Everyone should try a homemade chocolate baklava, at least once in their live! If not – you are missing out a big deal 😁 Baklava (ba-kla-va) is a famous Middle-East and East Mediterranean dessert dish. The baklava is a rich, sweet pastry based on layers of thin, flaky phyllo dough usually with chopped nuts (pistachios, walnuts, almonds) and soaked in honey or sugar syrup. The syrup is often infused with spices like cinnamon or cloves making the baklava a real delight. Baklava is typically cut into small diamond or square pieces, since it is super sweet luscious dessert.
I think making a chocolate baklava for a festive dinner or a celebration (even party) is a nice change for the traditional desserts you’ve grown up with. You guests will be fascinated and will keep talking about it for ages. You may actually receive many requests to share the recipe while on dining table, so better be prepared well 🙂
And the greatest win for the baklava is that you can and you should make it two-three days ahead so the baklava gets well soaked in the sweet syrup! Plus, it is so simple and quick to make, making the dinner or party prep even easier.
What Do You Need for the Baklava
Flaky Phyllo Pastry Sheets: I encourage you to buy fresh phyllo pastry sheets. There are many different types, from very think to thick. I recommend choosing the thinner you can find for easier rolling and even better results. Also, I understand that it may be hard to find them fresh depending where you live, but it should be relatively easy to find frozen phyllo pastry in almost every supermarket near you.
Semi Sweet Chocolate: I like using chocolate chips as they are already in the desired shape. That saves me time and energy. Feel free to use chocolate block instead, but in that case, make sure you chop the chocolate using a food processor or a knife.
Walnuts: I often use walnuts for my baklava. However, there are many other variations you can make. I find that walnuts work the best in combination with chocolate or alternatively – pecans. Whatever you decide, chop them in a food processor or using a knife to be approximately same size as the chocolate.
Orange: I love combination of orange and chocolate. That is why I use oranges to flavour the sweet syrup. But I’ve tried lemon based syrup as well and it is also very delicious.
Sweet Syrup: This syrup is the foundation of baklava. To prepare you need sugar, water and vanilla to elevate it all.
Cinnamon – Absolutely a must! Nothing tastes better than adding some cinnamon sticks to flavour the sweet syrup. I also like to sprinkle some ground cinnamon on the served baklava.
Kitchen Tools
- Dutch oven for baking or a rectangle casserole baking dish – You will find the Dutch oven the star of the show here. You can bake the baklava and also cook the syrup in the same pot. All in one! I know – it is pretty amazing! Read why I am absolutely in love with the Dutch oven and how to choose the perfect one.
- Food processor – This is a handy tool to chop the nuts and chocolate.
Homemade Chocolate Baklava
Course: DessertDifficulty: Medium10
servings20
minutes30
minutes50
minutesEveryone should try at least once in their live a homemade chocolate baklava! A sweet and delicious dessert that is easy to make and even ore delightful to eat
Ingredients
1 package of flakey Phyllo Pastry Sheets (400-500 grams)
400 grams of semi-sweet chocolate chips
400 grams chopped walnuts
250 grams unsalted butter
- For the sweet syrup
600 grams white fine sugar
500 ml water
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or one package vanilla sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange (half sliced, half squeezed)
vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
Directions
- Prepare your work station
- I encourage you to buy fresh phyllo pastry sheets, but I understand that it may be hard to find them fresh depending where you live. It is easy to find frozen phyllo pastry in almost every supermarket near you. If you buy frozen phyllo pastry sheets, make sure you leave them overnight in the fridge. That will help them gradually unfreeze.
- One hour before you start working on the baklava, set the phyllo sheets on the counter to warm up. Once you open the package, make sure you work fast as phyllo sheets get dry very quickly. Once they get dry, they easily break.
- Start by preheating the oven on 400 F. In a meantime, prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling
- Finely chop the walnuts into small pieces, or use a food processor to coarsely grind them. The pieces don’t need to be perfectly uniform in size, just avoid grinding them too finely. You want nice walnut chunks for a better texture to enjoy the baklava properly. Transfer the chopped walnuts to a bowl and set aside.
- If you do not have chocolate chips, feel free to use full chocolate and chop it in the food processor on pulse function.
- Prepare the sweet syrup
- In a larger pot, on a medium-high heat add the water and sugar to dissolve. Toss the cinnamon sticks and continue cooking on low-medium heat.
- In the meantime, prepare the orange. Cut half orange into thin circle slices and for remaining half orange, squeeze the juice.
- Once the syrup starts boiling, add the orange slices, squeezed orange juice, vanilla and cinnamon stick and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes.
- Over time the syrup will get thicker and that is exactly what we want. On low-medium heat, it should take about 30 minutes. Set it aside to cool down.
- Prepare the baklava
- Open the phyllo pastry sheets, carefully lay them open on your workstation.
- Get 2-3 sheets on the side (depending on the thickness) and start filling. Some brands have thicker phyllo sheets than others, so in that case, do not use more than two for one roll. At the edge closer to you, add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts going from left edge to the right, repeat the same with the chocolate (about the same quantity).
- Now start rolling the baklava from your end towards the opposite side to get a nice roll.
- Slowly transfer the roll to your baking dish (or Dutch oven as I did) and repeat the same process with the remaining sheets.
- Once finished, cut the baklava into 2-3 inch length pieces.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter completely. Make sure you cut it into small cubes to melt faster. Slowly steer and once the butter starts bubbling, move it aside.
- While the butter is still hot, pour it evenly over the baklava.
- Set the baklava to bake on 400F for 5 minutes. Then reduce to 380F and continue for another 25-30 minutes or until the baklava gets golden brown.
- Set it aside to cool down. After 5-10 minutes, pour the syrup slowly over the baklava. It may seem there is a lot of liquid but that is exactly how it should be.
- The syrup will be all incorporated into the baklava within the next day-two. Once it cools completely, set the baklava covered with thin foil on room temperature overnight. The next day, you can set it in the fridge until served.
- Serving
- Cut a piece or two of baklava, layer a nice sweetened orange slice from the syrup and sprinkle it with cinnamon powder and some chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can substitute the orange for lemon for the syrup. I personally prefer combination of chocolate and orange.
Where Does a Dutch Oven Come in Handy?
You can actually roll up your baklava and bake it right in the Dutch oven – just like I did! The perfect even heat distribution in the Dutch Oven gives the baklava a perfectly golden, flaky crust. So try it out! You’ll thank me later 🙂
How to Store the Baklava
After pouring the syrup, allow the baklava to cool completely at room temperature. Store it covered with a lid or thin foil for up to one day at room temperature. For more, keep it in the fridge until the day it is served.
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