Print

Chocolate and Hazelnut Lebanese Baklava Rolls Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.4 from 74 reviews

Delight in these crispy Lebanese Baklava Rolls filled with a rich blend of hazelnuts and dark chocolate, soaked in a fragrant rose and orange blossom syrup for a perfect balance of textures and flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Filling

  • 2 cup hazelnuts
  • ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (just enough to lightly sweeten the filling; the syrup does most of the sweetening)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional but traditional in many Lebanese dishes; adds warmth without being obvious)

Dough and Butter

  • 1 pound phyllo dough (thawed according to package directions; typically about 20 sheets; keep covered with a damp towel while working)
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter

Syrup

  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar (white sugar only; brown sugar changes the flavor profile too much)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh; prevents the syrup from crystallizing and adds a subtle brightness)
  • 1 tablespoon rose water
  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

Garnish

  • 2 tablespoon crushed pistachios (finely chopped; adds color and a classic Middle Eastern desserts touch)

Instructions

  1. Make the syrup (do this first)
    Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring. Let it come to a boil and cook for 8 minutes. The syrup should be slightly thickened but still very pourable, like warm maple syrup consistency. Don’t let it go too far or it will become candy-like when it cools.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the rose water and orange blossom water
    Let the syrup cool completely while you prepare the rolls. This is important: the syrup must be cool when it hits the hot baklava. If both are hot, the pastry turns soggy instead of crisp. Make the syrup well ahead if you can, even the day before.
  3. Prepare the filling
    Add the toasted hazelnuts, chocolate chips, sugar, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse 10 to 12 times until you have a coarse, rubble-like texture. You want pieces roughly the size of small peas mixed with finer crumbs. Don’t over-process. If the chocolate and nuts turn into a paste, the filling won’t distribute well inside the rolls.
  4. Assemble the rolls
    Preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Lightly brush your baking sheet with melted butter. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay it flat on a clean surface. Immediately cover the stack with a slightly damp kitchen towel. Phyllo dries out in minutes and becomes impossible to work with, so always keep the unused sheets covered.
  5. Take one sheet of phyllo and lay it on your work surface with the long side facing you
    Brush it lightly with melted butter. Don’t drench it. A thin, even coat is what you want. Lay a second sheet directly on top and brush that one with butter too. Two sheets per roll gives you the right balance of crispiness and structure.
  6. Sprinkle about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the hazelnut-chocolate filling in a thin line along the bottom edge of the phyllo
    Leaving about a 1-inch border on each side. The line of filling should be narrow, roughly 1 inch wide. Too much filling and the rolls won’t hold their shape.
  7. Fold the bottom edge of the phyllo up and over the filling, then roll it away from you into a tight, neat log
    Think of it like rolling a cigar. Tuck the sides in slightly as you go if you want neater ends, but honestly, the ends get trimmed anyway so don’t stress about it.
  8. Using a sharp serrated knife, gently cut the log into pieces about 1 1/2 inches wide
    Use a gentle sawing motion rather than pressing down, which would crush the layers. Place each piece cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. They should look like little spirals. Leave a small gap between each piece so they crisp evenly.
  9. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets and filling
    You should get about 10 logs, yielding roughly 30 pieces. Once all the rolls are on the sheet, brush the tops generously with the remaining melted butter. This final brush is what gives them that deep golden color.
  10. Bake and soak
    Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 35 minutes. Start checking at 25 minutes. You’re looking for a deep golden brown color all over, not just on top. The edges of the spirals should look toasty and the layers should appear distinct and flaky. Pale baklava means soggy baklava, so don’t pull them out too early. Trust me on this one.
  11. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot pastry
    You’ll hear a gorgeous sizzle. This temperature contrast is the whole secret to the best baklava recipe results: hot pastry absorbs cool syrup without losing its crunch. Pour it slowly and evenly so every piece gets soaked.
  12. Let the baklava rolls sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving
    This resting time allows the syrup to fully absorb and the layers to set. The chocolate in the filling will have melted during baking and then resolidified into a fudgy layer within the nuts. Garnish with crushed pistachios just before serving for color and crunch.

Notes

  • Make the syrup well ahead if you can, even the day before.
  • Keep unused phyllo sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying.
  • Use a gentle sawing motion with a serrated knife to avoid crushing the layers when cutting the rolls.
  • The syrup must be cool and the pastry hot to maintain crispness.
  • Rest the baklava rolls at room temperature for at least 2 hours to let syrup absorb fully.

Keywords: Lebanese baklava recipe, chocolate hazelnut baklava rolls, Middle Eastern desserts, homemade baklava rolls, phyllo pastry sweets

Find it online: https://foodarohub.com/chocolate-and-hazelnut-lebanese-baklava-rolls-recipe/