Salted Caramel Matzoh Crunch
It’s a strange, but fitting moment for Passover to take place. While this time is usually spent gathered in close proximity to relatives and friends, sharing food and sticking our pinky fingers into our wine glasses (none of which we can do right now), it’s also a night where copious wine consumption is required, we abstain from leavened bread and reflect on some plagues. In other words, this doesn’t sound much different from a normal night in quarantine, where wine is the beverage of choice, there’s a shortage of flour at the grocery store and the only thing we can think to talk about is the latest Coronavirus headline. Did you hear a tiger got it??
Passover is different this year. I wish I was inviting friends over for an extravagant weeknight meal I took the day off to prepare. But I’m grateful for all the Passover traditions I get to adapt - they provide just a bit of difference from the otherwise same old, same old Groundhog Day world we’re living in. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful that I get to skip the parts of the ritual I’m less wild about (a lonnnng spiel before dinner, gefilte fish) and cherry pick the social distancing approved parts I love most (brisket, charoset, matzo ball soup).
And while most Passover dishes lend themselves to large groups, quarantine lends itself to meal prep. My recipes this year have been slightly scaled back in portion, but are big enough to stretch out for a few precious meals.
Enter, Salted Caramel Chocolate Matzoh Crunch. It’s practically made for quarantine: Snackable (I know you’re snacking over there!), easy yet rewarding, and prepared with things you might already have around (a “baking” project without flour comes at a premium these days!).
While I’d normally make a big batch of this craveable stuff to share with coworkers, I scaled this recipe down, mostly to prevent myself from consuming a full stick of butter. Double the proportions when this thing is over!
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
Ingredients
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter
2-3 squares plain matzoh
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt
Cacao nibs (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil, and then a layer of parchment paper. Crack the matzoh into pieces of different shapes and sizes.
Heat the butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a small pot, stirring constantly with a whisk. Once the mixture is bubbling and slightly thickened, pour it over the matzoh pieces. Quickly, use a pastry brush or rubber spatula to spread the mixture to coat the matzoh.
Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the pieces. Let rest for 5 minutes to allow the chips to melt. Use a rubber spatula to spread the melted chips to cover the matzoh pieces.
Sprinkle flaky sea salt and cacao nibs (if using) over the top. Let cool and then store in an airtight container.