Chocolate Caramel Matzo for Passover (or any other time!)

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Filed Under dessert, recipe

Caramel matzo

Every Passover I make this recipe from Marcy Goldman’s classic book A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. When I was growing up I loved matzo with butter or my mother’s matzo brei, but as a dessert it never inspired me. Until my friend and co-author Jeff introduced me to Marcy Goldman’s recipe she calls: “My Trademark, most requested, absolutely magnificent caramel matzoh crunch!” Despite the main ingredient being matzo it satisfied my craving for a decadent dessert at Passover. The candy was met with rave reviews and is now part of our tradition along with the fruit pâtes. It really is magnificent and a bit addictive, which is why I save it for Passover!

I’ve used milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate chips from Guittard in the recipe because they are kosher and I had them on hand. If you want to doll them up even more you can use a really high quality bittersweet or even white chocolate, some are not kosher. I prefer to use extra bittersweet because it is a nice balance to the caramel baked matzo, but my 6 year old son insisted I sprinkle some milk chocolate on too! You decide which way to go.

4-6 unsalted matzohs

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or Passover margarine

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips (Marcy calls for 1/4 cup but I need more!)

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Caramel matzo

In a sauce pot cook the butter and sugar over medium high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly. The caramel may melt and be transparent or it may look more crystallized looking as in this batch. It doesn’t seem to matter once you bake it.

Caramel matzo

Spread it evenly over the matzohs.

Caramel matzo

Bake for about 15 minutes. Check half way through to make sure it is not browning too quickly. Rotate pan.

Caramel matzo

Remove from oven and add the chocolate.

Caramel matzo

Let the chocolate sit for 5 minutes and then spread evenly over the matzohs. Allow to cool to room temperature. If your kitchen is too warm for the chocolate to set on its own then place in the refrigerator until set.

Caramel matzo

Break into strips or bite sized pieces.

