How to Cook Perfect Maria's Not so Sweet Baklava

Maria's Not so Sweet Baklava.

You can cook Maria's Not so Sweet Baklava using 15 ingredients and 14 steps. Here is how you cook that.

Ingredients of Maria's Not so Sweet Baklava

Prepare of Dough.
It's 2 box of Phyllo Dough.
You need 1 of Very Sharp Knife without serrated edges.
You need of Filling.
Prepare 2 lb of Walnuts.
Prepare 2 tbsp of Sugar.
You need 2 tbsp of Cinnamon.
You need of Spreading between layers.
It's 3 stick of Unsalted Sweet Melted Butter.
It's 1 of Cooking Brush.
You need of Sugar Water Topping.
You need 2 1/2 cup of Water.
Prepare 1 1/2 cup of Sugar.
You need 5 of Whole Cloves.
Prepare 1/4 tsp of Pure Vanilla.

Maria's Not so Sweet Baklava step by step

Preheat oven to 350.
Chop up walnuts really fine add the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together well and set aside..
Use a 1 inch to 1.5 inch thick, flat wide baking pan at least 18"x14" if you don't have one that size you can cut sheets to fit your pan. cutting the sheets all together helps cut down prep time..
Grease the bottom of the pan with cooking brush a light thin coating of melted butter..
For a thin crust use four sheets on bottom of pan. For a thick crust on bottom use 8 sheets. after placing the sheets on the bottom of the pan with a cooking brush, coat the last sheet on top with the melted butter.
Sprinkle a thin layer of the walnut mix to the buttered sheets..
Add 4 sheets again and butter the last top sheet again and add again a thin layer of walnut mix. do these steps with both boxes until all sheets are used. but do not butter the very last sheet on top..
Cutting the Baklava is easier when top is not greased..
After cutting the Baklava use the brush to gently grease the top with the melted butter..
Bake Baklava in middle of oven for 20 to 30 min depending on your oven. or until golden brown on top..
While the Baklava is baking, you can make your Sugar water on the stove top..
Add the water, sugar, cloves, and vanilla and let it boil until slightly thick. for about 20 min on medium heat stirring occasionally if not slightly thick add 5 more min to heating. if needed a larger amount of Sugar water just use double the ingredients..
When Baklava is done pour sugar water with spoon into cracks of the cut lines to evenly coat baklava while its still hot. both baklava and sugar water need to be hot for this process. but not boiling hot, 1.5 cups worth of cooked sugar water should be good for a whole pan. but if you like it slightly moist use 2 cups of cooked sugar water..
Enjoy.