caramel Cream Cheese Baklava

Last week we needed help moving a big piece of furniture, so husband asked a friend for help and told me it would be easier to find help if we had baked goods available. Said friend couldn’t help so I decided to make this baklava since it wouldn’t be ready to eat til the next day…. Unfortunately for said friend he ended up being able to help, but no baked goods for him! I was apprehensive bout this recipe… Phyllo, baklava all sounded hard, but surprisingly it was pretty easy to make and ooh so delicious! Yum! Will definitely make this again. Next time I want to try using tjs caramel sauce instead of the cream cheese, caramel bits.

caramel Cream Cheese Baklava
adapted from makingmemorieswithyourkids

* 1 package of Phyllo dough (1 roll in the box)
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1 tub of dulce de leche Philadelphia Indulgence Cream Cheese Spread
* 1/2 to 2/3 package of caramel bits
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1 tsp. vanilla

The directions are a little complicated so read through them first.
Get all of your ingredients out before you begin. The Phyllo dough dries out quickly if not done properly.
Place melted butter in a bowl and have a pastry brush for brushing it on the phyllo.
Place the tub of cream cheese in the microwave about 30 seconds – 1 minute, until it is really soft. Make sure you don’t burn it so just do 30 second spurts and then stir..
Open your bag of caramel bits.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Thoroughly butter your 9×13” pan.
Unwrap your roll of phyllo dough onto a cutting board.
Cover the phyllo dough with a layer of plastic wrap and place a damp kitchen towel over the top.
Brush the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter. Grab it and the sheet below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, in the pan. Repeat two more times, so you have 6-8 sheets of phyllo in the pan. Cover the phyllo with the plastic/damp towel.
Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of cream cheese over the top and spread. Sprinkle with caramel bits.

Butter another phyllo sheet and grab the one below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, on top the cream cheese layer. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of cream cheese over the top and spread. Sprinkle with caramel bits. Repeat this about 4 more times, or until you are out of cream cheese.
Butter another phyllo sheet and grab the one below it (so you have two sheets) and place them, butter side down, on top the cream cheese layer. Repeat this two times, so you have 6-8 layers on top of your last cream cheese layer. Butter the top of the baklava.

Using a sharp knife, cut your baklava into squares, being sure to cut all the way though all the layers. This was kind of hard but be patient. The phyllo will slip and slide a little bit.

Bake about 45 minutes until it’s golden brown.

While the baklava is baking, heat the water, sugar, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting until the baklava is done baking..
When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the honey mixture over the top, being sure to get it in all the cuts and corners. Let cool completely, uncovered, for several hours. This is a strange and cool step. It kind of seems like it’s going to turn into a soupy, mushy mess with all the liquid. But the phyllo soaks up the honey mixture and makes it taste oh so delicious!