• Thaw your phyllo dough if frozen.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place rack in the middle of the oven.

  Grease the bottom and sides of your 9 x 13" pan.
  

Preparing the ingredients for walnut baklava

• Add 1 pound chopped walnuts to a bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

  Set aside.
• Unroll thawed phyllo dough very carefully. Cut the dough in half to fit your pan 9" x 13" pan. Cover half with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out while you work with the first half.
• Melt ½ cup butter (melt more as needed).

How to layer walnut baklava

• Place 2 sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of the pan.

  Brush entire top of dough with melted butter using a pastry brush.

  Repeat this 4 times (so you will have 8 layers of dough on the bottom).
  
• Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of the nut mixture across the top.

  Add 2 sheets of phyllo dough. Brush entire top with melted butter.

  Repeat 7-8 times.

  Sprinkle with the final 2-3 tablespoons of nuts.
  
• Add 2 sheets of the dough on top of the nuts. Brush with melted butter.

  Repeat this 3-4 times.

  The top layer should be 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough deep.
• Cut the baklava into squares or diamonds using a sharp knife before baking.

  Make sure you cut completely through to the bottom.

  Wetting the knife before cutting helps A LOT!
  
• Brush the top of your baklava one more time with melted butter after it is cut.

  Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

How to make baklava honey syrup

• While the baklava bakes, make your honey syrup. Start the syrup when the timer for the baklava has 30 minutes left.

  In a small saucepan, dissolve 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water over medium high heat and bring to a boil.

  Reduce heat to medium low.

  Add ½ cup honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

  Keep your honey syrup at a simmer until the baklava is done baking, for about 20 minutes.
• Spoon the honey syrup over the baklava immediately after taking it out of the oven.

  Allow the pan of baklava to cool before serving.

  Enjoy!
• To store your baklava:

  Cover loosely with parchment paper or foil and store at room temperature.

  It is best within the first 3 days while it is still very crispy!