Last week I wrote about Coconut Macaroons, one delicious way to enjoy sweets during the upcoming holiday of Passover. Today I have another great Passover-ready dessert for you: Passover Chocolate Toffee Matzah.
Matzah, an unleavened bread similar to a cracker, forms the base of this sweet-and-salty Passover treat. The matzo boards are covered with a buttery brown sugar toffee, then after it’s baked until crispy, slathered with chocolate and topped with chopped nuts.Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds. Ready to work a little matzo magic?
Matzo Toffee for Passover
Ingredients
- 5 matzos
- 1 stick (4 oz) butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped, salted nuts (I recommend almonds, peanutswalnuts, or cashews)
Start by preheating your oven to 350° F and lining a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray to make the toffee easy to remove later.
Arrange the matzos on the bottom of the pan so that they cover the entire area. You’ll probably have to break or cut a few to get them to fit, and you might have a little left over. Nibbles for the chef!
Combine the butter and the brown sugar in a small saucepan. If you’re using unsalted matzos and unsalted nuts, you’ll want to add a pinch of salt to the pan as well–about 1/2 tsp should do.
Place the pan over medium heat, and stir while the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook the sugar, stirring frequently, until it starts to boil. Once it’s at a full boil, cook it for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
After one minute, take the pan off the heat and pour the sugar syrup all over the matzos in the pan. Try to drizzle it so it’s evenly spread over the pan.
Take a knife or a spatula and gently move the toffee around so it’s covering most of the matzos. Work quickly so it’s still hot and liquid. It will spread in the oven, so don’t worry if you miss a few spots.
Place the tray of toffee-covered matzo in the 350° oven and bake it for 5-7 minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over, like so:
Isn’t that beautiful? Don’t you just want to dive in right now? Resist. It’s only going to get better. Let the toffee rest for just one minute after you pull it out of the oven.
Then sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the surface of the toffee, and let them rest for an additional minute. The heat from the toffee will soften and melt the chocolate.
Use your trusty spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate chips all over the toffee, so that every inch is covered. Now is a good time to mention that you can use any type of chips or chocolate you like: white chocolate? Peanut butter? Butterscotch? They would all be amazing, and would all work equally well on this matzo toffee.
Sprinkle the top of the wet chocolate with your chopped nuts. I’m using peanuts, but any toasted, salted nut will do. Press them gently into the top of the chocolate so they adhere. Refrigerate the tray of matzo toffee until the chocolate is cool and set, about 30 minutes.
Once it’s set, take the tray from the refrigerator and peel off the foil or parchment baking. Break the matzo toffee into small pieces using your hands, or you can cut it into small squares with a large knife.
Store your Passover matzo toffee in an airtight container at room temperature. If it’s very warm where you live, the chocolate might start to get soft, so refrigerate the toffee if the chocolate seems to be getting sticky. Technically this will stay fresh for about a week, but I’ve never known a batch to last longer than a few days.
If you weren’t already sold on these candies, here’s one final close-up of the beautiful toffee layers. Crunchy, slightly savory matzo, buttery caramelized toffee, semi-sweet chocolate, and salty toasted nuts. Don’t miss the rest of the Oh Nuts selection of Passover cakes and cookies, too!
Passover Chocolate Toffee Matzah Recipe
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 5 matzos
- 1 stick (4 oz) butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped, salted nuts (I recommend almonds, peanuts walnuts, or cashews)
You can take a look at our Passover Bakeryfor a fine selection of Passover Deserts Cakes and Cookies.
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All text and images (c) Elizabeth LaBau