Matzo Brittle Recipe
Plain matzo is the base of this easy brittle: Line a baking sheet with it, pour caramel over it, add chocolate chips and spread them around once they melt, then top with sliced almonds. There’s no fussing over a candy thermometer when making the caramel, and one recipe makes enough to feed a crowd. A sprinkling of fancy fleur de sel adds a savory touch that helps cut through the sweetness.
What to buy: Fleur de sel is a hand-harvested sea salt that is moister than other salts and has a nice crunch and a distinct mineral taste. It can be found at gourmet grocery stores.
Game plan: The matzo brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 1 week.
This dish was featured as part of our Recipes for Passover slideshow, as well as our Crazy-Easy Christmas Cookies.
- 4 (6-1/2-by-6-inch) sheets unsalted matzo
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup toasted sliced almonds or toasted coarsely chopped pecans
- Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with 2 overlapping pieces of aluminum foil that wrap over the edges of the baking sheet. Arrange the matzo in a single layer on the baking sheet, breaking pieces as needed to fill any empty spaces; set aside.
- Place the butter, brown sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon of the fleur de sel in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla (pour it in slowly, as the mixture may bubble up), and stir to combine.
- Pour the caramel over the matzo and spread it evenly using the rubber spatula. Place the baking sheet in the oven (use care because the baking sheet may be hot from the caramel) and bake the matzo until small bubbles cover the surface and the caramel is fragrant (do not let the caramel burn), about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips, and set aside until the chips have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Using a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate over the caramel. Sprinkle with the nuts and remaining 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel. Refrigerate the brittle until cool, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces and serve.
Too much caramel. This recipe was enough for 8 pieced of Matza. Needed the rest of a bag of chocolate chips. These are wonderful, straight from the freezer.
Use the Reynolds Release aluminum foil.
Trust me.
What happens if you put un-toasted almonds on top of the caramel before putting it in the oven? Wouldn't you just end up with toasted almonds?
@Travels4Food---
Granted you could make it with saltines during the rest of the year, but why would you? Having a quite different texture, saltines are not really a good substitute and besides, Matzo is available year round.
We call it Matzo Crack in my family. Mmmmmm.
This can be made with saltines throughout the rest of the year, and it really, truly is addictive. I've never used brown sugar, but I like the idea. It's nearly fool-proof as long as you don't over-cook the caramel-cracker mixture. Also, once you've turned off the oven and sprinkled on the chocolate chips, you can stick the pan back in the oven for a minute or so to help the melting process...+READ
This can be made with saltines throughout the rest of the year, and it really, truly is addictive. I've never used brown sugar, but I like the idea. It's nearly fool-proof as long as you don't over-cook the caramel-cracker mixture. Also, once you've turned off the oven and sprinkled on the chocolate chips, you can stick the pan back in the oven for a minute or so to help the melting process along.-COLLAPSE
I made this recipe for my family and extended family last week. Everyone loved it! I didn't have fleur de sel, so it wasn't as good as it was meant to be, but how can you go wrong with topping a pretty flavourless cracker bread with caramel, chocolate and nuts? Good recipe for a fun food gift.
I adore matzo brittle and make it every year. It's great.
I burst out laughing when I read the tag line under the prompt for the recipe: "Matzo brittle. Tastier than you'd imagine." LOL! Someone's being pretty negative here. "Matzo brittle. Really, it's not so bad." (Actually, it's fantastic.)
Well, I would suggest mixing the vanilla sugar with the brown to get both flavors and not make it overly sweet. The vanilla flavor adds a richness that I like.
Love the idea of adding fleur de sel.
I've always had an easy time finding kosher for Pesach extract at local supermarkets and kosher stores. Vanilla sugar wouldn't work, since the recipe calls for brown sugar. Or, just leave out the vanilla--the recipe I've used for over a decade doesn't call for it.
Vanilla extract is basically impossible to find in a kosher for passover form. You should use either vanilla sugar or a whole vanilla bean scraped.