Easy Baklava

In college I worked for a Greek man & was absolutely addicted to the baklava he made. I asked him for his recipe & was determined to learn how to make it & make it easier...this is what I came up with & I am finally putting it somewhere I can find it. SO YUMMY!

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Yields: 40 pieces

Ingredients

• 5  teaspoons cinnamon
• 3  teaspoons ground cloves
• 3  cups walnuts, coarsly chopped
• 1  lb sweet unsalted butter, melted
• 1  lb phyllo pastry sheet
• 1  cup sugar
• 1⁄3 cup water
•  orange peel, 3-inch strip
•  lemon peel, 3-inch strip
• 1  cinnamon stick
• 1⁄3 cup honey
• 1⁄2 lemon, juiced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon, clove & walnuts together. Set aside.
3. Brush the bottom of a 12x20 baking dish with butter.
4. Place one pastry sheet in the dish & brush it with butter. Repeat this process so that 6 pastry sheets line the bottom of the dish.
5. TIP: I pour my lukewarm butter in a spray bottle & mist the butter over the phyllo sheets. It prevents tearing & goes by so much quicker! Make sure you buy a misting bottle, not one that just streams -- it will make a big mess!
6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture over top of the pastry sheets. Repeat this process so there are 3 layers of the nut mixture & 4 layers of the 6 buttered pastry sheets.
7. Cut the baklava into diamond shapes (making parallel horizontal lines in the dish & making diagonal lines vertically in the dish).
8. Bake baklava for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
9. While cooking, heat the sugar, water, orange peel, lemon peel & cinnamon stick to a boil & then simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Add honey and bring mixture to a boil.
11. Remove pan from heat and add lemon juice.
12. Stir together and set aside to cool.
13. Remove lemon peel, orange peel and cinnamon stick.
14. Spread the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava.
15. Cover with a dish towel and let sit for one hour before serving.