📖 Instructions

1. First things first, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). This is crucial for getting that perfectly crisp phyllo dough. Trust me on this one; I've learned the hard way!
2. Next, let's prep the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, grab that cream cheese (make sure it's softened, you don't want any lumps!) and beat it with a whisk until it's nice and smooth. Then, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pistachios. Mix everything together until it's well combined. Set it aside; we’ll come back to this creamy goodness later.
3. Now, for the fun part (or the slightly more stressful part, depending on your experience with phyllo!): Gently unroll your phyllo dough sheets. You'll want to work quickly, as they dry out fast. Cover any unused sheets with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.
4. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. You can use butter or cooking spray – whatever you prefer. Now take a sheet of phyllo dough and lay it flat in your pan. Make sure it fits nicely.
5. Brush the first sheet lightly with melted butter. Repeat with another sheet and brush that one with butter, too. Keep adding sheets, brushing each one with butter, until you have about 6 layers. This is your base layer and will help keep the baklava nice and crispy.
6. Spread half of your prepared cream cheese filling evenly over the buttery phyllo layers. Try to get it spread in a nice thin and even layer to keep it from getting too thick.
7. Now, repeat the phyllo process: 6 more sheets, buttering each one. Try to keep them as flat as possible; slightly wrinkled is okay, but we want to avoid a huge mess.
8. Once you have your top layer of phyllo, brush it generously with melted butter. Believe me, it needs the butter—it adds to the flavor and makes it deliciously rich and buttery.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamond shapes or whatever shape tickles your fancy. I like diamonds; they're festive!
10. Bake the baklava for 35-40 minutes, or until it's a gorgeous golden brown. Keep an eye on it—ovens can vary wildly—you don't want it to burn. If the top starts to brown too quickly, lightly cover it with foil.
11. While the baklava is baking, let's make the honey syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, water, and lemon juice. Bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. You'll want a nice, light syrup, not too thick.
12. Once your baklava is baked, let it cool completely in the pan. This is important to allow the filling to set and the baklava to firm up. It can be tempting to dive in, but patience is a virtue.
13. Once cool, drizzle that beautiful honey syrup generously over the baklava. It needs to be thoroughly coated.
14. Let the syrup soak in for at least 30 minutes before serving. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors meld. It's unbelievably more flavorful if you have the patience. So worth it.
15. Serve and enjoy your homemade baklava with cream cheese filling! You've earned it.