Baklava Cheesecake

Dessert mashups are kind of our thing at Delish, especially when it comes to creating over-the-top cheesecake combos. Baklava is already one of my not-too-sweet dessert faves, so turning it into a cheesecake felt like an obvious way to take things to the next level. Instead of the traditional pressed graham cracker, the crust is made from layers of butter-brushed phyllo dough, chopped walnuts and pistachios, and a hearty drizzle of honey, just like a traditional baklava.

To carry the nutty-honey of baklava flavor through the entire dessert, the creamy cheesecake center is blended with pistachio paste, honey, and orange zest, then topped with more nuts, and honey-butter brushed phyllo dough roses. Once it’s all baked and cooled, the whole thing is drizzled with honey syrup to create a sticky-sweet, creamy sensation. This is meant to be a centerpiece dessert; impressive enough to bring out for your favorite holiday or your bestie’s birthday.

Top tip: Phyllo dough is sold frozen to keep the delicate sheets intact. Unfortunately, that also means remembering to take it out of the freezer to thaw the night before. Since that’s not exactly how my brain works, I decided to look into methods for thawing phyllo in the microwave (GASP!). After some trial and error, Alton Brown’s method (with a couple of minor tweaks) got me the closest to success. Place the phyllo in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the box but leave it sealed in its plastic wrapping. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then remove from plastic wrap to use as directed. The dough should unroll with no resistance. When working with phyllo dough, be sure to keep the unused sheets covered with a slightly damp (NOT SOAKED!) kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!