This week in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge I am scheduled to bake Stollen. However, it’s Passover this week and I’m not eating bread. So in honour of this holiday I offer my favourite Passover treat, “Marble Matzoh Crunch.” The original recipe comes from Montreal baker extraordinaire Marcy Goldman. Her cookbook “Better Baking.com“ is one of my go to standards.
For those unfamiliar with matzoh, it is a cracker-like unleavened bread made of white plain flour and water. The dough is pricked in several places and not allowed to rise before or during baking, thereby producing a hard, flat bread. Matzoh is the substitute for bread during Passover, when bread and other leavened products are not permitted. There are two major explanations for eating matzoh. One is historic and the other is symbolic.
Historically, Passover is a commemoration of the exodus of the Jewish people from a life of slavery in Egypt. The Israelites left Egypt in such a hurry, they could not wait for their bread dough to rise. The resulting product was matzoh. The other reason for eating matoh is symbolic. On the one hand, matzoh symbolizes redemption and freedom, but it is also known as poor man’s bread. So it serves as a reminder to be humble, and to not forget what life was like as slaves of the Egyptians. Also, leavening of the bread symbolizes corruption and pride as leaven “puffs up”. Eating the “bread of affliction” is both a lesson in humility and an act that enhances one’s appreciation of freedom.
All that history and symbolism for a little cracker! There are those that compare eating matzoh to cardboard. I wholeheartedly disagree. I love Matzoh. Perhaps it’s because the rest of the year, for health reasons, I spread butter and jam so thinly on my toast I can barely taste it. However at Passover I spread both butter and jam on with reckless abandon. Passover is my excuse to consume butter and jam and matzoh is the perfect vehicle for allowing me to do it.
Marcy Goldman’s Matzoh Crunch is guaranteed to convert any matzoh hater into a matzoh worshipper. You don’t even need to be Jewish to love this treat.
Ingredients:
6 slices matzoh
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or kosher for Passover margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 generous cups finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 12 ounces)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate, finely chopped (about 8 ounces)
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Cover an 18 x 13 inch rimmed cookie sheet with foil and then cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper. Do not leave this step out or you will be cursing me when it comes time to cleanup! Cover the parchment paper evenly with the matzoh. You will have to trim some of the matzoh with a sharp knife to make it fit into a flat even layer. You will have some matzoh scraps left over. Slather with butter and jam and eat.
2. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, add brown sugar and butter or margarine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. This will take about 2-4 minutes. At one point it will look like the butter is separating from the sugar and it will appear to be an oily mess. Just keep stirring, it will come together again. Once mixture comes to a boil, keep stirring for about another 3 minutes. Carefully pour caramel onto matzoh. Using a metal spatula, spread it out into an even layer.
3. Place baking sheet into oven and bake for about 12 minutes until the caramel topping is golden brown and bubbling.
4. While caramel is baking chop white chocolate into small pieces. Place in glass measuring cup and microwave on medium power for 2 minutes. When you remove chocolate from microwave, it will look like the chocolate is not finished melting. Take a clean dry spoon and stir white chocolate. It will continue to melt as you stir. Pour melted white chocolate into a disposable plastic piping bag. The easiest way to do this, if you are alone, is to place the piping bag in a large glass or pitcher and fold down the top. Pour in white chocolate and let sit until you are ready to use it.
5. Remove caramel covered matzoh from oven after about 12 minutes when it is golden brown and bubbly. Place pan on a wire cooling rack on the counter. Immediately sprinkle caramel matzoh with chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips.
6. Wait for a few minutes until chocolate has a chance to soften. Then, using a metal spatula, spread chocolate into an even layer.
