Cranberry Crisp 

Cranberry Baklava

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

• ½ cup honey

• 3 strips lime peel, coarsely chopped

• 2 sticks Ceylon cinnamon

• 1 whole clove

• ⅛ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Bring ingredients to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick. Allow syrup to cool completely. Remove cinnamon sticks and clove.

Browned Butter

• 1 ¼ cup butter

Place butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once it starts to foam and boil, begin whisking. The butter will turn a toasty brown color and develop a nutty aroma. When it reaches a deep brown color, turn off the heat and pour it into a heat-safe bowl, scraping up all the browned bits at the bottom.

Nut Filling

• ½ cup walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts (pick one or two), toasted and coarsely chopped

• 1 cup pecans or macadamia nuts (pick one or both), toasted and coarsely chopped

• ½ cup finely chopped raw cranberries

• ¼ cup sugar

• 2 tsp Deaf Girl Walking Cranberry Crisp extract

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp fresh ground ginger

• ½ tsp cloves

• ¼ cup of the browned butter from above

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Baklava Assembly

You will need:

• 9x13 pan

• Browned butter (with pastry brush)

• 24 sheets of Phyllo pastry dough

• Damp towel

• Nut mixture

Before starting, decide:

1. Do you want to cut your pastry dough to fit the pan or fold each sheet to fit?

2. Do you want a decorative top layer or keep all the nut filling inside?

Lightly brush the pan with browned butter. Lay down one sheet of phyllo pastry dough in the buttered pan. Cover the remaining sheets with a damp towel to prevent drying. Repeat the process 11 more times, brushing browned butter between each layer.

Add the nut mixture, spreading evenly, then repeat the pastry/butter layering process until all sheets are used. If opting for a decorative top, cut the baklava into squares or diamonds before baking. Place a small spoonful of nut filling in the center of each shape.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Finishing Touch

Remove from the oven and pour the cooled syrup over the baklava. Allow it to cool completely to fully absorb the syrup before serving. Enjoy!