sister herb
Official TTI Chef
Ingredients:
■1 12 oz. package of sugar cookies, crumbled fine (I used Nilla wafers)
■1/2 c. butter, softened
■4 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
■1 c. sugar
■1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
■1 teaspoon vanilla, optional (I skipped this)
■4 eggs
■1 cup chopped walnuts
■1/4 cup granulated sugar
■1/2 cup butter, cubed
■1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
■10 sheets of fillo dough
■1/3 cup butter, melted
■1/2 cup Arabic attar, or simple syrup, or light corn syrup, heated
Note: unit conversion help: http://easyconverter.net/
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F/175C degrees. To prepare crust: Pulse cookies in a food processor to form fine crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, use a rolling pin to crush the cookies in a large ziplock bag. If using a food processor, add the 1/2 cup softened butter and pulse until incorporated. No processor, mix with a fork or by hand. Really get it in there.
Press crumbs on bottom and up sides of 9 inch/22 cm spring-form pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. To prepare the cheesecake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high speed about 10 minutes (in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer) until fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla (if using), and one egg at a time. Beat until smooth.
3. To prepare baklawa: Combine walnuts, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a bowl and mix until crumbly. Note: I did not get crumbly. I got a ball of butter with walnuts in it. I proceeded anyways. Next time I think I’ll reduce the butter to 1/4 cup. Cut fillo sheets into 9 inch rounds. I used my spring-form pan as a stencil. Using the warm melted butter, brush 5 sheets of fillo individually and set on top of the cheesecake filling. (Brush sheet with butter, place on top, brush sheet with butter, place on top, etc.)
On top of the first 5 sheets of fillo dough rounds, sprinkle with the baklawa walnut mixture. The recipe says “sprinkle”, I flattened mounds in my hand and placed them on top. Butter and layer 5 sheets of fillo and place on top. Important: I missed the following next step! Just noticed it as I’m typing out the recipe. Layer and butter another 5 fillo sheets, lightly score into 10 equal sections without cutting all the way to center or outer edge. Place on top of cheesecake.
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until golden brown. My cheesecake was still a bit jiggly, so I turned off the oven and left the door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon for 20-30 minutes. Spoon warm simple syrup over cheesecake while still warm. (Since I unknowingly skipped the scoring step, my syrup just fell off the sides.) Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight for best results before slicing.
