Baklava Cheesecake Bars
A creamy cheesecake filling with honey, walnuts, and cinnamon on a filo crust. All the flavors of baklava in a no-fuss bar format.
Desserts · Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min · Serves 12 · Medium · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 6 sheets filo pastry
- 400 g cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 eggs
- 100 g walnuts, chopped
- 80 g butter, melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange blossom water, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped, for topping
I love baklava but making traditional baklava is an event — all those layers of filo, the precise syrup, the careful assembly. These bars give you all those flavors with maybe a quarter of the effort.
The base is crushed filo layered with butter, like a simplified baklava bottom. The filling is a honey-sweetened cheesecake mixture with cinnamon and a touch of orange blossom water. On top, crushed walnuts and a drizzle of honey syrup.
Every bite has that combination of crunchy, creamy, nutty, and honey-sweet that makes baklava irresistible.
Pro Tips
- Crush the filo sheets roughly and toss with melted butter before pressing into the pan. This creates a more interesting, layered crust.
- Room temperature cream cheese is essential. Cold cream cheese = lumpy filling.
- Do not overbake. Pull when the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly.
- Let them cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Serving
Cut into small bars — these are rich. Drizzle with extra honey and scatter chopped pistachios on top. A cup of strong coffee alongside.
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