Go Back
+ servings
A tray filled with five triangle-shaped phyllo dough stuffed with ashta and decorated with ground pistachios and dried rose petals.
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Warbat Bl Ashta (Middle Eastern Cream Stuffed Pastry)

Shaabiyat, also known as warbat are made of crispy, dreamy, sweet, and delicious layers and layers of phyllo dough filled with a traditional homemade Lebanese Ashta cream filling and finished with a rose-water syrup.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time47 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: middle eastern desserts, Ramadan desserts, shaabiyat, warbat nl ashta
Servings: 18 warbat
Author: Lama

Ingredients

Warbat Ingredients

  • 1 package phyllo dough
  • 1 cup butter or coconut oil melted
  • ground pistachios for garnish
  • simple syrup for garnish
  • ashta to stuff the phyllo pastry with

Ashta/ Cream Ingredients

  • 30 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
  • 5 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup rose water
  • ¾ cup sugar

Instructions

Ashta Directions

  • In a medium pot while the stove is OFF, add in the milk, sugar, rose water, and starch.
  • Whisk until corn starch has fully dissolved.
  • Turn the heat on high and continue whisking until it comes to a boil. You should see the sauce thicken into a white pudding. Once it has thickened remove the pot from heat.
  • Add in the ricotta cheese and whisk well until fluffy and whipped! You can enjoy right away or to use with desserts allow it to cool for 20 minutes them refrigerate for 2-4 hours until firm.

Warbat Assembly Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare the ashta (sweet clotted cream). Cover and set aside to cool, once cooled you can refrigerate.
  • Each box of phyllo package contains 20-24 sheets per roll. Remove one roll, roll it out and keep the plastic wrap under it.
  • Split the 24 sheets in half so that you have about 10-12 sheets of phyllo in front of you to work with. This will make you about 18 warbat/sh3aibiyat, depending on how big or small you cut your squares. Cover the other stack of phyllo with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out.
  • Before cutting the phyllo, it should be placed on the plastic wrap it was rolled in, length wise (rectangular).
  • You can do it the traditional way and brush each layer of phyllo with melted unsalted butter or coconut oil. For a faster route, pour about 1/2 the amount of butter or coconut oil all over and around the phyllo sheets then using the plastic wrap fold it in and allow to soak for about 1 minute.
  • Roll back out and begin cutting. Cut starting from the top of the phyllo sheets to the bottom (vertically), 4 inches apart which should total 3 vertical cuts.
  • Then, cut once horizontally (from left to right) half way for bigger sized warbat like mine ( equals 6 phyllo squares). Or, cut 2 horizontal cuts from left to right about 4 inches apart for traditional smaller warbat ( equals 9 phyllo squares). All up to you.
  • Repeat the same steps with the rest of the phyllo you covered with a kitchen towel.
  • Now you have squared phyllo sheets ready to be filled with ashta and baked.
  • Take one square stack of phyllo and quickly dip it into the melted butter or coconut oil (If you didn’t brush sheet by sheet).
  • Now, fill the center with about 2 tablespoons of ashta and close to make a triangle by folding one middle corner to meet the adjacent middle corner.
    Note: You can instead choose to fill the phyllo after they have baked (please see video). All you have to do is fold them while empty, place on a baking sheet and bake. Once they have baked gently open and fill with the prepared ashta using a spoon or piping bag. Don’t over fill with ashta. Maximum 2 tablespoons.
  • Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until golden. Broil if needed for 1-2 minutes max until golden.
  • Remove them from the oven then drizzle to drench with room temperature simple syrup. Garnish with ground unsalted pistachios and crushed rose petals if you prefer. Enjoy warm.

Video

Notes

  • Allow the filling to cool down and come to room temperature before filling it in the pastry dough. This will make the filling hold up after cooking.
  • Do not prepare the phyllo sheets before getting the creamy ashta ready because they might dry out!
  • It is better to douse the sugar syrup over the delicious Shaabiyat immediately after baking. So, they will be drenched in sugar syrup or atter. You can add them later, but the pastry will be a bit dry. Then, it is hard to absorb the sweet sugar syrup.
  • Do not cover the tray or wrap it with plastic wrap because Shaabiyat will become moist and lose their crunch. It is better to wrap it in a paper bag after it totally cools down.
  • You can serve warbat bl ashta warm, at room temperature or cold.
  • Store: Store the ashta what are the container in the fridge for 3-7 days. Use to make several different recipes if you left over. Also, Store the warbat in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-7 days.
  • Reheat: Turn the oven on to 350°F. Place the warbat on a baking sheet. Heat fir about 7-10 minutes or until warm and crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 705IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 1mg