A fun take on baklava, these baklava rolls, filled with a spiced cashew mixture, make the perfect dessert for your next party! Be sure to see the easy step-by-step tutorial below the recipe.
This post is in partnership with The Fillo Factory.
It is no surprise that baklava is a favorite dessert of mine. Homemade baklava that is, not the stale stuff that’s been mass-produced, boxed up, and left to drown in syrup.
These baklava rolls are a unique take on the beloved traditional. I first stumbled upon the idea in Michael Solmonov’s cookbook Zahav, and was instantly inspired!
The gist: crispy fillo (phyllo) rolls, stuffed with a decadent, spiced cashew mixture, then sweetened with cinnamon lemon syrup.
Watch how to make these baklava rolls
And as I do when making traditional baklava or Greek Spanakopita, I reached for my favorite quality fillo (phyllo), organic fillo dough from The Fillo Factory. It’s vegan and contains no preservatives; no cholesterol; and no trans fat. And one big thing for me as a cook, The Fillo Factory dough always comes in good condition, which makes it easy to work with
Why this Baklava Recipe works?
In my opinion, these baklava rolls are a fun and simple way to serve a party crowd. Place them on a tray as finger food next to a fresh coffee pot, or stick them in small bowls of ice cream for more festive ice-cream sundaes (a delicious idea I came across at a recent Greek festival!)
What to do with the remaining fillo (phyllo) sheets?
You may be asking yourself, this recipe only uses 6 sheets of dough, what would one do with the rest?
No way would I waste the rest of this good organic fillo dough! This recipe is quite forgiving, you can easily double or even triple it to serve a larger crowd (or even use as edible gifts). Or, use the remaining pieces in another dessert, like my baklava cheesecake!
When I have made this baklava recipe, I almost inevitably make my mom’s savory fillo (phyllo) meat pie–a popular Egyptian recipe. A simple casserole of crispy squares filled with spiced meat. Or, if you want another finger food option, you can make savory phyllo rolls with a meat and feta filling as in this recipe!
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Cashew Filled Baklava Rolls
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18-20 Baklava Rolls 1x
Description
A fun take on baklava, these baklava rolls, filled with a spiced cashew mixture, make the perfect dessert for your next party! Be sure to see the easy step-by-step tutorial below the recipe.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Lemon Simple Syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Cashew Filling
- Scant 1 cup unsalted raw cashews, lightly toasted
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground green cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Pinch salt
- 2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter, melted
Baklava Dough
- 6 sheets organic fillo (phyllo) dough by The Fillo Factory
- 3 tbsp Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil mixed with 2 tbsp melted ghee or unsalted butter
Instructions
- Make the syrup: Add the sugar, water, and cinnamon stick to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves completely. Add lemon juice and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let sit about 15 minutes to thicken, then remove cinnamon stick. Set aside for now.
- Make the cashew filling: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the cashews, brown sugar, spices, salt and melted butter. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground (you should end up with something like a coarse paste).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Assemble the Bakalava Rolls: Lay 3 sheets of fillo (phyllo) evenly on a clean work surface with the long side closest to you. Brush the top generously with the olive oil and melted butter mixture. With a sharp knife, cut the fillo into 4 equal strips. Now working with 1 strip, spoon about 1 1/2 tsp of the cashew filling in a straight line along the bottom edge that is closest to you (leave a little room on either side for the filling to expand). Roll tightly about 4 or 5 times away from you so that the filling is now encased into a fillo roll. Slice the first roll free. Place in a lightly oiled baking sheet.
- Repeat the process to finish the first strip of fillo dough. Then repeat with the remaining strips.
- Lay the next 3 sheets of fillo (phyllo) evenly on a clean work surface with the long side closest to you. Again, brush the top generously with the olive oil and melted butter mixture. With a sharp knife, cut the fillo into 4 equal strips. And repeat the filling and rolling process until you run out of dough. And of course assemble in your lightly oiled baking sheet.
- When all the baklava rolls are assembled in the baking sheet, brush with more olive oil and melted butter.
- Bake in the 350 degrees F heated-oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the baklava rolls brown and crisp (you’re looking for a light gold brown, bottoms may be slightly more brown).
- Remove from oven and dress with at least 1/2 the simple syrup (you can save the rest of the syrup for later use).
- Let bakalva rolls cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Fillo (or phyllo) dough must be thawed properly. When thawing, do not remove the fillo from the package, place it in the fridge 12-14 hours before using.
