksgiving.
What 2 apple types would you suggest for this recipe? There are so many to choose
from and I don’t know if softer Macintosh or more tart Granny Smith are better? also, saw a recipe by someone else for Thumbprint Snickerdoodles that have apple butter as the filling. What do you think of a pumpkin filling and would you use some pumpkin pie recipe filling for it? What are your thoughts.
Thank you.
I like Granny Smith for baking. The hard texture holds up to baking. I would imagine that pumpkin pie filling would make the baklava soggy, but you’d have to give it a try to find out.
Sorry Eileen, the pumpkin filling was for a snickerdoodle thumbprint cookie. I. just wondered what your thoughts were on using the pie filling in the thumbprint cookie. In the recipe I saw
from someone else, they used apple butter.
Oh, that makes more sense. I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. You might want to stir one egg into the pie filling to help it set while the cookie bakes.
What a creative way to fall-ify baklava! I love the idea of a hybrid baklava/apple pie…and I bet it smells AMAZING while it’s baking!
Thanks! Anything with apples and cinnamon smells amazing while baking.
Wow wow, i love baklava so much! but with apples? This is genius and yes great for fall! pinned!
Thanks, Farida!