Vegan Chocolate and Maple Baklava

SAHS's Note:

When my family found this recipe in Pillsbury's "Best Desserts", we couldn't resist giving it a try - and of course, being a health nut, I couldn't resist the challenge of tweaking it into a lighter dish without compromising its flavor. As long as you like chocolate, there's no going wrong with this one!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 28 bars

• 1 (8 ounce) package phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
• 3/4 cup earth balance butter substitute, melted
• 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup miniature semisweet vegan chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

1. Unroll pastry sheets and cover with damp towels and plastic wrap. Heat oven to 350. Place one sheet of dough in a 9x13" pan and brush with butter substitute. Place another sheet on top, brushing with butter substitute, and repeat until half the sheets have been used.
2. Sprinkle on walnuts, chocolate chips, and the 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
3. Place the rest of the dough sheets on top, brushing each with butter substitute. Press down around edges and, with a knife, make five evenly-spaced length-wise incisions so that you wind up with six long strips. Make diagonal cuts every 1.5", so that your six long strips become diamond-shaped pastries. (Feel free to cut squares, instead.).
4. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until puffy and golden.
5. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the maple flavor in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling and boil for five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in maple flavor; refrigerate until baklava is ready.
6. Pour syrup over baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven and let cool.