It's not Passover yet. It won't be Passover for over a week. And this isn't even really our recipe.
But this stuff is so awesome, we just had to post the recipe now. Crispy, flaky matzo covered with brown sugar caramel and bittersweet chocolate is so addictive there's even a special nickname for it:
... We call it matzo crack. It's just that addictive.
A friend of ours calls it "chocolate with an excuse," but we say untrue! Passover gives us an reason to make this candy-like dessert, but really there's no need to wait.
Matzo (or matzoh or matzah), the Jewish unleavened cracker-like bread, is the perfect crunchy and flaky base for a thin coating of buttery caramel and melted chocolate, along with whatever toppings your heart desires. In the picture above, we topped some with chopped pistachios, some with crystalized ginger, some got a swirl of peanut butter chips* and chocolate chips, while others only got a light sprinkling of sea salt. Our favorite was the ginger, but you should feel free to experiment. You can even leave off the chocolate all together for just a caramelized matzo.
Based on a recipe from Marcy Goldman, of Betterbaking.com, it's relatively easy. You have to watch the caramel so it doesn't burn, (and so it doesn't burn you!) but the recipe only has a few steps and can be put together in about 20 minutes + cooling time. There's no special equipment, and no watching thermometers.
Chocolate Caramel Matzo Crunch aka Matzo Crack
Makes about 30 pieces of candy
4 to 5 pieces of matzo*
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Toppings, as desired
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and/or parchment paper.
Place the matzo in one layer on the baking sheet, breaking it when necessary to fill the pan completely. Set aside.
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for an additional three minutes, still stirring, until thickened and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and pour over the matzo, spreading an even layer with a heat-proof spatula.
Put the pan in the oven, then immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. If it looks like it is starting to burn, turn heat down to 325. (While it is cooking, resist all urges to scrape the pan with extra pieces of matzo. You will burn yourself. Trust us.)
After 15 minutes, the toffee should have bubbled up and turned a rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate over the pan. Let sit for five minutes, then spread the now-melted chocolate evenly with a spatula.
You can leave it just as is, enjoying the simplicity. Or add your favorite toppings while the chocolate is still melted.
Let cool completely, then break into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container. Rumor has it that this will last a week stored properly, but well, we've never had it last long enough to test out the theory.
*When it's not Passover, you can use unsalted saltine crackers instead of matzo, but we prefer the flavor and texture of matzo.
During Passover, avoid toppings of peanuts, as many Ashkenazi Jews abstain from legumes during Passover. You can substitute margarine for the butter to make it parve or vegan. Be aware that some Jews won't eat foods made in a non-kashered kitchen, or those made with non Kosher-for-Passover ingredients.
More Passover Ideas
• Mile-High Lemon Meringue Cake
• DIY Horseradish Sauce
• Not Too Traditional Passover
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
This looks awesome, I've never had matzo, I think you've just given me a reason.
view sally599's profile
I LOVE this recipe, and can't wait to make it again this Passover. Be careful though, highly addictive.
I like the idea of candied ginger, or salt. Oh well, I'll ahve to suffer through the variations! ;)
view thesamanthafiles 's profile
I usually make this with saltines instead of matzo and my friends lovingly call it "sex candy"
view hahnanan's profile
My mom's best friend started bringing a variation of "matzah crack" to our family seders a few years ago. I had never seen anything like it and it kind of revolutionized my thinking on Passover sweets (which traditionally taste pretty terrible).
For example, which would you rather have - matzah crack or one of those sugary, artificially-flavored jellied orange-slice candies? Yeah, I thought so! :)
Leah
The Jew & The Carrot blog
http://jcarrot.org
view The Jew And The Carrot's profile
David Lebovitz has made and blogged about this a couple times (his recipe is from the same source). I always find the comments on his site to be good reading. Looks really good.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/04/caramelized_mat_1.html
view Squirrely's profile
I have made this recipe for the past few years, and people go wild over it! Definitely add a little salt to the top of the chocolate layer for a better flavor, and keep the finished product in a cool place. Also make sure to line the pan with plenty of foil, since the caramel is difficult to remove. Enjoy!
view BabkaGal's profile
i made this recipe for a cocktail party and everyone loved it! i highly recommend it. sometimes i fear making caramel because i've had a few disasters in the past but i had no problems with this recipe. i've also made this recipe with saltines and matzo is so much better! i made mine with toasted almond, walnuts, pecans, sea salt, and mexican chocolate. i do wish that i had some candied ginger to try!
here is the post on my site about it....
http://thespottedapron.wordpress.com
thanks for the recipe!
view The Spotted Apron's profile
I put the matzah covered with the butter/brown sugar mixture on a tin foil covered baking sheet in the oven. When it started baking, the butter/brown sugar mixture started pouring down the side and going under the matzah and burning the opposite side of the matzah. It wasn't in the oven for more than 5 minutes even though the recipe said it should bake for 15 min. What am I doing wrong?
view heather lauren's profile
My step-sister makes this with saltine crackers. We call it (so original :) saltine toffee. I could founder on it. I'll try it with matzo. And there's a similar recipe in the old Betty Crocker cookbook (c.1960) that uses a toffee topping with pecans poured over graham crackers and baked. It's amazing.
view Fontessa's profile
Oh, your Matzo Candy! Love it and the photo!
We are hosting a Round-Up of Passover Photography. I hope you can join in!
http://tastewiththeeyes.blogspot.com/2008/04/passover-lets-share-our-culinary.html
view Taste With The Eyes's profile
Uh oh...
I just attempted to make this, using margarine instead of butter to make it suitable to go with Passover dinner. The margarine (sweet unsalted, the brand is Mother's) and the brown sugar never incorporated together; the margarine formed an oily layer above the brown sugar, and the mixture never thickened. I continued to cook it for about five minutes after it boiled, but the magic never happened.
Did I do something wrong? Is there another brand of margarine that will work? I didn't want to use regular, salted margarine for this because it's a dessert -- am I off base here?
view kitty teeth's profile
Kitty ... margarine will make a sugary topping that is different from using butter, but still good. I think you just didn't cook it long enough. Cook until the ingredients coalesce. Atmospheric conditions will affect this kind of candying.
view Fontessa's profile
I've had my eye on this since you first posted it and finally made it tonight.....sooooooo good and very simple to make.
view zero's profile
See some awesome Toffee Cookies on http://ingredientsinc.wordpress.com
view alison Lewis's profile
I must remember NOT to check out that awesome website listed above... it's on every second post recently.
view llf's profile
Has anyone had luck making this with margarine? I'd like to make some for my grandmother's seder, but it can't have dairy in it if we're going to have it after dinner. (Kitty's experience isn't encouraging...)
view marisab's profile
Wow, this looks delicious... I can't wait to try it! If you're looking for more matzo recipes, I also wanted to share my new blog, launched just last week: http://matzobox.com
Thank you!
view Natalie S's profile
I made this for Sedar on Wednesday and it was delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe!
view Halley B's profile