Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Made these for Christmas. The kids love them. So good.

 

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1lb pecan halves (1 pound)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ - 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (your preference)
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
3. Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large ziploc bag
4. Whisk egg white, water and vanilla in a large bowl until frothy (you can use a fork or electric mixer, either works just fine)
5. Add pecans to large bowl and stir to combine, coating each pecan in egg white mixture
6. Pour coated pecans into ziploc bag, seal and shake to fully coat in cinnamon/sugar mixture
7. Spread out in a single layer onto prepared baking sheet
8. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Baklava

I found this recipe off delciouslyyum.com. It was pretty easy, it's just time consuming to make this. I changed minor things, but followed this recipe pretty closely.

Ingredients:

1. 1 (16 oz.) package phyllo sheets, thawed
2. 1 lb. (about 4 cups) walnuts, finely chopped
3. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4. 1 cup granulated sugar
5. 3/4 cup water
6. 1/2 cup honey
7. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (I ended up using closer to three sticks.)

Instructions

1. Thaw phyllo sheets. I usually take mine out of the freezer an hour before I'm ready to start making the baklava.
2. 1. Meanwhile, using your food processor, chop walnuts into small pieces. Add cinnamon and give it another quick pulse to incorporate. Set aside.
3. Next, combine sugar, water, and honey in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. Once mixture has come to a boil and sugar is completely melted, reduce heat and simmer mixture for 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool completely.
4. Next, melt butter.
5. Before you're ready for assembly, butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove phyllo sheets from the packaging and trim sheets according to your baking pan. My phyllo sheets were about 1" too long, so I just cut them accordingly. This varies depending on the brand of phyllo sheets you purchase.
6. 2. For the assembly: {Step 1} Add one sheet of the phyllo dough to the baking pan and brush with melted butter. Repeat process with another 9 phyllo sheets. Until you have a stack of 10 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with 3/4 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. {Step 2} Top walnut layer with another phyllo sheet, butter and repeat until you have a stack of 5 buttered phyllo sheets. Top with another 3/4 cup of the chopped cinnamon walnuts. Repeat {STEP 2} 3 more times. Finally {Step 3}, add another 10 phyllo sheets, buttering each sheet between layering and spreading the remaining butter on top. (6 layers of phyllo all together.)
7. (I watched a tutorial on cutting the Baklava and it helped a ton to watch it. It suggested chilling the Baklava before cutting, which I can see be very helpful, but I didn't do this.)
8. 3. Cut baklava lengthwise into four 1 1/2" wide strips. Then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Place baking pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks. Immediately pour cool honey syrup over the top and let cool completely. 
9. (Another recipe suggested letting the flavors mellow for at least six hours before eating. I did this and it was a great idea.)

Notes

1. Can be stored at room temperature for up to 7 days.