Matzoh Crunch!

This week is Passover and you may have seen Matzoh Crunch in your grocery store or bakery.

I first saw this recipe when David Lebovitz (chef, baker, and cookbook author) appeared on the Martha Stewart show about 10 years ago. It looked very easy to make, and it is!

Up front, I should say that I make this dessert all year round and get special requests from my kids and friends. Matzoh Crunch is the popular name and David Lebovitz’s version is called Caramelized Matzoh Crunch With Chocolate. Basically, it’s a cracker base with a caramel/toffee topping and chocolate. What’s not to like?!

This matzoh crunch recipe is copied from David’s website, at the bottom of this post.

Here are my tips and suggestions for making matzoh crunch:

Line a pan with foil and parchment
Freeze the finished product, in the pan, if you need this as a quick dessert or if your kids just can’t wait to eat it
Consider butter only – not margarine. My kids noticed a difference and they didn’t like it
Experiment with different toppings. Here I used ground pistachios, coconut flakes, and butterscotch chips, but I love colored sprinkles that go with the holidays
Give these as gifts – they are easy and yummy!

Here’s the matzoh crunch recipe, taken verbatim from David Lebovitz’s website.

Caramelized Matzoh Crunch with Chocolate

4 to 6 sheets of matzoh
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted or salted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (firmly-packed) light brown sugar
optional: fleur de sel, or coarse sea salt
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, or coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Line a 11″ x 17″ baking sheet completely with foil (making sure it goes up the sides) and preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Line the bottom of the sheet completely with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.

In a medium-sized heavy duty saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and cook over medium heat until the butter begins to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and pour over matzoh, spreading with a heatproof utensil.

Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the syrup darkens and gets thick. (While it’s baking, make sure it’s not burning. If so, reduce the heat to 325F degrees.)

Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips or chunks. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread smooth with an offset spatula.

Sprinkle with a flurry of fleur de sel or coarse salt, then scatter the toasted almonds over the top and press them into the chocolate.

Let cool completely (you may need to chill it in the refrigerator), then break into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to eat.