Why It Works
- Pouring the honey mixture over the baked baklava while the pastry is still hot ensures that the sweet syrup absorbs into every layer.
- Buttering and stacking several sheets of phyllo dough between each layer of the carrot and nut filling ensures that the baklava is crispy in every bite.
When spring is in full bloom, I like to incorporate local in-season carrots into any dish I can, including dessert. Carrot cake is one of my favorites, but there are so many other ways to incorporate vegetables into sweets, including this carrot cake–inspired baklava, developed by our Birmingham, Alabama-based test kitchen colleague Marrianne Williams. It has all of the best flavor characteristics of carrot cake—sweet, earthy carrots complemented with warm baking spices, including cinnamon, ground ginger, and cardamom—but it’s folded into a crunchy nut filling and layered between crisp sheets of phyllo dough for a creative spin on baklava.
Though layering the many sheets of phyllo pastry with the filling may seem intimidating and labor-intensive, this dessert is actually quite simple to assemble and bake. The result is a flaky, buttery treat that is a wonderful addition to any Easter or spring dinner menu.
Crunchy and nutty baklava is popular throughout the Levant and Persian diaspora, as well as many other countries, including Greece, Cyprus, and Türkiye. It’s available at local pastry shops in many varieties. Though walnut- and pistachio–filled baklava are two very popular kinds of baklava you’ll find in all these countries, it’s a truly customizable dessert that lends itself well to variation, and the shapes, sizes, and fillings used often depend on the country it’s made in.
For this iteration, shredded carrots are added to the nutty baklava filling for a seasonal touch. To make the filling, you’ll first finely grind pistachios and pecans in a food processor before stirring in the carrots, spices, and sugar. The vibrant orange vegetable adds a subtle earthy sweetness that pairs well with cinnamon, ground ginger, and cardamom. While we love the combination of pistachios and pecans here, you can substitute with any combination of nuts you prefer.
One of the many reasons for baklava’s popularity is that it can—and should!—be made ahead of time, as it tastes better when made in advance. During the resting time the baklava absorbs the honey- and sugar-syrup and the flavors become more pronounced. Portioned into neat diamonds or squares, this carrot cake–inspired baklava is a fun spring twist on the classic—and an excellent hand-held dessert (although a sticky one) for any gathering.
This recipe was developed by Marriane Williams; the headnote was written by Leah Colins.
Carrot Cake Meets Baklava in This Delightful Spring Dessert
Cook Mode
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1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8.75 ounces; 248 g), divided
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3/4 cup (180 ml) water
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1/2 cup (120 ml) honey
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1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided
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1 1/2 cups roasted, salted pistachios (5.5 ounces; 212 g)
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1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (5.5 ounces; 212 g)
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1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, (about 12 ounces; 340 g)
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1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut (3 ounces; 85 g)
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2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume
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1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
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1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
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2 pounds frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed (such as The Fillo Factory brand)
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9 ounces ghee or butter, melted (see notes)
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In a small saucepan, stir together 1 cup sugar, water, honey, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing baklava.
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In a food processor, pulse pistachios and pecans until finely chopped, about 12 pulses. Transfer nuts to a large bowl and add carrots, coconut, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cardamom, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and stir to combine.
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Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). With a pastry brush, brush bottom and sides of a 9- x 13-inch baking pan with melted ghee or butter.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Working with half of phyllo at a time, unroll phyllo onto a clean work surface and use a sharp knife to trim in to 9- x 13-inch rectangle to fit the prepared baking pan. Discard or reserve phyllo trimmings for another use.) Repeat with remaining phyllo and stack phyllo together and cover with a damp paper towel. Place 1 phyllo sheet in baking pan, and brush top with ghee or butter. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with ghee or butter. Continue layering 8 more phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with ghee or butter (a total of 10 sheets on bottom layer).
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Sprinkle 1 cup of carrot mixture evenly over top sheet of phyllo. Place another phyllo sheet over carrot mixture, and brush with ghee. Continue layering 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with ghee or butter (a total of 8 phyllo sheets).
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Sprinkle 2 cups of the remaining carrot mixture evenly over top sheet of phyllo. Place another phyllo sheet over carrot mixture, and brush with ghee. Continue layering 7 more phyllo sheets with butter (a total of 8 phyllo sheets). Sprinkle remaining carrot mixture over top phyllo sheet. Place another phyllo sheet over carrot mixture and brush with ghee or butter. Continue with remaining phyllo sheets until all phyllo sheets are used, ending with a final brushing of ghee.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Using a sharp knife, cut baklava lengthwise into 2-inch wide strips, making sure to cut all the way through the bottom of pastry. Cut baklava diagonally into 2-inch wide strips to create diamond shaped pieces.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
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Bake baklava until deep golden brown and crispy, rotating pan halfway through baking, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and immediately pour cooled honey syrup evenly over hot baklava, making sure to reach edges of pan. Set pan on a wire rack and cool, uncovered at room temperature, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before serving or storing (see notes).
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Special Equipment
Small saucepan, 9- x 13-inch baking pan, pastry brush
Notes
To avoid soggy baklava, make sure the baklava has cooled completely before covering.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The simple syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Baklava tastes best after it has rested for 4 to 6 hours (or, ideally, overnight), when the pastry has had a chance to absorb the syrup and the flavors are more pronounced.
Cooled baklava can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. After that, it can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.