In Good FlavorPina Colada Baklava is a tropical twist on a beloved Greek dessert. These crispy, sticky, and sweet bars are created with layers of pineapple, coconut, chopped almonds, and buttered phyllo dough. They are topped with a generous drizzle of coconut rum syrup.
For more sinful baklava desserts, try my Brownie and Things Baklava. It’s as delicious and interesting as it sounds!
By no means is this a healthy dish. It is best to share it with lots of people. So, if you want something new to bring to the holiday parties this year, look no further! You certainly will not have to worry about having duplicates of this Pina Colada Baklava at the dessert table.
If you have never made baklava before, now is the time to try. I promise that these babies will fly off the plate and that you will be happy that you made them. My husband brought some to work and got rave reviews and requests for the recipe. This was supposed to be next week’s post, but I decided to publish this one earlier than usual in the event that any of my husband’s coworkers wanted to make some for Thanksgiving.
These bars are made with layers upon layers of buttered phyllo dough interspersed with several layers of pineapples, coconut flakes, and chopped almonds. After baking, the flaky, crispy bars are drenched in coconut rum syrup, making them sweet and sticky yet retaining their crispness. Finally, coconut flakes top off this sweet sensation. OH MY GOODNESS!!!
This recipe is not complicated, although it is a little tedious. There are 40 layers of phyllo dough to be buttered. Additionally, separating and layering the mass of pureed, dried pineapple is a labor of love, but it is so worth your while.
How to make this non-alcoholic?
Of course! Omit the rum and add a punch of coconut flavor. To do this, make the glaze as instructed, then take off the heat and add coconut extract. Start with 1/2 teaspoon. Add more to taste, if desired.
Can this be made a little lighter?
Yes, it can. Some decadence will be lost, but it will still be amazing. Some options are:
- Swap out half of the butter with vegetable oil or extra light tasting olive oil (Affiliate link. I use this one all the time in my cooking). You will lose some of the buttery flavor, but it will still be tasty.
- To reduce the sweetness and some calories, use half unsweetened dried pineapple and half sweetened. The same can be done with the coconut flakes.
Recommended supplies:
(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)
- I use this boar bristle pastry brush to apply the melted butter to the phyllo sheets.
- This 9 x13-inch baking pan comes with a lid for easy storage.
- You can hand chop the dried pineapples, but this Ninja food processor makes an easy job of it. It’s very highly rated.
Bring the uniqueness and the fun to your next social event with this Pina Colada Baklava. It’s going to be a crowd-pleaser.
Wishing you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES:
Banana Berry Coffee Cake |
Brownie and Things Baklava |
Grandma Yearwood’s Coconut Cake |
 Honey Glazed Fried Wonton Chips
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Pina Colada Baklava
Description
Pina Colada Baklava is a tropical twist on a beloved Greek dessert. These crispy, sticky, and sweet bars are created with layers of pineapple, coconut, chopped almonds, and buttered phyllo dough. They are topped with a generous drizzle of coconut rum syrup.
Ingredients
For the Glaze:
Instructions
- Thaw phyllo dough according to package directions.
- Rough chop the pineapple and place it in a food processor. Pulse to break up chunks, then puree. The pineapple will become a sticky mass. It is fine if there are small chunks, but hand-cut any large ones that might have remained.
- Set aside a heaping 1/3 cup of the coconut to top the baklava after baking.
- Divide the remaining coconut into four equal parts, and the pineapple and almonds into four equal parts. Set aside. The filling will be divided into four layers, each containing 1/4 of the coconut, pineapple, and almonds.
- Butter the inside of a 9″x 13″ baking pan. Remove the phyllo dough from the packaging. There should be forty 9″x 14″ sheets. Trim off excess phyllo to fit the baking pan using kitchen shears or a knife (optional). If you choose not to trim, you can bunch up the edges.
- Lay phyllo flat and cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Working one sheet at a time, butter the top of a phyllo sheet and place butter-side-up in the baking pan. Repeat for 10 more sheets (there should be a total of 11 buttered sheets in the pan). Keep the unused phyllo sheets covered to prevent drying out.
- Using one of 1/4 portions of the pineapple, pull it apart and layer it over the top phyllo sheet (the pineapple will be clumpy and sticky to work with). Sprinkle 1/4 of the coconut and 1/4 of the almonds over the pineapple.
- Butter and layer 6 phyllo sheets over the pineapple/coconut mixture. Top with the second 1/4 layer of pineapple, coconut, and almonds.
- Repeat buttering and layering 6 more phyllo sheets. Add the third 1/4 of the filling.
- Repeat buttering and layering 6 phyllo more sheets. Add the last 1/4 of the filling.
- There should be 11 phyllo sheets remaining. Butter and place each sheet over the last layer of pineapple/coconut mixture. Use a sharp knife and cut through baklava on a diagonal to create diamond-shaped bars that are roughly 1 1/2-inch thick
- Bake in a preheated 350° F for 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Once the baklava comes out of the oven, spoon about 1/3 of the glaze evenly over it. Let the glaze soak for a minute. Spoon another 1/3. Sprinkle on the reserved coconut flakes. Add the last third of the glaze. Allow to set for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Make the glaze about 15 minutes before the baklava is ready to be removed from the oven. Place butter and agave nectar in a small saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Add rum and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Layer 1:
Layer 2:
Layer 3:
Layer 4:
Top phyllo layer:
Finish:
To make the glaze:
Notes
- For a non-alcoholic version, omit the rum. Cook the glaze as instructed. Take the pan off the heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract, adding more to taste, if desired.
- Swap out half of the butter with vegetable oil or extra light tasting olive oil (Affiliate link. I use this one all the time in my cooking). You will lose some of the butteriness and decadence, but it will still be amazing.
- To reduce the sweetness and some calories, use half unsweetened dried pineapple and half sweetened. The same can be done with the coconut flakes.
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Oh YUM! Those look wonderful! wendi from http://www.loavesanddishes.net
This looks absolutely AMAZING!! I do like Baklava, but this just takes it over the top. Pinning!
Thank you, Wendi!
I'm glad you like it, and thanks for pinning!
This looks like some serious yumminess here! Pinning, yumming and stumbling! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays! After our week off for Thanksgiving, we'll be back again tomorrow night. I hope you will be joining us again!
Thank you, Michelle!
I wanted to let you know you are featured at Foodie Fridays this week! 🙂
These look and sound incredible! I've never made baklava, I need to give this a try, pinning!
Thank you, Joy! You should definitely give it a try..I think you are going to like it.
Thank you so much for the feature, Michelle!!
Sorry, kinda new to this blog thing and definitely a new Follower – Soooo, I just have to ask, are you the creator of each of these recipes? The Pina Colada Baklava looks sinfully good and I'm going to try it, but I want to give credit to you if it is your creation. Please let me know.
What an amazing recipe! I love it! I am looking forward to trying it! I would love if you would stop by and share this at Celebrate It! It's a blog party where we celebrate our wonderful everyday lives!
http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2014/12/celebrate-it-blog-party-21.html
Thanks for following, Wendi! Yes, I developed the Pina Colada Baklava and almost all of the recipes so far on this blog. I'm so glad you want to try out he baklava and share it with others. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Thank you for stopping by and for the invite! I will hop over to your party with this dish and check out what everyone else is brining.
I knew we were friends since we both love chocolate! I sure could use one of these muffins right now since I happen to be sick again. 🙁 greek dessert