If you’re Jewish, or even if you’re not but you’ve been lucky enough to be invited to a Passover Seder, you’ve probably already fallen in love with matzoh toffee. This classic recipe is ubiquitous during the Jewish holiday Passover. It’s outrageously delicious and utterly addictive. I find that I cannot stop myself from eating this crunchy, sweet, chocolatey, nutty confection. Luckily, I only make it once a year for Passover.
But there’s something else that I love about this matzoh toffee recipe and that is that it illustrates a really important fact of recipe development. You’ve probably heard it said that there is nothing truly new—in art, in music, or in cooking—and in a way that’s true. Everything is derivative. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t create something new and exciting—and original—out of an old idea.
The Original Matzoh Toffee Recipe
The original matzoh toffee recipe was created by Marcy Goldman, a baker and cookbook author. It was the mid-1980s and Marcy was looking for a treat she could serve to her family during Passover—meaning it couldn’t have any leavening, among other forbidden ingredients—that even her picky toddler would eat. Her solution to this conundrum was what we now know as matzoh toffee: matzoh sheets turned into a delectable candy with layers of toffee and chocolate. It was brilliant, delicious, and, yes, quite original. You can find Marcy’s recipe in her book A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking.
Except that it wasn’t truly original. People had been making a cracker-based toffee candy recipe for decades. Saltine crackers were layered with buttery toffee and chocolate. Saltines, though, have leavening in them, so they aren’t suitable for eating during Passover (for Jews who observe).
Was Marcy’s idea genius? Absolutely. She found a solution to a dilemma that no one else had thought of before (at least as far as we know). Did Marcy just rip off the inventor of the recipe using Saltines? Definitely not. She used the idea—a cracker-based layered toffee-and-chocolate treat—but she turned it into something new.
This is what makes recipe development so exciting and challenging: Figuring out how to put a truly original spin on certain cooking techniques or combinations of ingredients, all of which have been around forever.
Our Very Own Passover Toffee Recipe
This is our spin on Marcy’s now-famous recipe. We added chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of flaky sea salt to the toffee layer. Is our version original? Certainly not. Marcy Goldman and whoever invented the original Saltine toffee recipe get the credit for that. We just gave it our own twist.
More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love
- Hamentashen
- Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
- Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
- Classic Chopped Liver
- Vegetarian Chopped Liver
- Honey Cake
- Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!
Chocolate-Hazelnut Matzoh Toffee
Adapted from a recipe from Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking that appeared on Epicurious.com.
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 matzoh sheets
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or Passover margarine
- 1 cup (packed) brown sugar
- pinch of flaky sea salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a large rimmed baking sheet with layer of aluminum foil topped with a layer of parchment paper.
- Place matzos in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, breaking as necessary to fill the pan completely with a single layer of matzo.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Pour mixture over the matzo on the baking sheet, smoothing with the back of a spoon or a heat-resistant spatula, to spread distribute evenly and cover the matzo completely.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes (check frequently to make sure it isn’t burning and reduce heat if necessary to keep from burning).
- Remove from oven and immediately turn oven off. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top and put the pan back into the turned-off oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spread the chocolate out into an even layer.
- Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the top.
- Chill in freezer until completely set, then break into pieces.
- Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
18Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 217Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 27mgSodium 13mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 15gProtein 1g
Jewish Recipes
Jewish recipes are the heart of every Jewish holiday celebration. There’s a special dish (or five!) for every occasion, from the high holidays to Shabbat dinners! Here are my favorite Jewish recipes for the holidays or any day.
Brisket with Apricots, Prunes, and North African Spices
Brisket is braised in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, dried fruit, and North African spices for a Mediterranean take on the traditional Jewish holiday dish. This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Jayne Cohen in Bon Appetit.
Potato Latkes
You can make a gluten-free version by substituting gluten-free brown rice flour for the flour. You can also jazz up the recipe by adding thinly sliced scallions or substituting sweet potatoes, parsnips, or apples for some (or all) of the potatoes. This recipe serves about 4 people and is easily doubled or tripled.
Instant Pot Applesauce
This Instant Pot applesauce is super quick and easy to make. It's delicious on top of crispy potato latkes--or just eat it plain!
Instant Pot Falafel
Crispy, golden brown patties are tender and moist on the inside. They're seasoned just right with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fresh parsley.
Instant Pot Hummus
This Instant Pot hummus from scratch starts with dried chickpeas and takes less than an hour to make—and that's start to finish time. There's no need to soak the beans. The result is lush, rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seed, Pistachios, and Hummus Vinaigrette
This is a great way to use up leftover cooked couscous. The dressing can be whisked together in a bowl, but is especially easy to make in a food processor—chop the parsley leaves in the processor first, then add the other ingredients and process until smooth.
Lamb Kofta Kebabs
Ground lamb is mixed with lots of fresh herbs, aromatics, and spices and then grilled on skewers. I like to serve these with pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, harissa or chermoula, and a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with lemon dressing. Brown basmati rice is a great accompaniment as well.
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and watching the rounds puff up in the oven is so, so satisfying. Use them for sandwiches or cut them into triangles and use them to scoop savory Middle Eastern dips like my Instant Pot Hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.
Whipped Feta Spread with Garlic and Fresh Dill
Whipped Feta Spread is a great addition to a mezze appetizer platter. It's a tangy, salty, creamy dip with a punch of garlic and fresh dill. Scoop it up with pita chips or raw veggies.
Easy Homemade Jelly Donuts or Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot are traditional Israeli jelly donuts often eaten during Hanukkah, along with other fried foods. Because, of course, fried foods celebrate the miracle of the oil! This recipe makes a simple, lightly sweetened fried dough that can be filled with jelly or the fillling of your choice and dusted with powdered sugar.
Grandma Fran's Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Made of mostly walnuts, butter, and onions, this chopped liver is just as good as the original, but meat free!
Harissa Chicken
This deliciously spicy sheet pan chicken takes just a few minutes to prep. The recipe was inspired by one in Dinner: Changing the Game, by Melissa Clark.
Israeli Salad with Egg and Feta Cheese
Israeli Salad, distinguished by finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers, is described (by Wikipedia) as "the most well-known national dish of Israel." Variations on the theme are limitless. Our version includes hard boiled eggs and feta cheese.
Matzoh Fattoush or Bread Salad for Passover
This bright, fresh, kosher for Passover salad—a take on the popular Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush—gives the plain crackers new life. Spiced, baked matzo “chips” replace the usual flat bread, but other than that, this hearty salad packs all the fresh herby, tangy, spicy flavor you expect from fattoush.
OMG, I cant believe all the passover maccaroons I could have avoided if I had been able to conceive of this sweet concoction. Thanks J and R….
Thanks, Rosie! I myself am a sucker for a good macaroon, too, but this stuff is the bomb.