[This is the latest in an ongoing guest series brought to you by Southborough’s Culinary Underground. In this installment, Chef Lori shares a recipe just in time for Passover.]
Passover is well underway – how are you going to consume all those matzohs for the next week? I can’t resist buying them because to make matzho-brei (that savory or sweet matzoh and scrambled egg dish) or mina de Pesach (a Passover lasagna thing that I make with chicken and herbs). But I always buy too many – just to be able to make matzoh toffee.
Unfortunately, this stuff is dangerously easy to make – really just four main ingredients and few minutes of your time. And you don’t have to wait for Passover to make it. you can put together this confection with saltines or graham crackers or gluten-free crackers. I like to use a Ghiradelli 60% chocolate bar, broken into small pieces, in place of the chocolate chips. Milk chocolate works, too, if you’re the kind of wimp who can’t handle dark chocolate.
There’s a reason we call this “candy crack”. Don’t make a habit of it!
Caramel Matzoh Toffee
(1/2 pound)
4 large matzohs
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1 Cup brown sugar, packed
2 big pinches salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 Cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, whatever), optional!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly spray it with cooking spray.
Arrange the crackers in a single layer in the baking sheet – you may have to break them to fit.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together over MEDIUM heat until it boils. Lower the heat to it’s lowest setting while still maintaining a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla and salt.
Immediately pour the caramel over the crackers, spreading it with a knife. You’ve got to work fast!
Bake the crackers for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it – you may have to turn down the heat on the oven if the caramel starts to darken.
Carefully remove from the oven.
Immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let them stand for 5 minutes, then use a knife to spread them evenly over the caramel. Sprinkle on the nuts, if you’re using them.
Pop the tray into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up the chocolate. Remove and break into pieces. Store airtight.
Culinary Underground School for Home Cooks is committed to furthering the art and craft of home cooking through engaging and educational hands-on and demonstrations classes. Using the best seasonal ingredients, mastering techniques, minimizing prep, and maximizing flavor are the focus of their classes. For more information and a class schedule, visit culinaryunderground.com.
