This is it. Day 40 of my FIT-in-40 health kick. What better way to go out, than with a desert inspired by my health-kick?
My dear friend at Dare to Desert featured a recipe for Apple Baklava, just for me to try out! When I’m not busy at work, with Avery, or other household ‘stuff’, I like to fit in some cooking or baking. I’ve recently made homemade baby food & banana bread. So, I squeezed in some time on Sunday (between installing Avery’s new carseat and a birthday party) to make this yummy desert.
Apple Baklava courtesey of Dare to Desert
Gather ingredients:
- 6 Oz. Raw, Unsalted Mixed Nuts (not containing peanuts), finely chopped in a food processor to the consistency of corn meal
- 1/2 Cup Organic Agave Nectar
- 2 Medium Apples
- 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp. Butter (not margarine or any butter substitute)
- 20 Sheets of Phyllo Dough (typically one roll of frozen phyllo), thawed according to the manufacturer’s directions
The hardest part of this recipe was gathering the ingredients. I don’t eat nuts, never heard of Agave nectar before, and what the heck is Phyllo Dough? It took a couple emails back and forth with D2D, to learn that you’ll find the Agave Nectar in the grocery store next to the honey, and Phyllo Dough in the freezer section next to the deserts. Oh and, I swear we spent 10 minutes looking at nuts (hehe) because all of them were salted. So, before you dare this recipe, make sure you have all the ingredients, because it took me over a week to find the time to go to the grocery store, and before I went, I had to know where to look for this stuff!
- 13×18 cooking sheet
- knife
- frying pan
- cutting board
- something to grind nuts – i used potato masher but it didn’t work too well. I need one of those bowl things with the club that smashes stuff… (very technical here. What’s it called?)
- mixing bowls
- marinating brush
Instructions:
1. Thaw phyllo dough. Take it out of the freezer, keep wrapped, for 2 hours. If the box has two rolls of phyllo dough, put the other immediately back in the freezer for later use. (you’ll want to make this again)
2. Core & dice apples. Leave peel on.
3. Saute butter (1 tbs) in a frying pan on low heat until lightly softened. Add cinnamon and diced apples and toss to coat. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Finely ground nuts. Combine with agave nectar to make a paste. Set aside.
5. Melt the remaining butter in a bowl on low power in the microwave.
6. Preheat oven to 350° F.
7. Line the baking sheet with phyllo dough (2 sheets) and spread a very thin and even coat of butter on top (I used a brush). You want to use just enough butter to barely moisten the dough. Add another layer of dough and press down lightly. If the butter soaks through, add another layer, and then another thin coat of butter.
After maybe 6 layers of phyllo, evenly spread the nut mixture on top of the sheets of dough. Add another few layers of phyllo, being sure to butter lightly in between layers.
Evenly spread the sautéed apples on top. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo.
Butter the top of the last layer.
8. Bake in the oven at 350° F for about 5 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden on top. (took about 10 min for me) Watch it closely, it’s thin and will burn very easily.
Remove and allow to cool before slicing into 20 evenly-sized pieces.
Nutrition Stats:
- Calories/Square: 96
- Carbs: 14g.
- Protein: 1g.
- Fat: 4g. (but it’s good fat!)
- + Add a dollop of whip cream for only 15 calories!
For my first Baklava, I think it came out pretty good! I put the squares in some Tupperware and gave to a coworker and a friend to share. What a sweet way to end my health kick!
Have you tried any new recipes recently? Are you more of a ‘baker’ or a ‘cook’? Do you have any yummy (but healthy) recipes to share? Although my health-kick is ending, I’ll still keep eating healthy 
