Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch

107 comments - 01.27.2008

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Seriously my friends, is there anything better than chocolate and toffee together? Especially when the toffee has a brown sugar-flavored buttery snap and luscious chocolate is smeared over the top so it hardens and melds with the crackly caramelized matzoh underneath. When a marriage is this good, a picture can only do partial justice to the love that exists between the happy couple.

The Caramelized Matzoh Crunch, adapted from the original recipe by Marcy Goldman, I added a good pinch of salt to the original recipe, as well as a soupçon of vanilla too. And there’s no law (yet…) that says instead of pressing some crushed toasted nuts on the warm chocolate, go minimalist and simple sprinkle a few grains of flaky sea salt and roasted cocoa nibs over the top.

Lastly, don’t be tempted to get all fancy and eschew the standard chocolate chips and chop up some top-notch chocolate for the coating. Since chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape and harden firmly after they’re melted, here you should use regular chocolate chips, the kind you buy in the supermarket, for spreading on top.

Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch

This recipe is adapted from Marcy Goldman of Betterbaking.com, whose latest book is A Passion For Baking. It’s super-simple and requires no fancy thermometer, equipment, or ingredients. If you can’t get matzoh, use plain crackers such as saltines instead and omit the additional salt in the recipe. For passover or vegans, Marcy advises that it works well with margarine. And for our gluten-free friends, this would be superb made with any gluten-free cracker. I’d love to hear about any variations you might try with it.

4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzohs
1 cup (8 ounces, 230g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (215g) firmly-packed light brown sugar
big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (240g) semisweet chocolate chips, (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
1 cup (80g) toasted sliced almonds, (optional)

Line a rimmed baking sheet (approximately 11 x 17″, 28 x 42cm) completely with foil, making sure the foil goes up and over the edges. Cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Line the bottom of the sheet with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.
In a 3-4 quart (3-4l) heavy duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is beginning to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the salt and vanilla, and pour over matzoh. Working quickly, spread the caramel with a heatproof spatula.
Put the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350ºF (175ºC) degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. As it bakes, it will bubble up but make sure it’s not burning every once in a while. If it is in spots, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 325F (160C), then replace the pan.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread with an offset spatula.
If you wish, sprinkle with toasted almonds (or another favorite nut, toasted and coarsely-chopped), a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, or roasted cocoa nibs.
Let cool completely, the break into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It should keep well for about one week.