Description
These Baklava Cookies are a delightful twist on the traditional Middle Eastern dessert, featuring a buttery, tender pastry dough filled with a fragrant nut and cinnamon mixture. Finished with a sweet, spiced syrup drizzle and an optional touch of honey, these mini cookie cups offer all the rich flavors of baklava in a perfect bite-sized treat. They are gluten-free, low-carb, and easy to make using simple ingredients and baked in a mini muffin tin.
Ingredients
Pastry Dough:
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz butter, softened
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup ground golden flax (or additional almond flour)
- 1 egg yolk
Nut Filling:
- ¾ cup chopped nuts (½ cup walnuts and ¼ cup pistachios)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Syrup:
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or alternative sweetener)
- 1 tbsp water
- 3 one-inch pieces of lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tsp honey (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or line it with aluminum mini muffin liners to prevent sticking.
- Make the Dough: In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, almond flour, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, and egg yolk. Use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined. If the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, the mixture will blend easily.
- Form the Cookie Cups: Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Press each piece firmly into each mini muffin cup using a tart tamper, the back of a teaspoon, or your fingers, creating a small cup shape.
- Prepare the Nut Filling: In a small bowl, combine the chopped walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon. Evenly distribute this nut mixture into each dough-lined mini muffin cup.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the dough is golden and set. Remove from oven and allow the cookie cups to cool to room temperature.
- Make the Syrup: While the cookies bake, combine the sweetener, water, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool completely to room temperature.
- Assemble and Serve: Drizzle the cooled syrup evenly over the baked cookie cups. If using honey, spoon about 1/8 teaspoon of raw, organic honey over each cookie cup to add a subtle honey flavor. Carefully remove the cookies from the muffin tin and enjoy!
Notes
- The honey is optional. Traditional baklava uses honey, but the cookies are sufficiently sweet without it. If you add honey, each cookie contains less than 1 gram of carbs from the honey.
- Storing: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerated to maintain freshness.
- Freezing: Freeze cookies on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a container. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge before serving.
- Substitutions: You can substitute pecans or hazelnuts for the walnuts and pistachios in the nut filling.
