Are you ready for this?

This, my friends, is all the taste of Baklavas, without ANY of the guilt.

This, is MY dream come true.

I’ve always had a big thing for baklavas.

No, wait, cross that.

There.

Baklavas just make me go completely gaga. I mean, completely, totally, GAGA!

I do refrain from eating them however, because, well, they are made with phyllo dough and anything made with phyllo dough is usually DRENCHED in butter and fat. That, of course, is without even taking into account the fact that phyllo dough itself isn’t the healthiest… unless you get your hands on the whole wheat variety! Oh, and of course, there’s the super sweet syrup… did I mention the super sweet, sugar overloaded  syrup to that’s also part of the equation?

OK, now, could anyone direct me to the nearest threadmill, please? 

I got a really, really bad craving for one of those bad boys lately, and I thought I would try to find a way to enjoy this adored treat of mine without having to even think about running to the nearest threadmill. At first, I thought I would go for a healthy version of baklavas. But then I thought, why bother with the dough at all? What if I just left it out?

Then my brain put itself in gear and the rest is history. And so is the walnut butter! Well, almost. I still have a little bit left, but let’s just say it’s going FAST!

This stuff is even better than I’d imagined. It’s just plain wicked good. Especially when it’s still warm, when you’ve just turned the food processor off and dig in for your first taste… and your second, and third… You just want to run with the bowl and wolf the whole thing down with that spoon. Plain and simple.

In.one.go.

Now, if you are patient enough, make yourself a very thin toast out of a good, whole grain bread. Make it very thin so that it comes out very crispy. That will be your phyllo dough replacement!;)  Then lay on the walnut butter thick, very thick. Well, pile on, rather, because this butter is so sticky, so chewy and so dense that you just cannot spread it. You have to pile it.

So pile it on high, squeeze it down tight, and grab a bite.

Oh, you might want to sit down first… ‘cuz this, my friends, is heaven on a plate.

BAKLAVA STYLE WALNUT BUTTER

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 + 1 cups walnuts
  • 1  cup pistachio
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp cardamom
  • Pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a small pot, bring the honey, water, cinnamon, cardamom and salt to a boil.
  2. Add 1 cup of walnuts and the pistachios
  3. Lower heat and simmer until liquid is reduced down to about ¼ cup, about 20-25 minutes.
  4. Set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes
  5. Meanwhile, add 3 cups of walnuts to food processor and process until smooth, about 6-8 minutes
  6. Add pistachio and walnut mixture and pulse 5-6 times to achieve the crumbly yet united consistency of baklava filling.
  7. Transfer to clean glass jars and try not to eat it all in one sitting…