For those of you who like a sweet savory with your cocktail – this is nirvana!  They say it can be a dessert too. The directions look harder than they really are.  Phyllo dough, done in a pan like this, is very forgiving.  I doubled the syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound frozen phyllo dough, thawed in the refrigerator (about 20 sheets) (See notes)
• 2 pounds bacon, cooked until very crispy and chopped (Save the bacon fat.)
• 1 – 8-ounce package walnut pieces, ground
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 c bourbon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine bacon, walnuts and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Gently unroll the phyllo dough and cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out. (I don’t bother with this.)
4. In a 9- X 13-inch baking pan, lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough.
5. Brush with bacon fat.
6. Repeat five more times to a total of six layers, one on top of each other.
7. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the bacon/walnut mixture over the first layers of dough.
8. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on top of bacon/walnut mixture.
9. Brush with bacon fat.
10. Repeat twice more, making three layers
11. Lay what ever is left of the sheet of phyllo dough on top brushing each one with bacon fat.  If you run out of bacon fat use butter.
12. Using a sharp serrated knife, make your first cut lengthwise down the middle. Gently cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan, holding the phyllo dough in place with the fingers of your free hand on either side of the knife. (A dough cutter or pizza cutter will also work.)For individual bite-sized servings, cut six equal lengths. Do not cut in the opposite direction yet.
13. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, being careful not to scorch or burn. Once it has melted, use a spoon to pour the butter over the baklava, making sure that it drizzles down into the cuts and along the sides. Use all of the butter. If it settles on top of the baklava, pick up the baking dish and rock it back and forth so that any remaining pools of butter soaks into the cuts and down the sides.
14. Now that the phyllo dough is soaked with the butter, it will make it easier to cut in the opposite direction into individual pieces. Using the same method you used for cutting lengthwise, turn the pan and cut the baklava into individual pieces, holding the phyllo dough in place with the fingers of your free hand.  You can make this cut on a diagonal for a more draditional look.
15. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
16. While the baklava is in the oven, heat the syrup in a small pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, and add the bourbon.
17. When the baklava is done, remove it from the oven and drizzle immediately with the hot syrup. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Serves:  Makes  about 48 pieces