MuffinsMiddle EasternMedium

Honey Almond Baklava Muffins

Name: Honey Almond Baklava Muffins
Prep time: 37 min
Cook time: 39 min
Total time: 1 h 16 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: ½ cup (70 g) whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped into pea-size pieces; ½ cup (55 g) walnut halves, coarsely chopped into pea-size pieces; 2 tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar, packed; 1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon (½ g) ground cardamom (optional); 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted; 1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; ½ cup (50 g) fine almond flour; 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (2½ g) baking soda; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; ¼ cup (85 g) honey; 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; ¾ cup (180 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature; ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon (6 g) orange, finely grated zest; 4 sheets (100 g) phyllo dough sheets (about 14×18 inches / 35×45 cm), fully thawed; 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted; ⅓ cup (113 g) honey; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; ¼ cup (60 ml) water; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 whole (3 g) cinnamon stick; ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) orange blossom water (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender almond-yogurt muffins with a cinnamon-spiced walnut and almond center, crowned with crisp, buttery phyllo and soaked with warm honey-lemon syrup. All the flavor of baklava in an easy muffin-tin format.

Prep: 37 min
Cook: 39 min
Wait: 20 min
Total: 1 hr 36 min
Makes: 12 standard muffins

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the nut filling
½ cup (70 g) whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped into pea-size pieces
½ cup (55 g) walnut halves, coarsely chopped into pea-size pieces
2 tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar, packed
1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cardamom (optional)
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the muffins
1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
½ cup (50 g) fine almond flour
2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (85 g) honey
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (6 g) orange, finely grated zest
For the phyllo topping
4 sheets (100 g) phyllo dough sheets (about 14×18 inches / 35×45 cm), fully thawed
4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the honey syrup
⅓ cup (113 g) honey
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) water
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 whole (3 g) cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) orange blossom water (optional)

Equipment (8)

12-cup standard muffin tin (½-cup / 120 ml cups) with paper liners
Rimmed baking sheet for toasting nuts
Small saucepan (1-quart / 1 L)
Pastry brush
Sharp knife or pizza cutter and cutting board
Large and medium mixing bowls, whisk and spatula
Toothpick or wooden skewer
Wire cooling rack

Steps

Before you start

Thaw frozen phyllo in the refrigerator overnight (or 4–5 hours). Do not thaw it on the counter or it turns gummy.
Take the eggs, yogurt and milk out 30 minutes ahead so they blend smoothly with the melted butter.
Melt all the butter at once (170 g / 12 tablespoons total) and keep it warm; it is used in three places: batter, filling and phyllo.
Use paper liners; the honey syrup makes the muffins sticky and they can stick to a bare tin.

1
Heat oven, toast nutsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position a rack in the center and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Spread the chopped almonds and walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes, stirring once halfway.
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Ready when: Nuts smell toasty and the walnut edges look a shade darker
Tip: Nuts burn quickly once fragrant; pull them out as soon as you smell them.
2
Mix nut filling
- Tip the warm nuts into a medium bowl.
- Stir in the brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, the cardamom (if using) and 2 tablespoons melted butter until the nuts look evenly damp and coated.
- You will use about half in the muffin centers and half on top.
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Ready when: Mixture clumps slightly when pressed
3
Simmer honey syrup
- In a small saucepan combine the syrup honey, syrup sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon stick.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then reduce to medium-low and simmer 6–7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the orange blossom water if using, and leave the cinnamon stick in while the syrup cools.
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Ready when: Syrup coats the back of a spoon like thin maple syrup (it thickens more as it cools)
Tip: Do not boil hard or walk away; honey syrup foams up and can boil over.
4
Prepare phyllo squares
- Unroll the thawed phyllo and cover with a damp (not wet) towel.
- Lay one sheet on the cutting board, brush lightly with melted phyllo butter, and layer on a second sheet; repeat to stack all 4 sheets, brushing between each and on top.
- Cut the stack into 12 equal rectangles (2 cuts across the short side, 3 cuts across the long side).
- Cover with the towel until needed.
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Ready when: Sheets are fully brushed and the stack is glossy, with no dry patches
Tip: Phyllo dries out in minutes; keep it covered and work quickly. Small tears are fine because the pieces get scrunched.
5
Make muffin batter
- Whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl whisk the granulated sugar, batter honey, eggs, yogurt, milk, melted batter butter, vanilla and orange zest until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold with a spatula about 12–15 strokes, just until no dry flour streaks remain.
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Ready when: Batter is thick and slightly lumpy with no visible dry flour
Tip: Overmixing makes tough, tunneled muffins. A few small lumps are fine.
6
Layer and top
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into each liner.
- Add 1 level tablespoon of the nut filling to each, then divide the remaining batter among the cups (cups should be about ¾ full).
- Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly over the tops.
- Gently scrunch each phyllo rectangle into a loose, ruffled mound and set one on each muffin, pressing lightly so it sits in the batter.
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Ready when: Each cup is ¾ full, topped with nuts and a ruffled phyllo mound
Tip: Do not pack the phyllo down tightly; loose folds bake up crisp and flaky.
7
Bake muffinsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 22–25 minutes, rotating the tin front to back after 15 minutes.
- If the phyllo is browning too fast, tent loosely with foil.
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Ready when: Phyllo is deep golden, muffin domes spring back when pressed and a toothpick in the batter (not nuts) comes out clean
Tip: Check on the early side; phyllo goes from golden to dark quickly.
8
Soak with syrup
- As soon as the tin comes out of the oven, poke each muffin 3–4 times through the phyllo with a toothpick.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and slowly spoon about 1 tablespoon of the warm syrup over each muffin, letting it sink in before adding the rest.
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Ready when: Syrup is absorbed into the tops and the phyllo glistens
Tip: Use warm, not hot, syrup on hot muffins so it soaks in rather than running off. Rewarm gently if it has set.
9
Cool before serving
- Let the muffins sit in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack and cool at least 10 more minutes so the syrup sets and the phyllo re-crisps.
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Ready when: Tops feel tacky but dry and phyllo crackles when touched

Good to know

Tips

Keep unused phyllo tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 1 week; do not refreeze more than once.
Chop nuts by hand to pea-size; a food processor can turn them into paste that makes the center greasy.
Spoon the syrup in two additions so it soaks in without making the liners soggy.
For neater muffins, use an ice-cream scoop (about 3 tablespoons) for the batter.

Make ahead

Make the syrup up to 1 week ahead and refrigerate; rewarm gently before using. Toast and mix the nut filling up to 2 days ahead and keep covered at room temperature. Assemble and bake on the day for the crispest phyllo.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: 2 days in a loosely covered container (a sealed lid softens the phyllo). Refrigerator: not recommended, as it dulls the phyllo, but up to 4 days if needed. Freezer: up to 2 months, wrapped individually. Reheat from room temperature or thawed at 325°F (165°C) for 8–10 minutes to re-crisp the tops.

Substitutions

walnut halves → pistachios or pecans. Pistachios give a classic baklava look and flavor; use the same weight.
plain whole-milk yogurt → sour cream or buttermilk. Use the same amount; the texture will be very similar.
fine almond flour → all-purpose flour. Use 50 g more flour (260 g total); muffins will be slightly less moist and less almond-flavored.
orange blossom water → rose water. Rose water is stronger, so use only ¼ teaspoon.

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Steps

Heat oven, toast nutsOven 350°F / 175°C

Mix nut filling

Simmer honey syrup

Prepare phyllo squares

Make muffin batter

Layer and top

Bake muffinsOven 350°F / 175°C

Soak with syrup

Cool before serving

Good to know

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