Vegan Baklava

Ingredients

• 3 cups walnuts
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon clove
• 12 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. 2

   Finely chop half of the chopped walnuts, and all of the chopped almonds.

3. 3

   Mix nuts with spices, stir well, and set aside for now --

4. 4

   Cut the sheets of phyllo dough in half lengthwise, then stack the cut sheets on top of each other.

5. 5

   Remove 6 phyllo dough sheets, and cover the rest with a moist, clean towel.

6. 6

   Place one sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of a greased 9 x 12 pan (or whatever works) and lightly spray it with oil. Cover with another sheet, oil, and repeat this step until all 6 sheets are stacked on top of each other. Sprinkle one third of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo dough in the pan.

7. 7

   Add 6 more phyllo dough layers using the process above, add more nuts, repeat etc.

8. 8

   Using a sharp, oiled knife, cut the whole pan of phyllo dough vertically and horizontally, into as many pieces as appropriate.

9. 9

   Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, lower the heat to 300°F and bake for about another 20 minutes, check to see if it's golden brown on the top, it might take an additional 10 minutes or so --

10. 10

    While that's baking, mix the sugar, lemon juice, and maple syrup over low heat until it thickens. Once thickened, remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

11. 11

    Pour the mixture over the baklava as soon as it is done and out of the oven.

12. 12

    Let the baklava cool in the fridge before serving.