August 19, 2010

Baklava Cigars

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One of the reasons I love Baklava is because it is loaded with nuts, has my favorite rose syrup all over it and uses the delicate phyllo dough!
Working with Phyllo sheets are tricky. You need to thaw them out to the right temperature so they are not too dry from the cold that they break or they are too thawed out that they stick together. One good tip is to use a damp kitchen cloth and keep the sheets covered until you are ready to work with them. Keep them covered even if it is only for a couple of seconds. That way they will stay soft and easy to work with.
It is not a pretty sight to have brittle phyllo dough all over your kitchen counter. Been there, done that!
Psst... I have even thrown the tiny broken pieces of the phyllo burying them along with the filling and rolled it all up in the hope that no one would ever find out! :)

This quick and individual portions of baklava are perfect for parties and for dunking in some sinful rich silky chocolate sauce, or caramel, or oh! oh! how about some dulce de leche?
Okay, allright! Let me stop right there because we did neither... no party, or dunking nothing in anything. We just enjoyed it way the simple way. The little sugar syrup on top was the right amount of sweetness especially if you are watching what you are eating. There is no need to let them soak in syrup like the regular Baklava. Sorry about being a little devil tempting you right there with the dunking part. Er.. remember?... We try to cook healthy here.

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Baklava Cigars

Ingredients:

Phyllo sheets - 2 sheets for each cigar (buy a box, and use as many as you need)
Melted butter - 3 tbsp
Rose essence - 1/2 tsp
Dates - 1/2 cup
Roasted almonds - 1/2 cup
Roasted walnuts - 1/2 cup
Toasted Hazelnuts - 1/2 cup
Roasted Sunflower seeds - 1/4 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup (optional)
Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Take out phyllo sheets from the freezer, open and cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
In a food processor pulse the nuts and seeds till they are coarse bits. Transfer onto a clean dry bowl.
Then blend the raisins and dates (chop them roughly before you put them into the food processor). Add the nuts, chocolate chips. Pulse only till combined. The whole mixture should still be coarse. You should be able to pinch out a lemon sized ball and roll it without sticking. It can definitely be on the drier side too. If it is powdery, that is okay too.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Now slowly separate out one phyllo sheet, and place on a working surface. Brush ever so slightly with melted butter and place another sheet over it and brush again with butter. Now place the filling in one corner of the sheet. Filling should be about 3" long and 1" thick.

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Roll the sheet like you would a burrito. Seal the edges with a drop of melted butter.

Roll all the cigars the same way until you have exhausted all the filling. Brush all the cigars with a light touch of melted butter.

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Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake till the cigars are golden brown in color.

Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile mix the powdered sugar and rose essence with a 1/2 tsp of water and pour over the cooled baklava cigars. This way it is not soaking wet in sugar syrup.

Enjoy when the sugar has slightly set. Tastes even better the next day!

Happy baking! :)

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36 comments:

  1. Baklava cigars look HEAVENLY!!
    Crisp n Perfect.

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  2. Yum, looks sooooo tempting! I love baklava :)

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  3. Looks great and reminds me of spring rolls, but the sweet version :).

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  4. I love baklava, this cigars looks delicious. I will try some time.

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  5. Awesome.. Awesome.. Awesome.. Is all I can say drooling..

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  6. OMG... i totally have phyllo sheets in my freezer RIGHT NOW!!! these are like less messy versions of the original :)... might have to try these soon. wonder if these can be classified as breakfast on the go...? nuts/protein is good in the morning :)

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  7. oh wow I also adore baklava got one for me!

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  8. Dear
    You are killing me with these breathtaking pictures of Baklava. Love this
    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  9. The baklava cigar look really delicious. The pics are so amazing.

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  10. Easy and healthy version of baklava, looks really yum!

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  11. WOw..they look so amazing dear....sad that we dont get phylllo sheets here....missing lots of food options..:(

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  12. Perfect.I wish phyllo is available here as well.:sigh:

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  13. Feel like grabbing some, irresistible baklava cigars..

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  14. Love it! This procedure is not at all time consuming unlike the one I posted.

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  15. baklava cigars looks heavenly ...yummy ...feel like to grab some right now :) thanks for sharing

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  16. each of these are pieces of heaven. I cannot wait to give these a try. Baklava is one of my favorite kind of desserts. Thanks a bunch for this neat idea Anu.

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  17. what a lovely looking and healthy cigar, full of nuts..love to indulge them..your pics are always awesome, Anu

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  18. hi anu,

    baklava looks yummy n u have asked wht is puff pastry pwd.Puff pastry is pwd which is used to make rolls like sausage,pizzas,pie

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  19. Wow thats so tempting Anu!

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  20. These cigars luks awesome with nice stuffing.

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  21. Ooooh...I love these cigar shaped baklava. Love the dipping....thanks very much for sharing that :D If only baklava is less fattening....would be eating lots everyday :P

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  22. I like how you made it..Looks so yummy. Its healthy to be prepare in the table for the family. Great blog!

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  23. Love this idea! I actually had baklava for the first time this summer--loved it!

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  24. Looks fabulous and so very tempting !

    About your question on pav bhaji masala, I cannot remember which brand I bought this time, I have it stored in a glass container. I do remember buying Badshah and MTR brands in the past and liking it, so you could try those. hope this info helps!

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  25. I think I found my new favorite blog! I almost tried to eat the computer screen! Yum!!!

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  26. I love baklavas, it's one of my fav middle eastern desserts. Never made it like this, got try your cigars. yummy!!!

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  27. Too easy to make. Be sure everyone takes some home if there are leftovers. I ate all that was left in short order. I thought about licking the pan.

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  28. Baklava is best in cigar form I think!

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  29. Baklava came from the country Armenia, which is located just east of the Turkey. Im Armenian, and i hate when the greeks say they invented Baklava, its Armenian!

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  30. Wait, when we take the broken pieces and put them back in, we're supposed to keep it a secret?? Oh, no ...

    These look wonderful, and pretty convenient, too! Perfect for a party!

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  31. I really love indian food. Very colorful, tasteful and lots of seasoning and condiments.

    cheers

    Guilherme

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  32. They are healthy looking cigars. I won't hesitate taking them as much as I can. Yummy!

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  33. This looks great. We use to make a version close to this with what is called Feuilles de brique (Brick sheets), that I could not find in the US (except Amazon but very expensive).

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)