Baklava rouláda cookies
One of five favorites in The Times’ 2017 Holiday Cookie Bake-Off, Scott Cronick’s Baklava rouláda cookies are a treat that bridges the gap between the backgrounds and ethnicities that make up his family. “My husband’s family is Israeli, and my nephew married into a Greek family,” he says. Over time, Cronick came up with his own take on a cookie-like baklava. “My Greek family says my version is better than theirs,” he notes, laughing.
Syrup
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the lemon peel, sugar, honey, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and set aside to cool slightly (keep warm until ready to use).
Baklava rouláda
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish.
Finely chop all of the nuts. This can be done in a food processor, but chop them individually so they each reach a uniform size. Combine the chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon and zest in a bowl and set aside.
Stack 6 to 7 sheets of filo dough, brushing each sheet with melted butter before stacking. Butter the top sheet, then scatter with a thick (1/4-inch) layer of the nut mixture. Roll the sheets tightly into a log, buttering the exposed pastry as you go.
Slice the roll into generous 1-inch-thick slices and place in the buttered baking dish, cut-side-down. Some of the filling will fall out of the cookies during this process, but don’t worry. Carefully pack the cookies tightly in the dish so they hold their shape during baking. Repeat until all of the nut filling is used.
Drizzle the cookies with remaining melted butter. Place in the oven and bake until golden-brown, 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove the dish from the oven, and immediately pour the syrup over the baklava to fully saturate. Give the cookies a little time to soak up the syrup, then continue pouring the remaining syrup until the cookies are fully saturated but not drowning.
Cool completely before serving. Serve the cookies, each wrapped in a cupcake wrapper, or stacked in a pyramid.
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