Walnut Baklava Squares
Golden butter-brushed phyllo with two walnut-cinnamon layers and a lemon sugar syrup. Twenty small pastry squares, six illustrated steps and eight page photos.
Delicate pastry, chopped walnuts and lemon syrup make these small baklava squares a dessert worth making ahead. This version starts with ready-made raw phyllo, so the work is in buttering, layering and cutting rather than rolling dough. There is no honey, pistachio or unmeasured garnish.
The pan is divided into twenty small rectangular pieces. A cooled syrup is poured over the hot baked pastry, followed by a long uncovered rest for absorption. This is an original formulation; The method uses six illustrated recipe steps and eight page photographs, with a separate twelve-photo video sequence.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Thin butter-brushed sheets separate into flaky layers in the oven. Chopped rather than powdered walnuts give the filling texture without becoming a paste. Cutting before baking protects the fragile cooked surface. Pouring cooled syrup over hot pastry and allowing several hours for absorption gives the filling time to moisten while the upper layers remain defined.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, 23 x 33 cm metal baking pan, small saucepan, pastry brush, small bowl, chopping board, sharp knife, measuring jug and wire rack.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 20 small baklava pieces. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A pastry dessert for making ahead
Ready-made phyllo makes this a layered pastry project without requiring dough rolling. The long resting stage is part of the recipe, so begin well before serving.
Handle phyllo gently
Thaw according to the pack and cut the sheets to fit before layering. A towel prevents drying while the next sheet is being brushed. Direct contact with a wet towel can make fragile sheets stick.
Two even walnut layers
Divide the cinnamon walnuts into two portions before assembly. Each filling layer receives 120 g walnuts plus its share of cinnamon; the finished pastry has no loose nut garnish.
Make the grid before baking
Four columns and five rows give twenty small pieces. Cut through the pastry while raw; the baked upper sheets are much more fragile. The serving cut follows the same lines after resting.
Use temperature contrast
The syrup is made first so it can cool while the pastry is assembled and baked. Add cooled syrup to hot pastry with care around the steam. Avoid sealing the warm pan, which traps condensation.
Serve after the long rest
Allow at least six hours for syrup to move through the layers. The top should be visibly golden with separate delicate flakes; the filling will be moist. Refrigeration is a cautious home-storage choice and can soften the pastry.
About the ingredients
- Raw phyllo pastry
Use very thin raw phyllo, not puff pastry, shortcrust, pre-baked filo cups or Turkish borek yufka. Buy enough to obtain 20 full pan-sized layers after trimming. Pack sheet sizes and thickness vary; 300 g is the assumed trimmed edible weight for the nutrition estimate, not a universal sheet weight.
- Walnuts
Use plain unsalted shelled walnuts, chopped to small crumbs with some texture. All 240 g goes inside the two filling layers. No extra nuts are reserved for garnish.
- Butter
All 140 g includes greasing the pan, brushing 20 layers and the top. Melt gently without browning and distribute thinly. This recipe has not been validated with oil or margarine.
- Lemon syrup
Sugar, water and strained lemon juice are the only syrup ingredients. Cool the syrup before pouring over hot pastry. No honey, glucose syrup, orange blossom water or rose water is included.
- Cinnamon
Mix all 2 g into the walnuts before dividing into two portions. Do not scatter dry cinnamon over the finished pastry.
- Pan and portions
The layer plan is designed for a 23 x 33 cm pan and twenty small pieces. Changing the pan or phyllo thickness changes the layer depth and baking time. No exact cooked piece weight is claimed.
How to make Walnut Baklava Squares
Make lemon sugar syrup first and cool it. Chop walnuts and combine with cinnamon; melt the butter and prepare the phyllo. Layer eight buttered sheets, half the nuts, four buttered sheets, the remaining nuts and eight final buttered sheets. Cut into twenty pieces and bake until deeply golden. Pour cooled syrup over the hot pastry, rest uncovered for at least six hours and serve.
1. Make and cool the lemon syrup
2. Prepare the walnuts, butter and pastry
3. Build the buttered pastry and walnut layers
4. Cut twenty pieces and bake golden
5. Syrup the hot pastry and let it absorb
6. Separate and serve the rested squaresWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Walnut Baklava Squares
Golden butter-brushed phyllo with two walnut-cinnamon layers and a lemon sugar syrup. Twenty small pastry squares, six illustrated steps and eight page photos.
