I watched Sunny Anderson make these little baklava cups on her cooking show a long time ago, and have wanted to try them ever since. What an inspired concept to get all of the great flavor of baklava without all of the work. When I was deciding on what to make for our little cocktail party this weekend I revisited this idea, and thought that the time had finally come to give it a test, since it is always nice to have a little sweet nibble to offer as well. I used her recipe with a few modifications. Since I am allergic to walnuts, I replaced the walnuts in her recipe with cashews. I also added the zest of one orange to the nut mixture, along with a generous grating of fresh nutmeg, and an additional half a lemon’s worth of zest. I found that I needed more syrup than her recipe called for, so I made an additional batch, but next time I would just double the syrup recipe. I flavored the syrup (each batch I made) with a dash of cinnamon and about two and a half teaspoons of rose water, as I feel like that is an important flavor for baklava. Since this recipe uses pre-baked phyllo shells, it takes no time to put together, and they can be made a day in advance, making them great for entertaining. They really do have that great baklava flavor with the crisp, flaky phyllo shell, and deliciously sticky, nutty filling. The orange and lemon zest give it that floral background flavor, which is echoed beautifully by the rose water. Enjoy!
Jacob's Kitchen 
These could be dangerous for me. Baklava is my all-time favorite treat. Maybe the bite-size portion will help keep me in check. Gotta try these! Thanks for sharing!
These look delicious! And perfect for an appetizer party 🙂
Cashews? I might DIE! I want these now!
Jacob, these are too cute. I am so with you on the rosewater. My husband’s family is Middle Eastern and you cannot have this dessert without it! I used to not like the flavor but now it’s one of my favorites. What a great job you did. The cashews sound like a great rif on the recipe. Thanks again for your hilarious and encouraging comment today on the blog. Made my day!
You’re just allergic to walnuts? Fascinating… I’ve never heard of that.
These look incredible and I bet they work just as well with cashews. Thanks for posting this great recipe!
I know, right? I’m allergic to pecans as well, probably as punishment for something horrible I did in a previous life. lol They are both so delicious, and as a baker it is really limiting. More fascinating still, I didn’t develop the allergy until my early twenties. If only I would have enjoyed all of those nut filled years more. I often substitute almonds for all things walnut/pecan, but there was a little Greek restaurant in Berkeley that I frequented while in college that served the most delicious cashew baklava. So they provided my inspiration here.
Thanks for dropping by! =)
Those are so cute! Much better looking than baklava squares. Nice pics!
Oh wow, these look fantastic. I adore baklava and this is an excellent alternative. I’m sorry about your allergy though. At least other nuts are still an option!
These look really good! I just have to try it
These look great! I am not a huge fan of working whit phyllo dough… this is a cute solution!
Oooh I love me some baklava and in bite size form!? even better! I am marking these as we speak!
I love the idea of cashews in a baklava. I am not a big walnut fan, but adore cashews. These are such pretty little creations ~ great for a dinner party!
another fantastic recipe and the photos are amazing. I really LOVE baklava!
What a great idea! I have to try this one. I,too love Baklava!
So cute. Made baklava this week too. It’s so hard to not eat them right away. You have to convince yourself that they taste better after sitting for a while. 🙂