Mini Baklava Tarts

About

This is a quick version of the elaborated baklava recipe, which is not hard to make, but just consumes much more time. This desert is a tried and tested recipe, and trust me, not only I does this taste delicious, but it is very easy to make. I literally made these in 30 minutes! I served them after a couple of hours towards the end of my party (after they had chilled in the refrigerator), but you can serve them right away. Alternatively, you can warm it up in the oven for 20 seconds right before serving. Also, I did not have honey (yes! I use Blue Agave Nector instead of honey, not because I am vegan, but because I simply like the taste of Agave). A couple of observations though- Agave is more liquidy unlike honey which is thick. It doesn’t really matter really, but you can pick what you prefer, because either way they will caramelize when baked. Also, they taste slightly different. Agave is a little sharper in flavor than honey. In addition, can substitute the walnuts for pistachios or pecans, but try the variations and figure out which one you like best! The recipe will make about 24 mini baklava tarts. Enjoy and be ready to get complimented by your guests! 

Note: You can use frozen miniature phyllo tart shells, but I used regular phyllo sheets to make 1- 1 ½ inch squares and baked the walnut mixture with the phyllo squares. Feel free to follow my steps in my Mini Nutella Tarts recipe to learn how to make shells out of phyllo dough sheets. 

Ingredients

Agave Nectar or Honey- ¾ cup

Butter, melted- 1 cup

Ground cinnamon- 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice- 1 teaspoon

Ground cloves- 1 teaspoon

Ground cardamom- 1 teaspoon

Walnuts, finely chopped- 2 cups

1 -1½ inch squares of phyllo sheets (or frozen miniature phyllo tart shells)

Method

Step 1- Mix

In a large mixing bowl, mix Agave or honey, butter, ground cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice, ground cloves and stir in walnuts. 

Step-2- Fill

Butter the mini muffin/cupcake pan. Place about 4 squares in each cup of mini muffin/cupcake pan and lightly baste with butter with a pastry brush. Spoon about 2 teaspoons mixture into each shell. 

Step 3- Bake

Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden and crispy. The agave (or honey) in the mixture will start to bubble and the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves will make your kitchen absolutely fragrant! 

Step 4- Serve

Once out of the oven, let the tarts stand in the muffin/cupcake pan for at least 30 minutes before attempting to take it out of the muffin/cupcake pan. Take out each shell carefully with a butter knife running the knife around the cup in a circle trying not to break the shell. Alternatively, you can carefully take it out by hand. Serve like I did in a tiered serving dish with other desserts. 

Happy Cooking!!