1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and saffron essence.
3. In a bigger bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently making a soft dough.
5. Make small balls and flatten them a bit in-between your palms. Arrange on the baking try keeping some distance in between balls.
6. Now garnish by adding pistachio and saffron strands to the center of each flattened balls.
7. Bake for 12 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Let cookies cool for a 3-4 minutes before removing from the tray and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Line three quarter sheetpans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. In another bowl beat the almonds, pistachios, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade Line three quarter sheetpans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. In another bowl beat the almonds, pistachios, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add the flour and fold into the mixture, do not over mix. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan. Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. Approximately 10 minutes, no longer. could be less depending on your oven. Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold. Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

Step 3: 1) Chestnut Butter Cream:
Half fill a pan of boiling water to soften the chestnut shells. Score chestnut shells to release steam and place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool. As soon as they are cool enough to handle remove the shells and as much of the furry brown skin. The removal of the skin is really only to produce a pale butter cream so optional. Put milk and de-shelled chestnut into a pan and cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes. Blend chestnuts until smooth and put aside. Combine the sugar, water in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240?F on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.
While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg whites at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk until soft peaks form. When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don?t worry about this and don?t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the egg whites are thick and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so). While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass. With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny. At this point add the blended chestnuts and beat for an additional minute or so.

Step 4: 2) Dark Chocolate Ganache:
Heat cream in a pan till almost boiling. Place chopped chocolate into a bowl and pour over hot cream and sit for a few minutes. Stir until all chocolate has melted and keep warm over a pan of hot water until ready to assemble cake.

Step 5: Assembling the Opéra Cake:
Place one square of jonconde sponge on a baking sheet. Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer and refrigerate until it hardens. 
Remove from the fridge and spread a third of the chocolate ganache on top. Top with joconde. Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake, refrigerate and spread another layer of chocolate ganache on top. Top with the third square joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate and finish with the last layer of ganache. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Cake Preparation:
In a food processor grind nuts and buckwheat if you need to until very fine. Add the agave and coconut butter and blend until it is sticky and will hold together well. Turn out and shape into individual round mini cakes. 

To serve:
Crush some extra pistachios and sprinkle over cakes. Add some lemon zest to present.
Place the syrup in a small pouring cup and pour over cake just before eating or leave it up to the individual to pour their own. 
Enjoy? 

Preheat oven to 300 F (about 200 C).
Divide filo into two equal parts.

Spread the bottom of a middle sized baking pan with 3-4 sheets of filo, leaving about 5-6 cm edges of the sheets to stick out of the pan. 

Crumple slightly one by one the remaining sheets of filo from the first half and spread along the bottom of the pan, one by one.

After spreading all sheets from the first half of filo - sprinkle the first cup of walnuts, the lemon zest and then the second cup of walnuts.

Leave 2 sheets of filo from the second half – to cover the baklava.

Crumple slightly and spread over the nuts - one by one the remaining sheets of filo from the second half of dough.

Fold gently the sticking out edges of filo sheets inside ove the spread sheets and cover with the 2 remaining sheets from the second half of filo, without crumpling them, the whole baklava, by folding carefully their ends inside. 

After finishing with arranging the filo sheets, cut with a sharp knife the baklava, trying to make a "star " - first cut into 4 equal parts, afterwords into 4 more, and afterwords cut eight rhombuses - from the center outwards.

Melt the butter into a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (or into a microwave, without letting it bring into a boil) and pour it evenly all over the baklava.

Bake into preheated to 300 F (about 150 C) oven for about 1 hour or until golden,as after the first 20 minutes cover with baking paper or cooking foil, so the baklava would not burn.

Remove and leave to cool completely.

After the baklava is already cooled, make the syrup.

Bring 800 ml of water to a boil, add 1 kilogram of sugar and stir well.
Lower the heat and let it boil on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or until about 1/3 of the syrup evaporates. The syrup shall be slightly yellow and semi thick - a drop on the thumb nail should not spill (but be careful with the drop :) as the syrup is very hot!). Add vanilla, stir well and remove.

Pour the hot syrup over the chilled baklava evenly.

Sprinkle the rhombuses with the coarsely ground dried cranberries and the rest of the pieces with the finely chopped pistachio.

Leave baklava to absorb the syrup at least one night (1 day would be best) without covering it for the first 1-2 hours.

After baklava chills enough, cover with baking paper or if the pan is high enough - with a cotton cloth.

Serve at room temperature with a glass of water or strong coffee

Let the butter soften at room temperature. Whip it with a spatula and add sugar.
Sift all purpose flour, chickpea flour and semolina together. Add baking powder and sift again.
Mix freshly crushed cardamom powder for aromatic flavor.
Add butter and sugar mix in the flour mix. Knead to make a dough.
Can add little more butter if required to make the dough.
Put the dough in ziplock and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
In the mean time, pre heat the oven to 300 F and line the cookie tray with parchment paper or silpat mat.
Take out the dough, give it a knead again.
Make small ball around 1 inch for small cookies and a litter bigger dough, if you like big cookies.
Keep ample distance between the balls as they spread upon baking.
Add crushed pistachios on the top and press it gently on the balls.
Bake it for 15-18 minutes at 300 Deg F till done.