Eid delight: Baklava cups with a festive flair

Are you thinking of preparing a special sweet treat for your loved ones on the joyous occasion of Eid? Look no further because the king of desserts, Baklava, is here!

When I proclaim it the king of desserts, I do not do so lightly! Baklava is royalty not only because it has been an integral part of cultures and traditions for centuries but also because it is a rich and flaky delight that can truly mesmerise the palate.

Baklava cups recipe

As I mentioned, we will make Baklava with a twist. As you might have guessed, we are going to amp up the look of regular Baklava and make them in fun, bite-sized cup form. The process is simple. All you need is a tart or muffin mould to give them the desired shape.

You start by layering the filo sheets one on top of the other in the chosen tray and pressing them in. Then you just have to go ahead and fill them with the nut filling and bake. If you would like, soak them in syrup, and you are done.

Step-by-step guide

Preparation time - 30 minutes

Baking time - 8 to 10 minutes

Serves - 6

Ingredients

For the filo cups

3 filo Pastry sheets (store bought)

30 gms Butter (melted)

60 gms Cream cheese

15 gms Almonds

15 gms Cashews

15 gms Walnuts

15 gms Caster sugar

For the syrup

30 gms Sugar

30 ml Water

Method

Preheat your oven to 175°C and prep your tart tray by applying some melted butter.

Cut the filo sheets into equal squares of about 3 to 4 inches each.

Place one square in each tart cavity and apply melted butter generously with a brush.

Place two more sheets in each cavity. Each sheet has to be placed at an angle so that the edges are not on top of each other but away.

Apply more melted butter on the layers along with the edges.

Spoon one teaspoon of cream cheese in each tart shell and place them aside.

Now, put all the almonds, cashews, and walnuts in a high-powered blender and blitz them until roughly chopped. Do not make a fine grind.

Transfer them to a bowl and mix in the caster sugar.

Scoop one tablespoon of this mixture into each tart shell and level it out.

Place the tray in the preheated oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the baklava cups turn golden brown.

While the cups are baking, prepare the sugar syrup by placing the sugar and water in a pan over a medium flame.

Once it starts to boil, simmer it for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring.

Once baked, pour the sugar syrup into the baklava cups and let it soak the syrup for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

Tips

1. Use any tray of your choice. You can use smaller tart shells or muffin trays, whichever is available.

2. Cut the filo sheets in the size you would like, depending on the mould you are using.

3. You can use oil or clarified butter in place of regular butter.

4. You can skip adding cream cheese altogether, if you would like.

5. You can choose to add nuts of your choice.

6. If you do not have a blender, place the nuts in a zip lock bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

7. If you prefer flavoured baklava cups, you can flavour the sugar syrup with rose or cardamom.

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