Ingredients

  • Syrup
  • 2 cups water
  • 12 chamomile tea bags
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • Filling
  • 8 ounces shelled pistachios, coarsely ground
  • 10 ounces shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 30 sheets phyllo dough, 9, thawed if frozen
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. For the syrup bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep 10 minutes. Lightly squeeze tea bags and discard. Stir in the sugar, honey, lemon juice and cardamom pods; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook until mixture is slightly syrupy, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool; discard cardamom pods.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9”x13” baking pan.
  3. For the filling whisk together the pistachios, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a bowl until well combined.
  4. Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan and lightly brush with butter. Repeat with 9 more sheets. Spread 1/3 of the filling, about 1 1/3 cups, over the phyllo. Top with 5 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Spread with 1/3 of the filling. Top with 5 more sheets, brushing each with butter. Spread the phyllo with the remaining 1/3 filling. Top with 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each with butter. Trim any phyllo edges that overhand the pan.
  5. With a sharp knife, cut the top layers of the phyllo into long strips, about 1 1/3-1 1/2 inches wide. Then make diagonal cuts through the top layers, about 1 1/3-1 1/2 inches apart to form a diamond pattern. Bake until the phyllo is golden, 28-30 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and cut through the scored lines to form 40 diamonds. Slowly and evenly pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Can be covered with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 1 week.