Baklava Rolls made with perfectly crispy & golden phyllo pastry, a sweet cinnamon walnut filling and drizzled with a honey lemon syrup, an indulgent dessert that has all the flavours of a traditional baklava recipe, but it takes a fraction of the time to put together. Perfect for parties, celebrations or holiday gatherings.
Baklava is one of those desserts that are so delicious, it's well worth the time you spend preparing it and definitely worth all its calories (and let's face it, there are quite a few there!).
The only thing that put me off making it more often is that the traditional recipe can be quite time consuming. My Turkish baklava (although divinely indulgent) takes quite some time to prep, as it uses lots of layers of phyllo pastry.
Plus, I made it with pistachios, which had to be shelled one by one, and that's a bit of a boring job, if you ask me! Whereas my walnut baklava rolls are as divine, but take a lot less time to make.
Instead of layering phyllo pastry, adding filling, layering again, filling again and so on, you only brush 2 sheets of pastry with butter, add the filling, roll, and that's you job done. You can leave them as long rolls, or cut them in 3 like I did, it's up to you!
The secret to golden and crispy baklava rolls is baking them at the right temperature for the perfect amount of time. Then you have the syrup, incredibly delicious and ready to turn these rolls into sheer perfection!
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
The baklava rolls
- walnuts - I used chopped walnuts, you can go for finely chopped, but I prefer a bit of a texture, so mine were roughly chopped. You can also go for pistachios if you wish, or a mixture of walnuts and pistachios
- phyllo pastry - if you use frozen phyllo pastry, make sure it's completely thawed. Depending on the brand you use, some sheets might be larger than others, so the size of the rolls might be different, but that shouldn't make a massive difference
- ground cinnamon - mix withe the walnuts for an earthy flavour
- sugar - I used caster sugar, granulated is also ok
- melted butter - while you can also use olive oil, I prefer butter for desserts, as it adds more richness and a more indulgent touch
The syrup
- honey - while many syrup recipes use sugar mainly, I love the addition of honey, it gives a lovely floral touch that goes really well with the rolls
- sugar - I used caster sugar, granulated work well too
- cinnamon stick - for an earthy touch
- lemon juice - adds a nice sharp kick that balances out the sweetness of the sugar. You can also add orange or lime juice for an extra citrussy kick
- water - you can add more of less depending on how strong you want the syrup to be
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit)
- to make the syrup add the ingredients to a pan set over a medium heat and mix well
- leave it to simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil
- remove it from the pan and leave it to cool down completely
- to make the filling, mix the chopped walnuts with the sugar and ground cinnamon
- lay one sheet of the pastry on the work surface and brush it generously with butter
- fold it in half, then brush another sheet with butter, hold it in half too, and stack them together
- spread 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture along the edge
- roll up tightly into a log, folding the short sides inward over the filling, enclosing the mixture and sealing the ends as you roll
- cut the rolls in 3 equal parts and arrange them onto a baking tray
- bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and crispy
- remove the tray from the oven and pour the cold syrup all over the rolls
- allow the rolls to cool down completely before serving
Expert tips
Always pour the sryup over the hot rolls to achieve the perfect sticky crispy texture. As the rolls cool down, they will still keep their crispiness, but they will also soak up the sweet syrup.
The rolls can be made ahead, and while you can serve them on the same day once they are cool, they taste even better the next day, because the flavours have time to fully meld together.
Use a serrated knife to cut the logs neatly before baking, once they are baked, it will be harder and messier to cut them.
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Easy Baklava Rolls
Ingredients
For the baklava rolls
- 16 phyllo pastry sheets
- 450 g walnuts halves, roughly chopped (1 lb)
- 3 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 170 g melted butter (¾ cup)
For the syrup
- 250 ml water (1 cup)
- 150 g caster sugar (¾ cup)
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit).
- In a mixing bowl, add the chopped walnuts, sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
- Lay one pastry sheet on the work surface, brush it well with melted butter and fold it in half.
- Lay another sheet on top of it, brush it melted butter, and fold it in half as well.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the walnut mixture along one edge.
- Fold the short sides inward over the filling, then roll up tightly from the filled edge, burrito-style, enclosing the walnut mixture and sealing the ends as you roll.
- Repeat with the rest of the pastry and walnut mixture.
- Cut each roll in 3 equal parts, and arrange them onto a baking tray.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Meanwhile, make the syrup.
- Mix the water, sugar, lemon juice, honey and cinnamon stick on a pan set over a medium heat.
- Mix well to dissolve the sugar, and allow it to simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down.
- Once the rolls are ready, remove the tray from the oven, and pour the cold sryup over the rolls.
- Leave them to cool down completely, so that the rolls can soak up the syrup.
Video
Notes
- Always pour the sryup over the hot rolls to achieve the perfect sticky crispy texture. As the rolls cool down, they will still keep their crispiness, but they will also soak up the sweet syrup.
- The rolls can be made ahead, and while you can serve them on the same day once they are cool, they taste even better the next day, because the flavours have time to fully meld together.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the logs neatly before baking, once they are baked, it will be harder and messier to cut them.
Nutrition
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