Matzoh Crunch

From A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman

  • 4 to 6 unsalted matzohs
  • ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips or coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

 

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

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

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 (2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzohs, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. 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° and replace the pan)

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. (Or you can chill the entire pan and then break into pieces after it’s hard and set.) Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

Variation: 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 butter crunch.

Passover Pecan Bars

Submitted by Jennifer Wiebrecht who got this from Rebecca Loren

CRUST:

· cup matzo cake meal

· 1/2 cup matzo meal

· cup packed brown sugar

· 1/4 cup ground toasted pecans

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

· large egg white

· Cooking spray

FILLING:

· 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

· 1/2 cup maple syrup

· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

· tablespoon vanilla extract

· teaspoon fresh lemon juice

· 1/8 teaspoon salt

· 5 large egg whites

· large egg

· 1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut

· tablespoons finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the crust, lightly spoon matzo cake meal and matzo meal into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine matzo cake meal, matzo meal, and next 4 ingredients (matzo cake meal through 1/4 teaspoon salt), stirring with a whisk; cut in 6 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 egg white, stirring just until moist; press into bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown; cool 15 minutes.

To prepare the filling, combine 1 1/3 cups brown sugar and next 7 ingredients (brown sugar through 1 large egg) in medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over the prepared crust. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Cut into bars.

Yield: 48 servings (serving size: 1 bar)

NUTRITION PER SERVING

CALORIES 89(29% from fat); FAT 2.9g(sat 1.5g,mono 1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 14mg; SODIUM 51mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.3g

Marcy Goldman

Cooking Light, APRIL 2004

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