The Best Baklava Recipe

Combine the sugar and water in a medium-large saucepan and heat it over medium, stirring often, until the sugar is almost melted.

Add the lightly crushed cardamom, vanilla pod (cut in half lengthwise; you can also scrape the seeds into the pan), and a squeeze of lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a soft boil until the sugar has completely melted.

Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and orange blossom (or rose water). The consistency should be like maple syrup.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before straining out the solids. Then, set it aside to cool completely.

Transfer the pistachios (or your nut of choice) to a food processor and process them in a medium-crumb consistency. You need 4 cups of ground nuts.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat.

If working with frozen dough, thaw it following the package instructions.

Cut the phyllo pastry to fit your pan. I used a 9x13-inch baking pan (23x33cm), though round pans will also work. You need 33 layers in total. Keep the phyllo sheets under a damp towel so they don't dry out.

Brush a bit of butter across the bottom of the baking dish.

Add 8 sheets of phyllo pastry one at a time, brushing each with a thin, even layer of butter.

Add ½ cup of the ground pistachios, spreading them evenly across the pastry.

Alternate between 3 butter phyllo sheets and pistachios until you use all the ingredients. The final layer on top will have 4 buttered phyllo sheets. See the Notes below for the detailed arrangement.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF/165ºC fan-assisted.

For diamond shapes: Make straight, parallel cuts lengthwise (across the 9-inch part of the pan) either every 2.25 inches (for larger pieces) or every 1.8 inches (for smaller pieces). Then, slice diagonally across the baklava at equal intervals (2.25 inches for larger or 1.8 inches for smaller pieces). Note that not all corner pieces will be the same size.For squares/rectangles: Cut the lines vertically and then horizontally, rather than diagonally, at equal intervals.For triangles: Cut the pieces into larger rectangles/squares. Then, slice diagonally through the squares to cut them each into two separate triangles.

Transfer the baking dish to the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for about one hour at 325ºF/165ºC fan-assisted, until it's golden brown and crispy.Check it at the 30-minute mark, and if it browns on top too quickly, tent the pan with foil.

Immediately after removing the pastry from the oven, pour the fully-cooled syrup evenly over it.

Set the pistachio baklava aside to cool down and absorb the liquid for 6 hours (overnight is even better). Optionally, garnish it with extra chopped nuts or a drizzle of melted chocolate.