Orange-Almond Choclava

A twist on classic baklava, this recipe adds semisweet chocolate to the nut filling and drizzles even more on top. Christmas gift-giving has never been yummier!

Orange-Almond Choclava

Average Rating: 5

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 1 hour Bake: 50 min. + chilling
YIELD: about 6 dozen.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound slivered almonds
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
  • 1-1/2 cups butter, melted
  • 1 package (16 ounces, 14x9-inch sheets) frozen phyllo dough, thawed

  • SYRUP:
  • 1-1/4 cups orange juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • DRIZZLE:
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Place almonds and chocolate chips in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. In a large bowl, combine almond mixture, sugar and orange zest. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter.
  • 2. Unroll phyllo dough. Layer 10 sheets of phyllo in prepared pan, brushing each with butter. Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Sprinkle with a third of the almond mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter. Cut into 1-in. diamonds. Bake until golden brown, 50-60 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
  • 3. In a small heavy saucepan, heat chocolate and water over very low heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Pour syrup over warm baklava; drizzle with chocolate mixture. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 123 calories, 8g fat (3g saturated fat), 10mg cholesterol, 55mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein.