Vegan Maple Pumpkin Pecan Baklava

Prep

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

  Chop the pecans and walnuts and add to a bowl with the sugar, spices and salt and mix well. Set aside.

  In another bowl combine all of the pumpkin filling ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

  Unwrap the phyllo dough and place a 9×13 inch pan on top. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half to fit the pan. Stack both halves on top of eachother and then cut around the bottom of pan to create sheets that will fit nicely inside.

  Tip: See the notes below for a fun way to repurpose the scraps!

  Before you get started assmebling the baklava, cover the stack of phyllo sheets with a damp kitchen towl to prevent the dough from drying out.

Assmeble

• Generously grease the 9×13 pan with a layer of melted butter. Don't forget the corners and the sides!

  The add in a layer of phyllo and lightly dab on a thin layer of butter with a pastry brush. Repeat this process with 5 more sheets of phyllo.

  Then add a 1/3 of the pumpkin spice mixture and spread into a very thin, even layer.

  Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top of that and top with another layer of phyllo. Dab with butter and repeat with another 5 sheets.

  Repeat this process 2 more times to use up the filling and then top with 6 layers of phyllo on top, dabbing lightly with butter in between each layer.

Score

• It's important to cut the phyllo before it bakes so use a sharpe knife to carefully cut into squares. It's easier to cut in up and down motions rather than dragging the knife across the pan.

  I cut 16 squares and then cut the each square in half diagonally to create triangles. You should have 32 in total.

Bake

• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until deeply golden brown.

Glaze

• Before removing the baklava from the oven, microwave the maple syrup with 2 orange slices for 1.5 minutes. If you're using a thicker syrup you may want to add 1 tbsp of water to thin it out a bit.

  Then remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour 3/4 of the glaze on top. It will look like a lot at first but it will soak into the layers quickly.

  Wait a few minutes and then add more glaze as desired (I typically use all of it) focusing on the lines and edges while pouring.

Cool completely and serve when cool! Enjoy!