Apple Baklava pies

Makes 4

These warming apple baklava pies really are the taste of autumn. The crispy phyllo pastry and the soft sweet apple, between layers of buttery walnuts. All married together with a warming sugar syrup, spiced with winter spices. These pies are a warm hug on a chilly autumn day.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of phyllo pastry

• 50g of vegan butter

• 2 apples

• 400g of walnuts

• 1 orange

• 200g of sugar

• 50g of honey/ agave

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp of ground cardamon or 5 cardamon pods

• 6 cloves

• 1 pinch of salt
  
  
  

Method

Step 1: Slice apple

Wash and cut your apple in half, removing the core. Then slice into *even slices, as thin as possible. Place to one side.

*life hack-I find that if you use a serrated knife, it is easier to slice even slices.

Step 2: Blitz walnuts

Preheat oven to 170oC

Place your nuts into a food processor and pulse until even in size, you are wanting them be slightly larger in size to ground almonds. Place to one side for later.

Step 3: Make roses

Melt your 50g of butter and cut your phyllo pastry in half lengthways. Then begin to make your roses, lay out 2 sheets of phyllo next to each other to make a long piece of pastry, then brush with the melted butter. Spoon, into a long line 2 tbsp of the blitzed walnuts across the bottom of the pastry. Then fold over and repeat again with more walnuts, after lay your apple slices, evenly spaced. Then taking from side, begin to roll, once rolled place into a greased muffin tray. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden.

Step 4: Make sugar syrup

Place 200g of sugar in a pan with 50g of honey/agave with the juice and peel of an orange, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 a tsp of ground cardamon, 6 cloves and a pinch of salt along with 200ml of water. place on a medium heat and cook until the sugar syrup resembles honey. Then strain and place to the side.

Step 4: Soak your roses

When your roses are golden in colour and still hot, ladle over your sugar syrup. Leave to absorb for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Eat

Make yourself a coffee, put your feet up and enjoy this warm hug of autumn.