Matzo Brittle

Posted on April 14th, 2017

On Wednesday, it came to our attention that one of Ian’s coworkers had never heard of matzo (or matzoh, or matzah, etc., take your pick).  Naturally, we had to close that knowledge gap as quickly and as sweetly as possible!  I remembered a brittle-esque recipe I had made with graham crackers a few years ago, and adapted it for a Passover version using ingredients I had on hand.  Ian reports that the outcome was universally appreciated.  Based on the nibble I snuck from the tray, I can see why!

If you’re craving a sweet snack or are in need of a hostess gift for a weekend Seder, this is a great way to use up that surplus of matzo that all seemed like a good and necessary purchase at the time.

Ingredients

4(ish) sheets unsalted matzo

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of salted butter* (or margarine for dairy free)

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, and put a layer of parchment paper or a silicone liner on top.  Cover tray completely with pieces of matzo, breaking pieces and overlapping slightly as necessary.

Melt butter in a saucepan and combine with brown sugar and vanilla.  Bring to a rolling simmer, and whisk constantly until the mixture is amber in color and pulls away slightly from the side of the pot, about 3 minutes.  Immediately pour over the matzo tray, and place in the oven for about 12-15 minutes.

While matzo is beginning to cook, put coconut and almonds on a separate baking sheet, and add to the oven to toast for about 7 minutes.  The matzo will be finished when the caramel is bubbly and deeply golden, but be careful not to burn!  Remove from the oven and immediately top with toasted coconut, almonds, and butterscotch chips.

Allow to cook at room temperature for about fifteen minutes, and transfer baking sheet to fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Break into pieces, and enjoy! Which may entail eating until you have a bellyache.

*If unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the caramel mixture