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My Trademark, Most Requested, Absolutely Magnificent Caramel Matzoh Crunch

Melted chocolate and toffee on brokenup pieces of matzo.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

An outstanding, unique, and easy confection. If you make only one thing at Passover, make this. Want to change things up? Add these creative toppings.

Ingredients

4 to 6 unsalted matzo sheets
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment — on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

    Step 2

    Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.

    Step 3

    In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

    Step 4

    Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°F. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°F, and replace the pan).

    Step 5

    Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

    Variations: You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark), and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone buttercrunch.

Image may contain: Food, Dessert, Plant, Birthday Cake, and Cake
Reprinted with permission from Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. © 2009 Whitecap Books, Ltd. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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Reviews (276)

Back to TopTriangle
  • First time making this, made as gifts for my family since we can't be together for seders. Followed the recipe exactly, and got lots of accolades. Only thing I did different was the addition of a sprinkle of Maldon's sea salt, on top of the chocolate after spreading and before freezing, which I think was a delicious counterpoint to all the sweetness. And kind of thematic, what with the sea parting.

    • pinkycook

    • Toronto

    • 3/30/2021

  • Still the best recipe for this matzoh “crack.”

    • sujormik

    • Chicago

    • 4/22/2019

  • Followed recipe as written, used butter and semi sweet chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious!!! I can't wait to share it with my family and friends. :)

    • gfreeman1776

    • Houston, TX

    • 4/9/2017

  • My son calls this recipe "the best thing about being Jewish." I just made a version with gluten free pretzels. Works well that way also.

    • asp1

    • New Jersey

    • 8/19/2016

  • Did anyone else feel that this was painfully sweet? I love the idea of it and it certainly improves matzoh! That said, I am inclined to try it again with half the amount of sugar, and probably light brown instead of dark brown.

    • Anonymous

    • PA

    • 4/21/2016

  • Make this every year and our favorite alternative is butterscotch chips with chopped, toasted pecans. Divine!

    • jsennesh

    • NYC

    • 4/15/2016

  • After making this (insanely delicious and addictive) treat for years I had a brainstorm and cut it before chilling with a pizza cutter. Quick, neat and easy!

    • Lisah405

    • Phila, PA

    • 4/8/2015

  • This is an easy recipe to make and very tasty. However, I made some adjustments that improved the original. During the last minute of cooking the caramel, I added chopped walnuts and slivered almonds. Additionally, I found that putting chocolate pieces on top of the hot matzoh did not melt the chocolate sufficiently. Instead, I melted fine quality bittersweet chocolate and drizzled it on top of the finished product. A little finishing salt might be nice and I will try that for my next batch. Letting the confection cool completely at room temperature worked very well instead of putting it in the freezer as the recipe suggests. To cut it, I used a 10 inch chef knife which allowed me to make clean straight cuts so that the pieces were uniform and attractive for serving guests. My family and friends liked it so much they said it did not taste like a Passover dessert and was great any time!

    • ilmarrus

    • New York City

    • 4/17/2014

  • A good start but rather dull. Needs salt. Needs dried fruit. Needs cayenne pepper. Needs your own flair.

    • spikegurrl

    • Seattle, WA

    • 4/14/2014

  • An absolute must for Passover. More than one of our family call this dessert crack. One family calls it Swarm or Locust cookies because everyone attacks them like a swarm of locusts. Very easy to make. I serve it directly from the refrigerator.

    • swartzy

    • Thornhill, ON, Canada

    • 3/30/2013

  • This was my first time making a candy type dessert - super easy! I couldn't find any pre-made (store bought) matzohs, so I followed this recipe: http://voices.yahoo.com/unleavened-matzo-bread-recipe-passover-2841429.html?cat=22 The matzoh was thin but not crispy so it ended up being perfect combo of chewy and crunchy in the end. I made the matzoh recipe 10 times (about 30 round disks - thats a lot), then covered them with this recipe (x10) and it fed 75+ people with enough to give people a few to take home for treats. It was a hit - I was nervous making it but everyone loved it!! Because the home made matzoh was thin, I took the pieces (covered with the caramel, chocolate & nuts) and put them in the freezer to set for 10-15 before cutting them into perfect little squares. Awesome!

    • jraesunshine

    • California

    • 3/30/2013

  • it is true that kosher for passover margarine doesn't combine with the brown sugar the same as butter does. after boiling rapidly for 3 minutes, if it seems broken, cool and stir until it reforms into caramel. if it seems like there's too much margarine on top, first carefully pour the "butter" on top of the matzo, then follow with the remaining caramel in the pot. the baking step somehow corrects it and the stuff is kosher crack after all! this time i made half with pistachios and half with chopped dried apricots. let the pan cool a bit, then pop into the freezer for about 5 minutes. breaking into pieces is easy. a very forgiving recipe with endless variations!

    • cheryl_b

    • wilmette, il

    • 3/24/2013

  • I have made this recipe six way til Sunday (whatever that means) and each time it is amazing. White chocolate, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, with nuts of all sorts. My family's favorite, however, is the simplest- milk chocolate with some sea salt. I make several batches every year and give some as gifts and bring some with me. It's baking in the oven right now and I can't wait to eat it!

    • viewfrmhere

    • 3/20/2013

  • This is hands-down the best Passover treat (ANYTIME treat), and so easy to make. I make it every year and it is hoovered down almost immediately. It's rare to find a Passover dessert that is "good" as opposed to "good for a Passover dessert." In my gas oven, I find I need to go down to 325 degrees (not 350), but in my mom's electric oven, the recipe works to the letter. I also find that mini-chocolate chips seem to melt more easily and are easier to spread than the regular ones. (I found out by necessity when the minis were the only ones we had handy.) Absolutely delicious. THANK YOU!

    • quilla

    • California

    • 4/10/2012

  • My guests request this every year and once again, this year the crack didn't disappoint- I had to make a double batch! I use butter, turn oven off and put the trays in with choc chip and let the residual heat melt them. I top with generous spinkling of maldon sea salt flakes and slivered almonds. I keep them in the freezer and serve them frozen. We much prefer the texture of frozen. It's great to do ahead and it keeps forever (theoretically) but usually disappears within days.

    • Anonymous

    • NYC, NY

    • 4/8/2012

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