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1 pound walnuts finely chopped
1 1/2 cups splenda
2 teaspoons cinnamon ground
1 3/4 cups butter melted
1 16-ounce package frozen phyllo pastry leaves thawed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Lightly butter the bottom of a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine walnuts, 1/2 cup of the splenda and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Unfold pastry leaves and cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out. Carefully fit one whole pastry leaf into the jelly roll pan (edges will extend over the sides); lightly brush with butter. Repeat until six leaves have been stacked. Spread with 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
4. Cut remaining pastry leaves in half crosswise. Layer eight half leaves, staggering each to fit inside the pan and lightly brushing each with butter. Spread with 1 cup walnut mixture. Repeat twice. Layer the remaining half leaves on top, lightly brushing each with butter. Brush top with remaining butter. Trim edges if necessary. With a sharp knife, cut halfway through layers, making five lengthwise cuts to form six equal strips. Cut diagonally to make about forty-eight pieces.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. Finish cutting through layers to bottom.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup splenda, water and lemon juice. Stirring occasionally over medium-high heat, cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until syrupy; remove from heat. Stir in honey and vanilla until well blended. Pour over hot Baklava. Cool to room temperature. Cover lightly and let stand at room temperature at least 24 hours to mellow. Store tightly covered in a cool place.
7. The top layers of the Baklava need to be scored before baking because they become very crisp and brittle when baked. To obtain the traditional diamond-shaped pieces, first cut lengthwise, then on the diagonal as shown. Notice that the long diagonal cuts are not made from corner to corner. The pieces at the short ends will be triangles instead of diamonds.
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