This Easy Matzo Crack Toffee Recipe is always something to look forward to on Passover. We like to call this dessert our Passover Heath Bar. The best part is that it only uses 5 ingredients and it is ready in 30 minutes! Serve this alongside our Crustless Cheesecake for a dessert display worthy of celebrating freedom!
Jump to:
We love this recipe for Matza Crack Toffee because it is...
- Easy to make - with only 5 ingredients this recipe does not take much work to put together.
- Quick to prepare - done in under 20 minutes.
- Super tasty - crispy, chocolatey and buttery. Matzo toffee never disappoints.
- Kosher for Passover and all year round - don't limit yourself to Passover, this is one of those dessert recipes that you can serve all year round just like our Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients
This caramel coated matzo recipe is quick and easy and only has 5 ingredients:
- Butter - makes the toffee creamy and adds a little bit of saltiness. If you are not into the whole "salted caramel" flavor use unsalted butter.
- Brown sugar - adds sweetness and body to the homemade toffee
- Pecans - pecans are our favorite nut but you can also use walnuts or almonds
- Matzo (or Matzah) - Jewish law requires that no leaven (chametz) can be eaten during the holiday of Passover. Instead, we eat matzo which is not given time to rise before it is baked. It has the flavor and texture of a cracker which makes it perfect for this recipe.
- Chocolate chips - these are essential to making chocolate toffee matzo crack. This recipe is a little lighter on the chocolate than some others.
How to make the Best Matzo Crack recipe step by step
Step 1 - Make the toffee coating
Melt the butter and 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar together in a pan over low heat. You can also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract if you would like to give the toffee a light vanilla flavor. Whisk often during this step.
Incorporate the butter and brown sugar then increase the heat and cook over medium heat while constantly whisking. When the mixture starts to bubble and rise, keep whisking for about 3 minutes. The consistency should resemble very stretchy taffy.
Step 2 - Bake
Place the matzo on to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a spatula to take some of the hot toffee mixture and apply it to the matzo. This worked best for me when I used the spatula kind of like a paint brush and painted the hot toffee on to the matzo. Sprinkle semi sweet chocolate chips and pecans over the top after the toffee is fully applied.
Bake at 350ºF for 5 minutes. This is just enough time to melt the chocolate chips. If you see the toffee start to bubble slightly, this is ok.
Step 3 - Spread the chocolate chips and Let cool
Remove the tray from the oven and use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate chips out.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes and then break the matzo crack candy into 2 inch squares. To speed up the cooling and hardening process, you can freeze the matzo for 5 minutes instead.
FAQ
You will know because the brown sugar in the pan will change from melting to bubbling. Also, it will start to rise. Be very careful here as the bubbling brown sugar retains a lot of the heat from the pan and does not cool quickly. This means that if you get any on yourself it will stick to your skin and burn you and still stay hot. We like to call this kosher napalm.
If you are using a candy thermometer then you should heat it to 275ºF.
Yes it can, just substitute non-dairy butter for dairy butter and the recipe is dairy free.
Matzo Crack Toffee can be made gluten free by substituting gluten free matzo for standard matzo. Be aware that this may change the flavor slightly but it is still delicious.
Making this recipe ahead of time is always a good idea. This is because the matzo candy needs to cool before serving. Making it ahead of time and refrigerating or freezing insures that it is ready when it is time to serve dessert. Also, if you freeze the caramel matzo it can be a frozen treat similar to a frozen candy bar.
The reason that some of the other recipes are called "crack" is that they use crackers as the base instead of matzo. (Funny, I always thought it was called "crack" because it is so addictive)! On Passover, most crackers are considered chometz meaning that we cannot eat them. Matzo has a nice consistency similar to most crackers and can be substituted in very easily.
Why is this Matzo Crack Recipe Different Than All Other Matzo Crack Recipes?
As I was researching the recipe I ran across others like it called Matzah Toffee or Matzo Candy that are usually credited to Marcy Goldman's cookbook A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. Unlike those recipes, this one does not contain as large of a quantity of chocolate chips (I have always thought that the amount of used chocolate chips were an overload to my senses).
Storing Easy Matza Crack Toffee
- Storing outside of the refrigerator. Matzo Toffee has a very similar recipe to candy like our recipe for Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Crisps and like that recipe can be stored safely in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 14 days on the counter.
- Matzo Crack freezes very well. Because of the high caramelized sugar content of the toffee and melted chocolate, you can freeze Matzo Crack for up to 6 months. It tastes great frozen so there is no need to thaw before eating.
Recipe variations
- Leave out the nuts - some people have nut allergies or simply do not like nuts. You can always leave them out.
- Add candy toppings - These days, Passover is not short on candy options. Make this a fun activity for the kids and add their favorite candies (marshmallows, jellies...etc) to the top of the chocolate toffee layer right after baking.
- Vegan matzo crack - use non-dairy butter and the recipe is vegan and dairy free.
- Salted caramel Matzo Crack - sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt over the top of the melted chocolate after baking.
📖 Recipe
Easy Matzo Crack Toffee Recipe (5 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 ½ matzos
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Lay 3 ½ matzos out on a 9 x 13 baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You may have to break the matzo to get it to fit.
- Heat the butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan on low heat until melted together. Whisk occasionally.
- Increase heat in the sauce pan to medium and whisk constantly for 3 minutes.
- Pour the toffee mixture over the matzo in the pan and use a spatula to smooth it out. You can also use the spatula like a paint brush and "paint" the matzo with the toffee until completely covered.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over the top of the matzo.
- Bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 350ºF.
- Remove from the oven and use a spoon to spread out the chocolate chips over the matzo.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the refrigerator and cut into 2 inch squares to serve.
Notes
- Leave out the nuts - some people have nut allergies or simply do not like nuts. You can always leave them out.
- Add candy toppings - These days, Passover is not short on candy options. Make this a fun activity for the kids and add their favorite candies (marshmallows, jellies...etc) to the top of the chocolate toffee layer right after baking.
- Make it vegan - use non-dairy butter and the recipe is vegan and pareve.
- Salted caramel Matzo Crack - sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt over the top of the melted chocolate after baking.
Monica says
I made this Matzah Toffee yesterday and it came out fantastic! Detailed instructions were so helpful, especially the advice about boiling the toffee. I only had almonds so I used those instead pecans. Yumm! Thank you for the fun and delicious recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
Ben says
Thank you for the comments. I like the substitution idea. I bet you could also try cashews.