Ingredients:
Pastry:
• 100 g Cheerios, crushed
• 50 g walnuts, finely chopped
• 50 g shelled pistachio nuts or pine nuts, finely chopped
• 50 g ground almonds
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
• 2 ml (½ teaspoon) mixed spice
• 60 ml (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 1 packet (500 g) phyllo pastry
• 200 g butter, melted
Syrup:
• 250 ml (1 cup) caster sugar
• 400 ml water
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) rose water
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) honey
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 25 x 34 cm roasting pan.
Pastry:
- Mix all the ingredients except the phyllo pastry and butter. Cut the phyllo pastry sheets to the same size as the prepared pan and cover with a damp cloth to prevent it drying out.
- Arrange 10 layers of phyllo pastry, each brushed with melted butter, in the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Sprinkle over a generous layer of the nut mixture. Top with 5 layers of phyllo pastry, each brushed with butter.
- Sprinkle over another layer of the nut mixture. Repeat the pastry and nut layers twice more, ending with a layer of phyllo pastry.
- Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern in the top layer of the baklava (do not cut all the way through). Bake for 40 minutes.
Syrup:
- Heat all the ingredients except the honey, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until syrupy. Add the honey.
- Pour the hot syrup over the baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven. Leave to stand for at least 4 hours.
- Cut into diamond shapes and serve with fruit and Greek yoghurt if desired.