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Comments

30 Responses to “Chocolate Caramel Matzo for Passover (or any other time!)”

03/30/08 7:46 pm	Patsyk said... I am bookmarking this recipe since Passover is coming very soon… and I’d love to have a decadent treat for after dinner during that week. They look really wonderful!
03/31/08 3:45 am	Dorothy Smith said... Thanks for bringing such a nice recipe for Happy Passover. Nice Post! keep ‘em coming…
03/31/08 8:24 am	zoe said... Be warned ladies, You will want to double the batch. They really are addictive and will be gone before you know it! Enjoy. Zoë
03/31/08 1:47 pm	michelle @ TNS said... as if i needed another reason to love matzo. i am making this, and soon. and probably a triple batch. although plain matzo with salted butter will always be my first love.
03/31/08 2:07 pm	zoe said... Hi Michelle, That is what I thought until I had these! I just wish I had known about this recipe when my grandfather was alive. He had the greatest sweet tooth and a love of matzo. Enjoy! Zoë
03/31/08 3:45 pm	Katrina said... My mother made this exact recipe but with saltines. Its soooo good, the sweet and salty combo. I recommend using the new ‘non stick’ foil since sometimes the regular stuff can stick.
03/31/08 4:03 pm	Tobi said... I’m so glad you put this recipe out there. But the one I’m actually thinking of making for Passover is the fruit pates from your last post. They reminded me of (a better version of) those awful half-circle “fruit” candies we used to get every year. But pates seemed so elegant! Is pectin kosher for passover?
03/31/08 4:34 pm	zoe said... Hi Katrina, Most matzos for passover are unsalted, but I’m with you on the salty/sweet combo. You can use salted butter or add 1 teaspoon salt to the recipe! Thanks for the tip on the non stick foil, that would be a great help! Zoë
03/31/08 4:39 pm	zoe said... Hi Tobi, I meant to suggest serving them both. Those gummy fruit candies we eat at Passover are generally really bad and taste as if they were packaged decades ago! The pates and the caramel matzos are a perfect combo. Yes, the Certo fruit pectin is kosher, but for passover I’m not sure? Enjoy! Zoë
03/31/08 10:35 pm	Gizmar said... I do this exact recipe but I add slivered or sliced almonds to it for an added crunch. It’s like Pesach Roca. Yours looks great.
04/1/08 5:39 am	zoe said... Fantastic idea Gizmar, I’ve rolled the end in pralines that I’ve ground up in a food processor. They are crunchy and look beautiful. Thanks, Zoë
04/5/08 5:42 am	Stu B. said... Definitely will make this for Passover this year. Well, I sold another of your bread books at the doctors lounge this past week. I spread the word around Tucson a few weeks ago and I know two people who each bought one and you know how that makes sales just spread around when one member of a community buys one. My son is having a ball with his book. He just had a minor surgery (too many babies too quickly) and called me from his recovery room asking me to please go buy him some King Arthur flour at Byerly’s with carraway seeds. When he gets up the first thing he wants to do is bake a rye bread!!!! Zoe, you are an inspiration. Stu B.
04/5/08 8:04 am	zoe said... Hi Stu, Thanks for your sales work on the road! I hope your son recovers well and fast so that he can get to the rye. The fruit pâtes and chocolate caramel matzo are a must at passover. Enjoy! Thanks, Zoë
04/16/08 8:58 am	Phyllis said... Followed the directions. Even took it out from the oven 3 minutes sooner. Why did the bottom burn–and how can I tell in the future if it is burning? Did this happen to anyone else. The pieces I tasted (without the charred bottom) were absolutely incredible. Any suggestions?
04/16/08 11:41 am	zoe said... Hi Phyllis, Make sure that you are using an oven thermometer. Your oven rack should be in the middle of the oven and be sure to check it often. If you are doing more than one tray, rotate them up and down and back to front. The original recipe called for a 375 degree oven and I felt that was way too high! I hope this helps! Zoë
04/16/08 12:55 pm	Matthew said... You’re Jewish? I didn’t know. Hooray now are there any other kosher for passover recipes you can impart :-p
04/16/08 4:04 pm	zoe said... Hi Matthew, I hope you enjoy these treats at passover as much as I do! I’m not sure if I’ll get anymore kosher desserts posted by Saturday? I’ll try! Thanks, Zoë
04/22/08 10:29 am	Daniela said... YUMMY!!!!! amazing! thanks a lot and jag pesaj sameaj from Madrid!
04/22/08 12:53 pm	zoe said... Thank you Daniela! I hope you enjoy the matzo. Zoë
05/10/08 5:01 pm	maybelles mom said... Oh, we had these for passover too–they are so addictive.
05/12/08 8:16 am	zoe said... Hi Maybelles mom, Too true, I can eat a whole batch myself. Zoë
03/31/09 12:25 pm	Meal Ticket :: Blog Archive :: Don’t Passover Chocolate-Caramel Matzoh :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs said... [...] Zoe Bakes [...]
04/3/09 4:14 pm	MsGourmet said... Ooh la la!
04/6/09 6:03 am	Rhonda said... I am not big on baking especially for Passover.. Also my husband hates anything with “caramel” and he absolutely loved this.. It was also one of the easiest and quickest desserts I have ever made… If you have any other easy ones like it please pass them along.. Thanks so much!!
04/6/09 11:19 am	zoe said... Hi Rhonda, Here is another really easy recipe for coconut haystack macaroons. http://zoebakes.com/?p=1904 Enjoy, Zoë
04/9/09 11:45 am	serena tobias said... I’m so glad this is posted. It’s actually the same recipe I’ve used for years (my neighbor has given it to our entire temple and grade school. Anyway, I also ad sprinkles to the top for color or some coconut the left-over from the macaroons I make. Thanks again.
04/19/09 11:05 am	Erica said... My 13 year old son is now making chocolate covered matzo after spotting your recipe over my shoulder while I was online! He comes home after school, melts some chocolate in a pan and smears it on the matzo. Immediate consumption after about 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Great use of leftover matzo!
04/20/09 11:28 am	LadyDi said... I am so sorry that I have this recipe!!! It is way too easy to make and I CANNOT STOP eating these!!! I thought it a good way to use up extra matza but now I am going to have to buy more! Seriously, I love this recipe – much better than the soda cracker or graham cracker version. MMMMMmmmmmmm Yummmmmy! Thank you Zoe!
05/17/09 9:45 am	Jess said... Oh my god…this is exactly how my mom’s been making this for years, ever since I was small…mmmmm…
12/18/09 12:05 pm	Blender Benefits said... These are exactly like what I had at a friends house last weekend. Thank you so much for posting- I can’t wait to try it myself.