Baklava Cookie Bars

So I absolutely LOVE Baklava! The crunchy, sweet, nutty, sticky little gems are addicting yet expensive when you buy them in grocery stores. I tried making them at home and failed miserably because it's really time consuming to make and fillo dough is incredibly finicky. I was about to throw in the towel until I came across these Baklava Cookie Bar recipe on Betty Crocker. It's seriously the best of both worlds because it's part cookie and part Baklava. The best part? The Baklava portion of the cookie tastes exactly like the real deal but with the fraction of the work!

Baklava Cookie Bars

(Source: Betty Crocker)

Cookie Base

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 egg

Filling

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 frozen mini fillo shells (I used all the mini fillo shells from a 1.9 oz package)

Glaze

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish

5 tablespoons honey

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir walnuts, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt with fork until mixture is well mixed and crumbly. Sprinkle nut mixture evenly over partially baked base. With hands, crumble frozen fillo shells evenly over nut mixture. Bake 18 to 20 minutes longer or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons butter, the brown sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon uncovered on High 1 minute or until bubbly. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle honey mixture evenly over fillo. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Before serving, drizzle 1/2 teaspoon honey over each bar. Store covered at room temperature.