Ingredients
0 / 7 readyIngredient amounts for 20 small baklava pieces
Lemon sugar syrup
Pastry and filling
Let’s make it.
- Syrup and layers
Make and cool the lemon syrup
Combine all 260 g sugar and 220 g water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Add 20 g strained lemon juice, bring to a gentle simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave in a heatproof jug to cool completely while preparing the pastry. Do not reduce to a thick caramel; the syrup should remain pourable.
- Syrup and layers
Prepare the walnuts, butter and pastry
Heat the oven to 160°C conventional / 140°C fan. Chop all 240 g walnuts into small pieces rather than a powder, then mix thoroughly with 2 g cinnamon. Divide into two equal walnut portions. Gently melt all 140 g butter, including any butter used to grease the pan. Prepare 20 thin raw phyllo sheets cut to the 23 x 33 cm pan; their combined trimmed weight is approximately 300 g. Keep unused sheets under a dry clean towel with a barely damp towel over it, without wetting the pastry. Follow the pack thawing instructions before starting.
- Syrup and layers
Build the buttered pastry and walnut layers
Brush a thin coat of butter on the pan. Lay in 8 phyllo sheets, brushing each lightly with butter. Spread one half of the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over the base. Add 4 more sheets, buttering each, then spread the remaining walnut mixture. Finish with the final 8 sheets, brushing each, including the top. The sequence is 8 sheets / half the walnuts / 4 sheets / remaining walnuts / 8 sheets. Use the full measured 140 g butter across pan and sheets; brush thinly rather than leaving pools.
- Bake and finish
Cut twenty pieces and bake golden
With a sharp knife, cut all the way through the raw assembled pastry in a grid of 4 columns and 5 rows, making 20 small rectangular pieces. Bake on the middle shelf for about 60–70 minutes until the top is deeply golden and the exposed pastry edges look cooked and crisp. Check after 45 minutes; loosely tent with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Oven and pastry thickness change the timing. The syrup must be cool before the pastry comes out.
- Bake and finish
Syrup the hot pastry and let it absorb
Set the hot pan on a heatproof rack. Carefully pour all the cooled syrup slowly and evenly over the hot baklava, including along the cuts. Watch for hot steam and keep your face away. Leave the pan uncovered on its rack until cooled, then allow at least 6 hours total resting time for absorption. Keep it protected from dust without trapping steam; do not seal a warm pan. Some syrup can remain at the base.
- Bake and finish
Separate and serve the rested squares
Run a knife carefully along the existing cuts once the pastry has rested. Lift out one of the 20 pieces with a small spatula and serve with no additional nuts, honey, cream or other garnish. Divide any remaining pan syrup among the pieces. Once completely cool, store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator at 4°C or below and use within 4 days as a cautious untested home recommendation. Let the serving portion lose its refrigerator chill briefly before eating; chilled storage can soften the top.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 20 small pieces, including one twentieth of all syrup and butter. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 224 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 22.7 g
- Fat
- 14.4 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.5 g
- Fiber
- 1.1 g
- Sugar
- 13.3 g
- Sodium
- 74 mg
Checked 10/21/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
20 phyllo layers: 8 bottom, 4 middle, 8 top. Two walnut filling layers. Cut a 4-column by 5-row grid before baking. The approximate 75-minute cooking estimate includes syrup simmering and up to 70 minutes baking.
Make it your own
Contains wheat, milk and walnuts. Check the phyllo pack for additional allergens. Prepared raw phyllo is intentional; this is not a from-scratch dough recipe or a gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan recipe.
Storage & freezing
After complete cooling, refrigerate covered at 4°C or below and use within 4 days as a cautious untested home suggestion, not a validated shelf life. Protect the uncovered cooling pan from contamination without trapping steam.
At the table
Twenty small pieces include all phyllo, butter, walnuts and syrup, including syrup left in the pan. The nutrition model assumes 300 g trimmed raw phyllo; actual brand weight and ingredients vary. No unmeasured topping or exact cooked weight claim.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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