Pecan Pie Baklava?

Sometimes you have a glorious idea in mind of a dessert you are going to make, and in your head it turns out perfectly...but when you actually try and make it...not so much.  This was the case last weekend when I had a wonderful idea for enclosing a red and blue berry mixture into filo triangles, as it was the fourth of July.  But the filling turned out too runny, because I overcooked it...so I would have to come up with a different filling to use in the filo.  I wanted something that would be quick, and so I decided on a nut filling!  I had made something similar to baklava not too long ago, and made filo triangles out of it, and it worked well...so why not try another nut filling!  What I came up with was a pecan filling with a similar flavor to a tart that I have made in the past.  Pecans in a gooey honey bourbon vanilla mixture...sort of like pecan pie filling, but better!  The pecan filling turned out much better than the berries I had originally wished to stuff into the filo had!  It was decadent and wonderful!  A boozy pecan pie in filo!  Heavenly!  If you are a pecan pie lover at all, you must try this!  Although it is the middle of summer, thinking ahead it would be wonderful to serve after Thanksgiving dinner when everyone is too full for a piece of pie!  But why wait until then...make a batch for your next barbeque! 

Honey Bourbon Pecan Filo Triangles
Makes 10



Filling:
3 1/2 cups toasted pecans
2 Tbsp bourbon
3/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
seeds of one vanilla bean
3/4 tsp salt

10 Tbsp butter, melted
10 sheets filo dough
a heaping 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.
Combine filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended and partially chopped. Set aside in a bowl. Place one sheet phyllo on work surface, and use a pastry brush to coat one half of it with butter then sprinkle butter with about a tsp sugar. Fold in half lengthwise, and brush top with more butter sprinkling again with about 1 tsp sugar. Fold in half again to make 4-inch strip of dough. Brush strip with butter, sprinkle with about a tsp sugar, then spoon about 2 Tbs. nut mixture on corner of bottom edge. Fold corner across to make a small triangle, then fold up like a flag, enclosing nut mixture in triangle of phyllo. Brush both sides of phyllo triangle with butter, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining phyllo sheets, butter, and nut mixture. Bake about 20-22 minutes, or until triangles are golden. Transfer to wire rack, and cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 10 triangles