7. Now comes the fun part! Making a marble design with the white chocolate. Twist the top of the piping bag closed and using a sharp scissors, cut a small tip off the end of the bag. Starting in one corner of the pan, pipe white chocolate in a zig zag pattern. Then starting in the opposite corner, pipe a zig zag pattern in the opposite direction. Using the sharp tip of a wooden skewer, drag it through the wet white and dark chocolate making a nice design. You can either drag skewer in a circular pattern or go in straight lines. Below is a video of me demonstrating the process:
8. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with sea salt. Chill pan for several hours until chocolate is firm. Peel off foil and parchment paper and place marble matzoh crunch on a large cutting board. Using a very large sharp knife, cut matzoh into large squares. For an 18 x 13 inch pan, I usually get about 18 pieces. Store matzoh crunch in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps well for about 5 days. (That is as long as no one else in the house knows it’s there!)
For an equally delicious variation, instead of marbling with white chocolate, sprinkle dark chocolate with toasted chopped unblanched almonds (about 1 1/2 cups). Or try milk chocolate and almonds, or dark chocolate and dried cherries, or white chocolate and chopped pistachios or macadamia nuts. The possibilities are endless. Have fun!
That first picture made me read this post. It looks beautiful! I’ve never had matzoh, but I’ll do some googling to find out how to make it from scratch.
You could make this recipe with graham wafers or saltine crackers also, if you don’t want to make your own matzoh or can’t find it. Where do you live? Many major grocery stores carry it. If you do make your own, take pictures. I’d love to see how it turns out!
I live in Germany. I’m pretty sure that there are stores that carry it (I commute to Berlin 4 days a week), but I like making things from scratch. I checked all my bread books, and voilà, Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads has a recipe for matzo. Will keep you posted…
I have had this with both graham crackers and saltines, and to tell the truth, I like the matzo best. The graham crackers are too sweet and the saltines too salty. The bland matzo hits the “Goldilocks ” spot, and the big sheets are easier to line the baking pan with. Thanks for the recipe! Beauty!
I would think that graham crackers would be too sweet, but I’m kind of curious to try the saltines. I adore sweet and salty. Matzoh is a great blank canvas though. Sort of like the tofu of the Jewish world, it takes on any flavours that you throw at it!
Yum!! I, too, have always loved matzoh . . . plain or with butter. I’ve never understood the cardboard comparison. This recipe looks fantastic; I will have to try it!
This was so good! I made it as a dessert for our seder last night, and half the bowl had disappeared before we even began dinner.
Shelley, so glad the family liked it. It can be addictive so be careful!!
These look so yummy! I would’ve never guessed that they’re made of simple matzoh. All that chocolate looks great!
Looks amazing…thinking about adding toffee to it!
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Thank you for the suggestion. I am going to a family dinner this Monday night and plan on taking these! One thing, do you sometimes roast the nuts first? Do you suggest doing that?
Hi Cyvia, yes you should absolutely toast the nuts first! Hope everyone enjoys the Seder and the matzoh crunch.
Thanks for posting! My mother-in-law makes a “brittle cookie” recipe that is basically the same but with saltines. I love the idea of swirling the chocolates – it really elevates it to a new level! I was curious if the chocolate would discolor from being in the fridge? I want to make this a few days in advance for Passover but I have found that chocolate usually whitens once it has been melted, cooled, then stored in the fridge. Did you have this problem, or did it just not last long enough for that to be a problem 🙂 I would tend to think it would be okay at room temperature for a few days… Thanks!
Thanks Lauren,
No problem to keep the matzoh crunch in the fridge for up to a week. Just don’t let anyone know it is there or it will not last until the Seders! Melt the chocolate on a gentle heat, in a bowl, over a pot of hot, simmering (not boiling ) water and there should be no problem.
I just made this and it turned out beautifully. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions and video about marbling
Hello! How far in advance do you think this recipe can be made? What is the best way to keep it fresh?
Hi Gillian, You could make this a week ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. It will still be delicious.
I just made them… OMG! and I am one of those that doesn’t like Matzoth. This is a WINNER.
The only comment, not a negative one but what happened to me, is that while cutting they broke into random geometric shapes. (like when you cut regular brittle).
Do you have any tip on how to prevent this from happening next time?
Anyways… I’m sure people are going to love them. Ready for the Seder.
