Barenjager Honey Lemon Baklava
Virtual Potluck is hosting our first holiday party featuring Barenjager Honey Liqueur! When it arrived on my doorstep, I just had to have a taste. It really tastes like honey, real honey. I had a little in my hot peppermint tea and that was a real bedtime treat. As you can see my bottle is dwindling and I have rather enjoyed it.
I make Baklava every year for Christmas but this year it was the day after before I got around to it, which just means more baklava for me! Just kidding, I will be sharing so that I don’t hurt myself! I generally make it with honey, but I thought this Barenjager would be the ideal addition and I was right. It was better than ever! A perfect dessert for a party, it is so impressive and delicious!
You all know that we raise cattle and I’ve mentioned our Catahoula dogs before. Well we have one old cow dog named Tuffy. He’s like a member of the family and we let him sleep in the house. He’s very well-behaved in the house, he never makes a mess, he never gets into anything.
Well a few years ago, I made my batch of baklava just before bedtime on Christmas Eve. I put it on the kitchen table to cool. Sometime during the night I heard a ruckus. I thought Santa was in the kitchen, but no, it was Tuffy, front feet on the table having eaten at least half of my pan of baklava!
I was so mad at that dog but I would imagine he had quite the belly ache for punishment! That year there was no baklava for us, only Tuffy. Now I can’t help thinking of that every year when I make baklava.
Okay, back to the Barenjager! It is the original honey liqueur and is made in Germany with pure, natural honey with no artificial flavors. The honey taste comes shining through in cocktails or substituted in recipes for honey. You will want to add this to your list for New Years celebrations, there are so many possibilities!
Be sure to check out the round up post over at The Food Hunter’s Guide for Cuisine for all of the VP party posts. There are lots of great recipes!
Barenjager Honey Lemon Baklava
adapted from Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook
Ingredients:
- 4 cups walnuts (about 16 oz) toasted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar, divided use
- 1 package (16 oz) phllo dough, thawed if frozen
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup Barenjager Honey Liqueur
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cooking Directions:
Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a food processor with knife blade, add walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Pulse about 25-30 times or until walnuts are finely chopped. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Trim phyllo sheets to fit into approximately 13 x 9 inches. You will want to keep phyllo covered with a damp towel while you work. The thin sheets dry out really fast.
Place one sheet of phyllo into baking dish and brush with butter. Repeat with 5 more sheets, brushing every other one with butter.
Sprinkle evenly with about 1 cup of walnut mixture. Repeat layering 2 more times. End with remaining phyllo sheets brushed with butter.
Using a sharp knife, cut almost but not all the way through layers. Cut 3 strips length wise and then crosswise into 4 rectangles. Carefully cut each rectangle into 2 triangles. Bake 1 hour, or until golden.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine Barenjager, water, 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon stick. Heat until boiling over medium heat, stirring often. Continue to cook at a boil for 5 minutes. Lower heat and stir in lemon juice. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick.
Spoon syrup over hot baklava. Cool in pan at least one hour. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Finish cutting through layers and serve.
*Can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but be forewarned it is rich!
Enjoy!
Miss
Disclosure: Barenjager is 70 proof liqueur please drink responsibly!
I was provided with the Barenjager for review, all opinions are my own.
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