Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch with Pistachios & Sea Salt – Delicious Passover dessert inspired by Marcy Goldman’s “A Treasury of Holiday Baking”
Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch has got to be one of the most popular and beloved Passover treats out there. The original version of this classic dessert appears in Marcy Goldman’s terrific book, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. My take on it doesn’t vary all that much from hers. I made a couple of small adjustments, like adding a pinch of sea salt to the toffee mixture and using a thicker layer of chocolate on top of the toffee. Of course I play with the toppings, which can vary quite a bit. Otherwise, the basic concept remains untouched. Why mess with greatness?
I hesitated to even blog about this recipe; it’s so incredibly popular at this time of year that it’s hard to imagine my readers don’t already know about it. On the off chance that somebody has never tried Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch, I present it here as a little seasonal gift to you. Marcy Goldman was really on to something when she came up with this genius Passover dessert.
You can decorate Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch with a variety of toppings– chopped nuts, drizzled white chocolate, sea salt– use your imagination to create a flavor combination that best suits you! My favorite combo to date is the one that appears in these pictures– chopped pistachios with a very light sprinkling of sea salt. If you haven’t tried chocolate with sea salt, you’re in a for a treat! This treat can be made with either butter or margarine, however I had better results with butter than I did with the margarine. The butter-made toffee spread more evenly (less grainy) and baked up crisper. This is a candy-like confection that can be enjoyed on its own or used as a topping on a Passover ice cream sundae. The best part? It’s ridiculously easy to make.
Have you ever tried making Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch? What are your favorite toppings?
To purchase Marcy’s cookbook, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, click here!
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Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch
Ingredients
- 4-6 unsalted matzos (use gluten free matzo crackers to make this recipe gluten free)
- 1 cup unsalted butter or margarine (butter recommended)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (use dairy free chocolate for pareve/vegan)
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (or your favorite Passover-friendly nut - optional)
- Sea salt
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet tray with a layer of foil, then cover the foil with a sheet of parchment. Evenly cover the sheet tray with matzos. Break or cut the matzos into smaller pieces if necessary.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 additional minutes and continue stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and pour the toffee mixture over the matzos.
- Use a spatula to spread evenly across the entire surface of the matzo. Make sure you spread it out fairly quickly or it will start to get sticky and become harder to smooth over.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes. Check frequently to be sure that the mixture is not burning. If it appears to browning too quickly, remove the tray from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees F, then replace the tray when the temperature drops a bit.
- Once 15 minutes have passed, remove the matzos from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chopped chocolate chips over the top.
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the chocolate over the matzo.
- Sprinkle the chopped pistachios and a light sprinkle of sea salt over the top of the melted chocolate.
- While the matzos are still warm, break them into smaller squares or pieces.
- Place in the freezer until the topping has set. Serve straight from the freezer, chilled, or at room temperature (I prefer it chilled!).
Nutrition
We call this Passover Crack and only make it at Passover & High Holiday’s because it is too addicting to make more often.
we make this every year yeah its sooo good i wanna eat it every day!
YES! I’ve had the same problem with three different chocolate chips (Ghirardelli, Guittard and a another, I can’t recall the name), so I always melt the chips first. I sometimes use shredded coconut instead of pistachios, or chopped dried cranberries or diced dried apricots, with any variation this recipe is always delicious.
This is my go-to every time my family requests chocolate matzo and I make it all through the year! It’s incredibly easy and I’ve adapted it over the years with different toppings, too. I always put a few drops of vanilla in the sugar mixture bc my grandma always said a little vanilla makes all the difference (just be careful adding it to the hot mixture so as not to burn yourself in the process). I love your recipes, Tori and I love your style; you’ve enriched my family through your wonderful recipes, over the years!! May you be blessed, as you have blessed us with your talents!!! Thank you 💙
So glad to hear this has become a family classic for you, Linda!