Christmas Baklava

Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Place 2 sheets of phyllo in the bottom of prepared dish. Brush generously with melted butter.

Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all the nuts, butter, and phyllo are used.

End with about 6 layers of phyllo on the top. If you still have some butter left, brush it over the top layer.

Using a very sharp knife, cut through all layers of the baklava. Cut 3-4 sliced length-wise.

Then make diagonal cuts to make diamond shapes.

Bake in a heated 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until golden and crisp.

While baklava is baking, heat honey in a saucepan until close to boiling. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest.

When baklava is done baking, immediately pour the honey mixture over the top.

Let cool completely in the pan.