- Make syrup needs to be well concentrated not watery or runny
- Be sure to roll the fillo dough tightly around the cashew filling so that they keep their shape and also to avoid having them burst when adding the syrup
- Make ahead: Baklava rolls are a great dessert to make one night ahead of serving as the syrup will have been well-absorbed. Store in a glass container with a tight lid.
- Recommended for this Recipe: The Fillo Factory Organic Fillo Dough; our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil and ground green cardamom.
- Visit our store to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
- Adapted from Zahav
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Cashew-Filled Baklava Rolls Tutorial
Make syrup. Boil sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Stir in lemon juice and immediately remove from heat. Let set for 15 minutes or so.
Make cashew filling by mixing filling ingredients in a food processor until mixture is finely ground.
Lay 3 sheets of fillo (phyllo dough) and generously brush top with olive oil and melted butter mixture. Cut into 4 equal strips.
Now work with 1 strip. Scoop in cashew filling…
Roll a few times, about 4 to 5, tightly. Slice loose.
Continue the process with this 1 strip and move on to the next. When finished with the first batch, now repeat the process with the next 3 fillo (phyllo sheets).
Assemble the bakalva rolls in oiled sheet pan. Generously brush top with more of the olive oil and butter mixture.
Bake in 350 F degrees heated-oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat when crisp and golden brown, and pour about 1/2 of the syrup on top. Reserve remaining syrup for later. Let baklava rolls cool completely before serving.
*This post is sponsored by The Fillo Factory, makers of quality, gourmet fillo dough. The Fillo Factory dough can be found in different sizes and in Organic White Wheat; Organic Spelt; and Organic Wheat. Vegan; no preservatives; no cholestrol; no trans fat. Available at grocery stores nationwide; click here to find a retailer near you. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make this site possible.
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25 minutes is too long. Tastes burnt. I was so disappointed. Usually I have really good luck with your recipes.
OMG these were so good! Thank you kindly! The only change I made was to keep the phyllo sheets uncut, and slice the cashew rolls after they were rolled. They are my favorite baklava from The Baklava Factory in Encino, CA, and thanks to you, I can now make it for my family easily instead of the long drive out to the Valley. BTW, the filling is delicious itself!
Thank you so much, Sonia!
Made the traditional style baklava and these rolls. Friends commented that they prefer the traditional style but i am in love with those rolls. So much easier and the cashew filling with the spices was amazing.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!
OMG! So good! The sauce makes them! Super easy to make! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
My pleasure, Anna! So happy you enjoyed them!
These cashew baklava are delicious and not complicated to make. Thank you
Wasn’t able to find the exact same phyllo dough (brand) so I’m curious as to how many pieces (servings) are expected in this recipe. Will definitely make these again.
what is the alternative to using phyllo dough it is not locally available in our country?
Looks great – as I’m having a dinner party of dieting diners, I don’t think many will be consumed. Can you freeze these- if so should you do it before or after cooking? Many thanks
I haven’t tried to freeze them, but I have other fillo items. I would suggest freezing them before baking. Then bake from frozen. Would be curious to hear how this works for you.
These look amazing! I’ve had homemade baklava before and it was really good, but made with walnuts which I’m now allergic to. Love that yours includes cashews!
I hope you’ll give these a try, Michelle!
holy yum! Zahav is such a great book (and restaurant!!). have to make these!
Enjoy! I make mine slightly different, and they’re a bit smaller…I like them smaller for party food 🙂
I am loving the idea of the rolls, seems like there would be much more of a flaky factor. Beautiful!
Aren’t they fun though! And I love that they’re finger food!
I have eaten baklava since I was a little girl. My family makes it every year. This version looks amazing! I love the idea of a cashew filling.
Thanks, Julia! Hope you give this one a try!
These look amazing! I love baklava but I’ve never made it before myself, you make it look so easy!
It’s time to try! You’d love these 🙂
Oh my goodness, these look great and sound delicious. They are right up my alley.
I know! I made 20 of these, they didn’t last very long. Planning to double next time!
LOVE baklava! And cashews. Oh my. I’ve always been tempted to make it, but it always seemed like it would be messy. These rolls look like they’d be easy to make, though!
Yes! You should totally try these!!!
WOW…. these look amazing. Baklava is one of my favorite desserts, and Mediterranean is my favorite kind of food (married into a Greek family, lol).
Also, I just subscribed to your emails and am looking forward to the ebook.
Awesome! I’ll bet you get to eat all sorts of yummy Greek food!
Okay, I NEED to try these! What a great idea, they look so tasty!
You totally do! You’d love them, Jordan! Thanks for stopping in.
Possible to freeze before baking?
Yes, I believe so, Rina. And bake from frozen. Watch carefully.