Matzah Crack

Let's start with the most innocuous explanation, shall we?  Matzah crack is a caramel-chocolate brittle with a matzah base, which is cracked into pieces to share.  No comment on the drug.  This sweet treat is addictive and dead easy to make.  Listen, it walks you through caramel with two ingredients and not a single mention of a candy thermometer.  Meanwhile, the cleanup is shamelessly lazy thanks to double-layer baking sheet protection.  Also?  It is an amazing Passover snack, but now that Passover has passed over for another year, it is absolutely the best way to use up whatever matzah you have left over - and it totally doesn't matter if it's broken in pieces.  Just assemble them into as smooth a surface as you can.  It gets cracked at the end, anyway.

Read this recipe through before getting into it.  The steps need quick action, so it's best to have everything prepped in advance.  I say that in case any other readers out there are leapers-before-they-look, like me.

One taste of the caramel and I was sure it'd be too rich for anyone to eat more than a half a bite.  But, lucky for your tastebuds & unlucky for your waistline, the chocolate cuts right through the butter's richness and makes the finished product unbelievably moreish.  You'd never know there was a CUP OF BUTTER in there.  Oof.  Be still, my arteries.

Shoutout to my brother - I wish you could have tried this.  Dad ate the last of it the night before you came over.  Go force him to make you some.  I bet they have leftover matzah at their house.

Matzah Crack

adapted from David Lebovitz
serves 6 (makes about 30 pieces)

prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
cooling time: 45 minutes

ingredients:

4-6 sheets of matzah
1 cup (230g, 2 American sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (215g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (kosher for Passover, or substitute seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod)
1 1/2-2 cups (200-280g) chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand has no soy - Pesach-safe!)
1/2 cup nuts - optional (sliced almonds, roughly chopped cashews, pecans, or walnuts)
cayenne pepper - optional

directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place parchment paper on top of the foil.  Cover the surface with matzah sheets.  Break extra sheets into pieces to fill the space between matzah and the end of the baking sheet.

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat on the stove.  Melt the butter and sugar together, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula until it starts to boil.  Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Mix in vanilla and 1/2 tsp salt.  Immediately pour over the prepared matzah sheets and spread evenly with the spatula.

Place in the oven.  Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°F/175°C.  Let it bake for 15 minutes, until the caramel is very bubbly but the corners have not burned.  If you see the corners starting to brown, remove from the oven, reduce the temperature to 325°F/160°C, and replace.

Remove from the oven.  Spread immediately with the chocolate chips.  Let sit for 5 minutes, until the chocolate chips are soft and melty, then smooth them over the top of the caramel using a spatula.  Sprinkle with nuts, the other 1/2 tsp salt, and/or cayenne pepper (as desired).  Other options include cocoa nibs or cinnamon - go wild!

Let cool 10 minutes at room temperature, then when the pan is cool enough, place in the fridge.  Allow to chill for at least 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set.  Break into pieces.  (I shamelessly used the Hulk Smash method, pounding from above with my fists then separating gently with my fingers.)

That's it.  You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, if it lasts that long!