Hag Sameah.
S
Hi Locos_adams
Matzoh Crunch does unfortunately break into irregular sized pieces when you try to cut it. I use a large (12 inch) chef’s knife but I still end up with some shards. It still looks pretty in irregular shapes and besides, you can snack on all the little bits that break off.
For a non Passover treat that cuts into beautiful squares, check out my double peanut butter bark recipe!
https://www.saltandserenity.com/2010/12/day-5-double-chocolate-peanut-butter-bark/
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I’ve had similar but never with the white chocolate (my favorite)! In fact, I’m even thinking of trying with milk and white chocolate – instead of the darker, healthier (ugh!) semi-sweet. Do you think that would work? Also, we buy egg matzah (since it tends to be more moist & a little sweeter). Do I need to get a box of regular for this recipe? Thank you for your improved version of many people’s favorite – and responding to my questions. Happy early Passover to you and your family!!
Thanks Laura,
I think that you really want the crunch of regular matzoh for this recipe. Egg matzoh would be too soft. I think that white and milk chocolate marbling would be beautiful. However, once you are finished with the swirling and marbling, while the surgace is still wet, I would finish it off with a light sprinkling of a flakuy sea salt (like Maldon or Fleur de Sel), just to counterbalance the sweetness of white and milk chocolate.
Happy and healthy Passover to you and your family as well!
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I will be making this! What do we do with the other side of the matzah that has no caramel or chocolate on it?
Hi Nicole. No need to do anything with the other side of the matzoh. While the matzoh is in the oven, the caramel will seep through and lightly coat the underside.
The front side, with all that caramel and chocolate creates a big enough party in the mouth, so plain on the backside is just perfect. Enjoy!!
I made this and it was amazing! But there were spots where there were chunks of margarine on the bottom of the matzah when I took it out if the fridge. How can I avoid this?
Glad you enjoyed it Cheryl. I suspect the problem might be that you did not cook the margarine and brown sugar long enough. You need to bring it to a boil and keep stirring or whisking for about 3-4 minutes to totally incorporate the margarine into the brown sugar. Then you can pour it onto the matzoh and bake it. Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy passover!!
Hi! I made this recipe last year and loved it and looking forward to making it again! Can I use white chocolate chips instead of a chocolate bar?
Hi Paulette,
It all depends on the brand of white chocolate chips you are using. Some contain hydrogenated oil which helps them to hold their shape when heated. This is fine for chocolate chip cookies but not so good for melting like you do in this recipe. So read the label of the chocolate chips. If there is oil added, they would not be a good candidate for melting. If you can’t find any white chocolate without oil, then just use dark chocolate and sprinkle on sea salt, some chopped pistachios and some dried cherries! I made that variation this year and it was fantastic!
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We love this! One little tip…you know all those teeny pieces (crumbs & bits) that gather when you cut it? We store those in a small jar in the freezer. My hubby uses them to top his ice cream. It is wonderful! So glad you shared your recipe! Thank you!!
Thanks Keri. So glad you love it. I love your tip about saving all those bits and storing them in the freezer for sprinkling on ice cream. It is a much better idea than what I have been doing. (I just eat all those scraps as I cut them into squares and then spend the day filled with self loathing!)
Can you freeze these
Hi Barbara, I have never tried freezing these, but I think the texture of the matzoh would suffer. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge and it should be fine for at least 2 weeks.
2 minutes was way too long for heating the white chocolate, It burned at 1:30 🙁
nevermind, missed the medium power part…High power cooked it lol, maybe make that medium power part in bold for the slow people like myself 🙂
Sorry it burned. Will bold and highlight that instruction in yellow! As my sister says, “mistakes are how we learn!”
Chag Sameach
I was thinking about making this for my Seder tonight, but i’m gluten free… Would the gluten free matzo be a bad choice? Also, would it be possible to use white sugar instead?
I have never tried gluten free matzoh, but I can’t see why it would not work. I think white sugar would be fine.
Let me know how it turns out!!
Chag Sameach