Oh boy, do I love kunafe. It’s one of my favorite middle eastern desserts and this recipe is by far the easiest, foolproof, and yummiest I’ve tried. I was inspired by Cook with Dena for this amazing kunafe recipe and adapted it slightly. While she makes hers either in a large pan, or cupcake versions, I decided to go even further and make mini bite sized poppable kunafe. And they turned out AMAZING! Like seriously, the ultimate appetizer or dessert. I hope you guys try it out and definitely check out Cook with Dena on Instagram for more middle eastern recipes.

Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:

• 1/2 of the package of shredded pastry phyllo dough
• 1/2 tbsp orange food coloring powder
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup ghee

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 can of table cream
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 oz sliced mozzarella cut in bite sized pieces

Assembly Ingredients:

• 24-mini cupcake pan
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp ghee
• Set aside 3/4 cup of the shredded phyllo dough for the top
• Sliced or ground pistachios for garnish

Simple Syrup Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Using scissors shred half the package of phyllo dough into a large bowl.
2. Add food coloring, ghee and melted butter into the bowl and using gloves mix well. (The food coloring will stain your hands! So either use a spoon or gloves on your hands to mix)
3. Save 3/4 cup of this mixture and set aside. We will use this later.
4. In another bowl add 1 can of table cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and the 4 oz of whole milk diced mozzarella. Mix well.
5. In a small bowl mix 2 tbsp melted butter and 2 tbsp of ghee and mix well. Use this mixture to brush the mini cupcake pan. This will prevent it from sticking.
6. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.
7. Add about 2/3 of a tbsp of the shredded phyllo dough mixture in each mini cupcake tin and press down until firm.
8. Add 1/2 tbsp of the cheese mixture in each of the little tins.
9. With the remaining 3/4 cup of the shredded phyllo dough that we set aside earlier, top each of the mini kunafe. this will prevent the cheese from burning or turning brown.
10. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes
11. In a small pot add 1/3 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, and then add 1 tsp of lemon juice. Mix well and thicken slightly until syrupy consistency.
12. Once the kunafe come out of the oven, use a butter knife to loosen the edges and flip onto a tray.
13. Drizzle the simple syrup mixture over each of the kunafe, and garnish with slices or ground pistachios. Enjoy warm!