Instructions
- Make the baklava shell:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Have the chopped nuts mixed with the sugar, melted butter or ghee along with a pastry brush nearby and keep the phyllo sheets covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel (alternatively, work fast!).
- Lay 1 sheet of phyllo at a time in the springform pan about â…” of the way in so that you have a bit of an overhang, as pictured, and use the pastry brush to butter each layer before you put on another. Layer the sheets side by side so that you have an even layer of overhang all around the pan.
- Once you have ten buttered sheets, sprinkle half the nuts and scatter them and the sugar into an even layer. Repeat phyllo/butter with 5 more sheets and then the rest of the nuts. Repeat with five more phyllo sheets. The pie shell will be constructed like this:
- 10 phyllo sheets, butter between each layer ¾ cup nuts, 1 tablespoon sugar 5 phyllo sheets butter between each layer¾ cup nuts, 1 tablespoon sugar 5 phyllo sheets butter between each layer
- Take the overhang of phyllo and fold it over inwards so that the shell has sides.
- Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, until pastry is golden.
- Once the shell is cool make the filling:
- In a pot whisk together the water and cornstarch. Add the cocoa, egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and sea salt and whisk to combine. Cook until it begins to thicken. Once it coats the back of a wooden spoon, turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour it in the baked phyllo shell and set to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Recipe by our friend Sam at Buttermilk By Sam
