Baqalawa

Ingredients

• 1 package of filo (baqalawa) dough papers, thawed to room temperature
• 3 cups of ground almonds or pistachio nuts
• 1 cup of finely chopped almonds or pistachio nuts
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of ground cardamom
• ¾ cup of melted butter

Syrup

• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of honey
• 2 cups of water
• juice of one lemon

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring the syrup ingredients to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes (be careful not to boil over the syrup).
3. Remove from heat and put aside for later.
4. In a mixing bowl combine the nuts, powdered sugar, and cardamom.
5. Open the filo dough, but keep it covered with a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.
6. Lay out one sheet of filo dough.
7. Brush melted butter over it.
8. Lay another sheet of filo dough on top of the first one.
9. Again, brush with melted butter.
10. Lay a third sheet of filo dough on top, and again brush with butter.
11. Across the middle of the top sheet, make a line of nut mixture, about four rounded tablespoons of nut mixture.
12. Fold the filo dough in half over the nut mixture so that the nut mixture is right inside the fold.
13. Then roll up the filo dough as tight as you can, with the nut mixture being in the very middle.
14. Carefully move this "log" of filo dough to a baking sheet.
15. On the baking sheet, diagonally cut into ¾ inch pieces with a shape knife.
16. Repeat the process again until you have used all of the filo dough.
17. Drizzle any remaining butter over the baqalawa pieces on the baking sheet.
18. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes in a pre-heated 350°F oven or until lightly browned.
19. Remove from the oven.
20. Take five or six pieces of baqalawa at a time and dip them into the syrup allowing them to soak up syrup for about 15 seconds.
21. Remove them from the syrup and place them in a strainer or on a rack where the excess syrup can drip off.