Matzo Crack
Posted on March 26, 2013 by Leslie Blythe No comments
Guest blogger Jessica (Denver, CO) from Beauty Marks.
This dish has come to be a Passover staple, and is, as far as I’m concerned, the highest and best use of matzo. Some call it matzo Roca (and put almonds on it like Almond Roca), some matzo toffee – but matzo crack most aptly describes it. You will want more. You will scrape up the spilled baked brown sugar mixture from the cookie sheet. Your guests will rave.
Adapted from David Lebovitz.
Matzo Crack
6 to 8 sheets unsalted matzos
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed firm
big pinch of sea salt (I omitted this time for the sodium-intolerant)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I used half dark, half milk)
1 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, and cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper. (You can see from my photo that I forgot the foil. No harm, no foil.)
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Line the sheet with matzo, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.
In a 3-4 quart 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 matzo, spreading with a heatproof spatula.
Bake for 15 minutes. Look in occasionally to make sure it’s not burning. If it is, remove and reduce the heat to 325, then replace the pan.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, and spread with an offset spatula.
If you want, 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, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. It should keep well for about one week, though really, do you think it’s going to last that long?
