Gluten-Free Chocolate Covered Matzo with Salted Caramel

chocolate-covered-matzo

This, my friends, is what you do with leftover matzo after Passover* (or why you buy some matzo even if you don’t celebrate the holiday!). Trust me. You won’t have much leftover once you make it. My friend and culinary school classmate, Lisa Hecht, brought some in this week and specifically used gluten-free matzo so I could have it. She then wrote up the recipe so I could share it with you! How super-sweet is that? I told you my classmates are awesome!

Lisa is famous for her chocolate covered matzo with her family and friends and makes it a lot this time of year. She brought in 3 variations; salted caramel, candied ginger and crushed peanut butter cups. All were amazing and gone in no time at all! Once you coat the matzo with chocolate, it seems the add-on variations are endless. I’m thinking cranberry and almond chocolate matzo might be tasty too.

There is one problem with this insanely easy and delicious treat. Lisa’s friends apparently call it “matzo crack” due to it’s highly addictive quality. I can attest to this having tried it and not been able to stop eating it myself. Therefore, consider this my warning and disclaimer and make it at your own risk! If you eat too much and happen to live in NYC, you can go burn it off at one of the Bikram Yoga classes Lisa teaches on the Upper East Side.

Here are the recipes Lisa shared with me. Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Matzo

4 pieces Gluten Free matzo

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I like Guittard, but any brand will work!)

¾ oz vegetable shortening

1 ½ tbsp. coarse kosher salt

¼ cup heavy cream or milk

¾-1 cup caramel candies

Line 4 pieces of matzo up on a piece of aluminum foil.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate over a double boiler with ¾ oz vegetable shortening over low heat. (You can skip the shortening if you prefer, but I find that it helps make the chocolate a bit smoother and a bit shinier (which saves time as I don’t have a lot of patience for tempering chocoloate….especially on a dessert that NEVER lasts more than 5 minutes once it is served!)).   Stir so that it doesn’t burn as it melts.

Spoon chocolate onto matzo and spread across matzo, covering completely with a knife.  (Totally not a big deal if the chocolate spreads over the sides of a matzo, so don’t worry if it gets a bit messy.)  Take about half  (or ¾ tsp) of the kosher salt in the palm of your hand and sprinkle over the matzo. Easier to do this if your hand is high above the matzo…helps to spread the salt evenly.

Add heavy cream and caramel candy to a sauce pan and melt over low heat, again stirring constantly.  Once the caramel is melted, use a spoon to drizzle across the top of the matzo. Sprinkle remaining salt over the top of the matzo and refrigerate until cool, at least 1 hour.  Break into pieces and enjoy! Makes almost 2 lbs of candy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another yummy variation: Candied Ginger and Orange Zest

4 pieces Gluten Free matzo

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I like Guittard, but any brand will work!)

¾ oz vegetable shortening

4oz candied ginger, finely chopped

Zest of 3 oranges.

Melt chocolate and spread over matzo, as above.

Immediately sprinkle candied gineger and orange zest over matzo and let cool.

Break into pieces and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Original “Matzo Crack” with Peanut Butter Cups** 

1/2 lb. GF Matzo or enough to cover an entire tin-foil lined cookie sheet

1/2 lb. butter or margarine

1 Cup brown sugar

1 – 12oz bag of choc. chips

1 Cup chopped up PB cups*

Pre-heat oven to 450 deg.

Fit matzos in cookie sheet in a single layer, covering entire pan.

In a small saucepan melt butter and brown sugar. Boil until mixture coats a spoon (about 3-5 min. over medium heat). Brush mixture on matzo, be careful not to let any drip onto the bottom of the matzo, it will burn. I brush it on close to the edges, but not al the way. Bake 4 min and remove from oven.

Sprinkle chips on top. Bake 1 min. more.

Remove from oven and gently spread melted choc. to cover as completely as possible. Sprinkle with chopped PB cups.

Cool completely in refrigerator.

Break into pieces and store in a covered tin in refrigerator.

Makes about 2 lbs. of candy.

*I don’t celebrate Passover but Lisa advised me these treats are not kosher for Passover and are best served after the holiday for those who observe.

**This version is not safe for my household but still delicious and I’m sure you’ll want to try it if ok for yours.

 

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