Nov 01, 2023 Indian desserts share a lot of similarity with middle eastern and Mediterranean desserts in terms of flavors. Flavors like cardamom, rose and saffron are commonly used in these desserts. I have always loved baklava- the aroma, crispy and flaky pastry and the juicy soaked nuts, they all make baklava an irresistible dessert. I added ingredients like mawa, desiccated coconut powder and cardamom to give baklava an Indian touch. And instead of baking whole phyllo sheets, I used these phyllo cups which are much easier to use.
Baklava v/s Baklava Cups
So, when I first started working on this recipe, I started with phyllo sheets and made Coconut Burfi Baklava. The recipe was the same but in place of cups, I had layers of phyllo sheets brushed with ghee and topped with the coconut, nuts and mawa mixture. It came out pretty good but it took time to put it together. First thawing the phyllo sheets overnight was an extra step. Then I had to brush each sheet with ghee and make multiple layers in order to achieve that flaky and crispy baklava. So, I thought of making the same dessert with phyllo cups which would be much easier for you guys to make during the busy festive time and also easier for everyone to eat at parties!
Ingredients
Phyllo cups: for this recipe I have used Athens brand phyllo cups. They come in these boxes which have 15 cups in each box. I have used 2 of those boxes for this recipe. Mawa: you can find mawa/khoya in the freezer section of Indian grocery stores. I personally like using the vadilal brand. Desiccated coconut powder: I have used desiccated coconut powder here which you can find at any grocery store. If you don’t have it you can also use frozen grated coconut. But make sure to cook it first to remove all the moisture from it and then use in the recipe. Nuts: there’s no baklava without nuts! I have used cashews and pistachios here. Flavorings: there’s no burfi without some cardamom powder so I have used lots of ground cardamom in the filling and also some rose water in the syrup.
How to Make Coconut Burfi Baklava Cups
Make Ahead Option
The best thing about these coconut burfi baklava cups (other than the fact that they taste delicious) is that they make a great make ahead dessert option. You can make them 24 to 48 hours in advance and they taste just as good. In fact it’s recommended that you make them 12 hours in advance. So, if you have a Diwali party on Saturday, you can make these on Friday and store them at room temperature. You don’t need any special way to store them. And then just serve them on Saturday. Gotta love easy make ahead desserts, right?
Tips & Notes
According to Ayurveda, honey should not be heated. If you want to follow that you can replace the honey with sugar. Traditionally the Greek version of baklava uses honey, while Turkish does not. Make sure to pour the cooled down syrup over the hot baklava cups. You have to pour the syrup immediately as soon as they are out of the oven. If you can’t find mawa, using only nuts with coconut powder is also okay. In that case increase the amount of nuts and coconut in the recipe. You have to wait a few seconds after you add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar syrup in each cup. The filling will absorb the syrup, only then add the additional 1/4 teaspoon. The syrup might become too thick sitting at room temperature and become difficult to pour over the cups. In that case, simply put it on the stove-top for a few seconds. It will immediately start to thin out. Do not boil or simmer, just a few seconds until it’s a little thin again is all you need and then you can pour again.
title: “Coconut Burfi Baklava Cups " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-04” author: “Marion Smith”
Nov 01, 2023 Indian desserts share a lot of similarity with middle eastern and Mediterranean desserts in terms of flavors. Flavors like cardamom, rose and saffron are commonly used in these desserts. I have always loved baklava- the aroma, crispy and flaky pastry and the juicy soaked nuts, they all make baklava an irresistible dessert. I added ingredients like mawa, desiccated coconut powder and cardamom to give baklava an Indian touch. And instead of baking whole phyllo sheets, I used these phyllo cups which are much easier to use.
Baklava v/s Baklava Cups
So, when I first started working on this recipe, I started with phyllo sheets and made Coconut Burfi Baklava. The recipe was the same but in place of cups, I had layers of phyllo sheets brushed with ghee and topped with the coconut, nuts and mawa mixture. It came out pretty good but it took time to put it together. First thawing the phyllo sheets overnight was an extra step. Then I had to brush each sheet with ghee and make multiple layers in order to achieve that flaky and crispy baklava. So, I thought of making the same dessert with phyllo cups which would be much easier for you guys to make during the busy festive time and also easier for everyone to eat at parties!
Ingredients
Phyllo cups: for this recipe I have used Athens brand phyllo cups. They come in these boxes which have 15 cups in each box. I have used 2 of those boxes for this recipe. Mawa: you can find mawa/khoya in the freezer section of Indian grocery stores. I personally like using the vadilal brand. Desiccated coconut powder: I have used desiccated coconut powder here which you can find at any grocery store. If you don’t have it you can also use frozen grated coconut. But make sure to cook it first to remove all the moisture from it and then use in the recipe. Nuts: there’s no baklava without nuts! I have used cashews and pistachios here. Flavorings: there’s no burfi without some cardamom powder so I have used lots of ground cardamom in the filling and also some rose water in the syrup.
How to Make Coconut Burfi Baklava Cups
Make Ahead Option
The best thing about these coconut burfi baklava cups (other than the fact that they taste delicious) is that they make a great make ahead dessert option. You can make them 24 to 48 hours in advance and they taste just as good. In fact it’s recommended that you make them 12 hours in advance. So, if you have a Diwali party on Saturday, you can make these on Friday and store them at room temperature. You don’t need any special way to store them. And then just serve them on Saturday. Gotta love easy make ahead desserts, right?
Tips & Notes
According to Ayurveda, honey should not be heated. If you want to follow that you can replace the honey with sugar. Traditionally the Greek version of baklava uses honey, while Turkish does not. Make sure to pour the cooled down syrup over the hot baklava cups. You have to pour the syrup immediately as soon as they are out of the oven. If you can’t find mawa, using only nuts with coconut powder is also okay. In that case increase the amount of nuts and coconut in the recipe. You have to wait a few seconds after you add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar syrup in each cup. The filling will absorb the syrup, only then add the additional 1/4 teaspoon. The syrup might become too thick sitting at room temperature and become difficult to pour over the cups. In that case, simply put it on the stove-top for a few seconds. It will immediately start to thin out. Do not boil or simmer, just a few seconds until it’s a little thin again is all you need and then you can pour again.
