Preheat the oven to 180°C.
To make the syrup, add all the ingredients into a saucepan and allow to simmer
until the mixture thickens. This should take about 20 minutes.
Take the syrup off the heat, add the vanilla paste and set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, mix all the nuts together really well and add the sweet rub.
Pour the melted butter (keeping aside 2 tbsp or so for brushing the phyllo pastry) over the nut mixture and stir really well with a spoon.
Place 3 layers of phyllo at the bottom of the greased baking tray, brushing melted butter between the layers of phyllo. It is important not to let the phyllo pastry lie uncovered while working as this will dry out the pastry and make it brittle.
With a spoon, spread an even layer of nuts over the phyllo, using the back of the spoon to make it smooth. Repeat the above until you have 2 layers of mixed nuts and 3 layers of phyllo pastry. With a sharp knife cut the baklava into your desired shape before it goes into the oven.
Place in the pre-heated oven and cook until golden brown. This should take about 30 minutes. When you have removed the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup into the slits of the pastry and allow to stand until it reaches room
temperature. Serve with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt!
Serves 10.
