Welcome to Week 1 of the 2025 Gift of Maple Recipe Series! ✨
We’re back again with our in-house recipe specialist, Aarika, sharing three all-new recipes crafted to bring a little touch of Canada to the upcoming holiday season. If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember some of our previous recipe series that highlighted some of our favourite maple products throughout the year, including:
This new series continues that tradition, celebrating the versatility of maple and showcasing festive recipes designed to inspire your holiday gatherings.
We’re kicking off the series with something that feels luxurious, festive, and surprisingly approachable: Maple Baklava. With only 7 ingredients and no special equipment required, this dessert is perfect for a holiday potluck, dessert table, or a thoughtful host gift. It’s just the right amount of sticky, crunchy, and sweet (you could even leave some out for Santa! 🎅🏻)
A Short Baklava Backstory
Baklava is an ancient dessert with roots stretching deep into culinary history. While versions of it appear throughout the Middle East, today it’s most commonly associated with Turkey and Greece. Traditionally, baklava is made by layering thin sheets of phyllo dough with finely chopped nuts (often pistachios or walnuts) then soaking it in a lightly spiced, honey-based syrup.
The great part about baklava is its versatility; you can use almost any nut you have on hand, experiment with different syrups, and shape it into rolls, diamonds, spirals, or small bites.
Our version adds a Canadian twist: pure maple syrup and maple sugar, made right here at White Meadows Farms. The result is a baklava that keeps the delicate crunch and sweetness of the classic recipe, with warm maple notes that make it perfectly suited to the holiday season.
Why Maple Works So Well
Maple is the star of this recipe not just as a finishing drizzle, but as a defining flavour. Instead of a traditional sugar or honey syrup, we use our White Meadows Farms Dark Maple Syrup, with its pronounced maple flavour and robust sweetness that soak into every layer.
To enhance the nut layer, we also add cinnamon and our own maple sugar to coat the pecans, which caramelizes slightly during baking while helping achieve that familiar delicate crust on the edges of the pastry. This combination adds richness without the heavy syrupiness that some baklavas can have.
Mix it Up
One of the best things about baklava is how easily you can switch up the components. Try swapping in different nuts or flavour variations depending on what you have or what you love:
Nuts:
- Pecans – our choice for this recipe✨
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Almonds
Syrup:
- Half maple syrup, half honey
- Maple syrup infused with cinnamon or orange peel
- A small splash of whisky, brandy, or rum simmered with the syrup for a grown-up flavour twist
Maple Pecan Baklava
Makes: 8 Pieces
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans, chopped (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
- 1 tbsp White Meadows Farms Maple Sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 8 sheets phyllo pastry, cut into thirds (24 pieces total)
- 1 cup butter or ghee, melted
- ½–¾ cup White Meadows Farms Dark Maple Syrup
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Mix the filling: In a bowl, combine chopped pecans, maple sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt.
- Prepare the phyllo: Cut the phyllo sheets into thirds. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying while you work.
- Layer: Brush a small baking pan generously with melted butter.
- Assemble the rolls:
- Place one piece of phyllo on a cutting board and brush generously with melted butter.
- Lay a second and third piece on top, brushing each generously with butter.
- Sprinkle a line of nut mixture on top of the phyllo, leaving about 1-2cm (0.5″) around the edge
- Place a wooden skewer or dowel along the short side of the phyllo, roll the pastry around the skewer to form a log.
- Holding the skewer at both ends, gently push the pastry inward from both sides to create slight accordion-style folds.
- Carefully slide the skewer out and transfer the shaped roll to a buttered baking dish.
- Repeat until all phyllo and filling are used, finishing with 8 rolls
- Brush tops with a final layer of melted butter.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until deep golden and crisp.
- Finish: Pour room temperature maple syrup slowly over the hot baklava.
- Cool fully: Allow the baklava to rest at least 2–3 hours to absorb the syrup.
- Garnish with the remaining chopped pecans before serving.
A Sweet Canadian Holiday Treat
Whether you’re gifting boxes to loved ones, contributing to the office dessert spread, or hosting family around the table, this Maple Pecan Baklava is sure to stand out. The crackling crunch of layered pastry and sweet, crunchy filling pushes the boundary of traditional holiday desserts. It connects a centuries-old treat to something deeply rooted in Canadian tradition with our 100% pure maple syrup.
Stay tuned for Week 2 of the Gift of Maple Series and more delicious inspiration from our farm kitchen!
