Coffee Baklava

Ingredients - Serves 12

For the syrup:
2 cups sugar or 400 g
1 cup water or 250 ml
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the baklava:
15 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen
¾ cup butter or 150 g, melted
½ cup pine seeds or 75 g, ground
¼ cup sugar or 50 g, mixed with the ground pine nuts
1½ tablespoons NESCAFÉ Instant Coffee, mixed with the sugar and pine nuts

For the filling:
1½ cups unsalted cashew nuts or 225 g
1 cup pine seeds or 150 g
4 slices toast bread, crust removed
1 tin NESTLÉ® Sweetened Condensed Milk or 397 g
2 tablespoons rose water

Preparation

To prepare the syrup:
In a small pot, dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil then simmer for 6-8 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and set aside to cool.

To prepare the filling:
Combine all ingredients for the filling in a blender and beat until well combined. Set aside.

To prepare Baklavas:
Grease a 40cm x 30cm oven tray, place 1 sheet of filo pastry, brush with butter and repeat the same with 5 more sheets.

Carefully spoon the filling all over the pastry.

Place 1 sheet of filo pastry to cover the filling, brush with butter and sprinkle with some pine seeds mixture.

Top with another sheet. Sprinkle with little pine seeds mixture and repeat the same with the remaining sheets.

Brush the surface with melted butter, then cut the pastry and filling as parallel lines to get diamond shaped pieces.

Bake in a 185°C preheated hot oven for about 25-30 minutes or until light golden color.
Pour the cold syrup over the baklawa as soon as it comes out of the oven.