So one thing I absolutely loves is Chocolate, and one thing my husband really loves in baklava. I like it too, but i’m a through and through chocolate fan! So I decided to create my own version of this middle eastern dessert by putting the two together, adding some hazelnuts for crunch and espresso as the sticky syrup component. And voila! You got yourself one of the MOST amazing delicious baklavas.. EVER!

Give it a try – its SUPER simple! Note* I did NOT make the filo pastry.. because as much as I love baking there are some things you just leave to pro’s and big machines! 😉

Here’s how you bake them :

INGREDIENTS :

Baklava – 

• 1 packet filo pastry (mine had 30 sheets)
• 200 g Dark chocolate
• 300 g hazelnuts
• 50 g sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 55 g melted butter

Espresso Sugar Syrup – 

• 140 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 5 tbsp espresso instant strong coffee (you can add more if you like it strong in coffee flavour) – if you are using espresso powder, then make sure to make your espresso coffee first then use it in the bake – otherwise it will taste like powder granules!

METHOD :   

Baklava – 

1. In a food processor, place the hazelnuts, chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse until it resembles grains, or rough sand.
2. Grab you filo pastry, and cover it with a lightly wet tea towel (this is so the pastry doesn’t dry out while you start to layer).
3. In a 9×9 inch dish (or any size you wish) lay one sheet of pastry on the bottom, and brush a coat of melted butter (make sure not to overload with butter, just as long as it’s covered decently).
4. then take your second layer and place on top, and brush another layer of butter – repeat this until you reach your 10th layer. Brush with butter, and then spread half of the baklava mixture evenly on. Place another sheet of filo pastry on top and brush with butter – repeat this for another 10 layers.
5. Then spread on the remaining baklava mixture and layer the remaining 10 layers of filo with the butter on top. Cover with some plastic wrap, and place into freezer for 30 min. You do this so you can easily cut the baklava shapes out before baking.
6. Take it out and then with a sharp knife, slice slowly diagonally across and then the other direction across. So you should have diamond shapes visible.
7. Place into the middle of the oven at 175 C for 40 min, until the top is golden brown. Take out and place onto a wired rack.

Syrup & Assembly – 

1. In a small saucepan, add in all your ingredients, and bring to a boil. Then let simmer for 10 min, until it thickens. Pour the syrup over the baklava and let it set for 20 min. And voila! Your very first amazingly tasty chocolate baklava! Enjoy!