Description
Crisp and golden kunafa pastry folded into triangles, filled with sweet cheese or nutty filling, soaked in fragrant syrup, and topped with crushed pistachios—an irresistible Middle Eastern treat perfect for festive occasions.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 300g kataifi (kunafa) dough, thawed
- 100g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup ricotta cheese or sweetened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water (optional)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a baking tray.
- To prepare the syrup, combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Add rose or orange blossom water and let cool.
- In a small bowl, mix ricotta, powdered sugar, and orange blossom water until smooth.
- Gently pull apart kataifi dough and brush with melted butter. Divide into portions.
- Place a spoonful of filling at the end of each portion and fold over repeatedly into a triangle shape, like a samosa. Brush top with more butter.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- While still hot, pour cooled syrup over the kunafa triangles. Let soak briefly.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make sure syrup is cooled before pouring over hot pastries to retain crispiness.
- You can substitute the filling with ground nuts for a vegan option.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 triangle
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
