Our family is a study in diversity. While I was born and raised in Israel, my husband is from what may arguably be its cultural opposite: Small Town Iowa. Our nieces and nephews are Korean, African-American, Romanian, and Wisconsinites. Middle East meets Midwest, and everything in between.
It’s a beautiful thing. I am so glad that this is the family my daughter is growing up in, so it’s really fun when that diversity can be celebrated with foods, especially those involving chocolate.
One of my favorite Passover treats is Passover Crack(er), the (er) added to protect the innocent. It is an addictive mixture of caramel, chocolate, and any toppings you might be able to imagine. The original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, and maybe a few nuts. Simple and divine.
Passover Crack(er)
Arrange 2 ½ sheets of matzoh on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350.
In a saucepan, melt ½ cup of butter and ½ cup brown sugar until the sugar has melted, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking a few minutes longer. While hot, spread the mixture on the matzoh.
Heat in oven for 5 minutes. Remove. Sprinkle with 1½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, let stand 5 minutes.
Spread chocolate over matzoh (it will be mostly melted at this point), then top with chopped walnuts if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate has firmed up. Break into bite-sized pieces.
My favorite combination is chocolate and peanut butter chips, and chopped up salted pretzels; but you can use any type of chocolate, nut, and fun topping you and your family like.
To honor Easter, which my daughter has recently declared to be her “favorite holiday” (I can only assume it has something to do with fancy dresses and candy, so I really can’t compete with my stories of how unleavened bread saved the day in the desert), I like to use white chocolate or mint chips and pastel-colored sprinkles.
I’ve made these popular treats during the holidays using white chocolate. I top the matzoh with pistachios and craisins for Christmas and blue sprinkles for Hanukkah. The possibilities for diversity and fun are endless.
Or, if you are five, by all means, load ‘em up with rainbow nonpareils and shredded coconut…in several layers.
