Chocolate Baklava

This Christmas-spiced twist on a Middle Eastern classic is the ideal sweet treat to accompany tea or coffee.

Hands-on time 25min, plus cooling. Cooking time about

1hr. Cuts into about 40

FOR THE BAKLAVA

● 150g blanched hazelnuts

● 150g walnuts

● 75g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

● 50g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

● 3tbsp runny honey

● 1tsp ground cinnamon

● ½tsp ground nutmeg

● ¼tsp ground cloves

● 100g butter, melted

● 14 sheets filo pastry, we used Jus-rol

FOR THE SYRUP

● 300g caster sugar

● 1tbsp runny honey

● 1 long cinnamon stick

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Spread the nuts on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8min, until slightly toasty. Leave to cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground (alternatively, chop finely by hand). Transfer to a medium bowl and stir through both chocolates, the honey and spices.

2 Lightly brush a rough 23 x 33cm roasting tin with a little of the butter. Layer 7 filo sheets in the tin, brushing the top of each sheet lightly with butter (trim sheets to fit, if needed).

3 Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the layered filo. Layer up remaining 7 filo sheets on top of the filling as before, brushing the top of each one with butter. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top.

4 Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the filo, spacing the cuts about 4cm apart, slicing through the top layers, not the base. Bake for 45-50min, until golden brown.

5 Meanwhile, make the syrup. Mix the sugar, honey, cinnamon stick and 100ml water in a pan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and bubble for 5-6min, until slightly thickened and syrupy. Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick.

6 When the baklava is ready, carefully remove from the oven and ladle over the syrup. Cool completely in the tin before slicing fully through the cut marks.

PER SERVING 160cals, 3g protein, 8g fat (2g saturates), 18g carbs (11g total sugars), 1g fibre

TO STORE Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.