• Preheat oven to 350°
• Brush butter on bottom and up sides of a 9 x 13 baking dish
• Chop nuts, place in a medium sized bowl and toss with the cinnamon. Set aside

Working with Phyllo

• Unroll the phyllo (keep the plastic it comes rolled in on the bottom and cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel.
• You may need to trim the dough sheets to fit your pan. Use a sharp knife to cut through the whole stack now. Depending on the size you are making, you may be able to cut the stack of dough sheets in half and use it that way.
• As you work, pull the sheets off and cover the remaining with the damp towel. Phyllo dries out quickly.
• Don't worry if you tear a sheet, it will all work out in the end. Just move it to the desired location and keep on buttering!

Assembly

• Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of your baking dish and brush with melted butter. Repeat this until you have 8 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of the walnuts over the top phyllo sheet.
• Cover the nuts with two more sheets of phyllo and brush with butter.
• Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of the walnuts over the last phyllo sheet.
• Repeat these layers until you run out of nut mixture.
• Using two phyllo sheets at a time, brushing with butter every time, top your Baklava with at least 6-8 sheets of Phyllo.

Cut the squares

• It doesn't matter how you cut it, but now is the time to cut your Baklava into small squares.
• It's most important to make sure you cut through ALL the layers as it will be harder to remove if even one sheet of Phyllo isn't cut on the bottom.

Bake 350° for 45-50 minutes until Baklava is crisp and golden brown

Make the simple syrup

• Prepare this while the Baklava is baking
• Put the white sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add the honey, lemon zest and vanilla extract
• Simmer for 10-20 minutes

When the Baklava is finished baking

• Spoon the syrup mixture over the Baklava immediately while the Baklava is still super hot. Hear the sizzle? You are doing this right.
• Set dish aside to cool to room temperature before serving.