Description
Baklava cookie bars are a twist on traditional baklava! The soft cookie crust is layered with a spiced nut topping and drizzled with honey. Recipe makes 16 bars.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Nut Topping
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/3 cup almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Syrup
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make bars: Whisk together melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and orange zest in a large bowl until combined. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; add to butter mixture and fold in until incorporated. Press dough evenly into bottom of parchment-lined pan and bake crust for 15 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set.
- Make nut topping: While the crust bakes, combine pecans, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a small bowl; add melted butter and stir until incorporated. Spoon nut mixture evenly over warm crust and return pan to oven. Continue baking another 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.
- Make syrup: While the bars finish baking, combine honey, water, and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and let mixture simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Place baked bars on a wire rack and drizzle syrup over still-warm topping, tilting pan slightly to coat evenly. Cool bars completely in pan. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into triangles with a sharp knife. If desired, serve with a drizzle of honey.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
Larger Batch: For a larger batch of cookie bars, double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan.
Orange zest: I flavored the bars and syrup with orange zest and juice. You can also use lemon zest and juice.
Spices: Ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg flavor the nut topping. You can also add 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom.