What Is Matzo Crack?
Matzo crack — essentially chocolate covered matzo — is the most tolerable (and addictive!) way to enjoy matzo. Seriously, people go crazy over this recipe, and for good reason!
It starts with homemade toffee made from butter, sugar, and vanilla extract, which gets poured on top of matzo (or matzah) then baked. Chocolate is melted on top, then the whole tray gets a healthy sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Once cool, the sheets of chocolate and sea salt covered matzah get broken into small, bite-size pieces. It is the most delicious, sweet and salty, crunchy snack you can imagine!
What Is Matzo?
Matzo (also sometimes spelled matzah or matza) is an unleavened flatbread that is customary to eat on Passover. It kind of eats like a crispy cracker, only worse. (I’m allowed to say that, right? Since I have suffered through eating it on Passover my whole life?)
Anyway, the point is that matzo is bland and boring on its own, but it serves a purpose. That one week a year when Jewish people refrain from eating chametz or anything leavened, they turn to matzo. Well, we’re here to tell you that matzah can actually be enjoyable. Crazy, we know! Here’s what you need to make the best matzo crack:
Ingredients For Matzo Crack
- Brown sugar – melted with the butter to make a simple homemade toffee
- Unsalted butter – melted with the brown sugar on a stove top, then poured on top of matzo
- Pure vanilla extract – added to the melted brown sugar and butter to add flavor to the homemade toffee sauce
- Matzo – the base for the matzo toffee crack
- Chocolate chips – melted in the oven on top of the baked matzo with toffee sauce, then smoothed out with an offset spatula to form a thick chocolate layer
- Flaky sea salt – sprinkled on top of the freshly baked toffee matzo crack to add SO MUCH FLAVOR!
You’re going to use more salt than you think is appropriate, but trust me, it’s necessary. In fact, go ahead and add another sprinkle.
You’re welcome.
Substitutions For Matzo
Matzo crack is equally delicious when made with saltine crackers. It’s all about the combination of salty and sweet and crunchy, so really any flavorless thin cracker will work. (Sorry matzah, that’s the reputation you’ve earned.)
But seriously, chocolate and toffee can instantly bring crackers to a whole other level! Don’t forget flaky sea salt!
Chocolate Chips VS Other Baking Chips
We’ve made matzo crack with peanut butter baking chips, and while the texture was not as easy to spread once melted, the flavor was preferred by friends and family to chocolate. We still prefer the classic chocolate covered matzah with sea salt.
Definitely feel free to experiment with caramel, white chocolate, milk chocolate, or butterscotch chips. Just note that the texture varies from chip to chip, which will influence how easily you can spread the topping after it is melted.
How Long Will Matzo Crack Keep?
Matzo crack is the best make-ahead dessert for Passover or for any special occasion! It holds up remarkably well, and while it’s not likely to last more than a few days (seriously, it’s so addictive!), matzo crack will keep for over a week in an airtight container in a refrigerator. Talk about a win!
If you love homemade matzo crack, you will die over this easy almond roca recipe. Why make one dessert when you can have two?!
So there you have it! Matzo crack is crunchy and salty and sweet and the perfect dessert to win over those most skeptical of matzo. It gets a terrible rep, but we promise it’s not all bad!
P.S. If you think your friends and family would not benefit from having chocolate covered matzah in their holiday cookie box this year, you are dead wrong. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
If you make our Matzo Crack recipe, please let me know by leaving a review and rating below!
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If you’re looking for an additional Passover-friendly dessert, check out my flourless chocolate cake. We serve it every year, and it is foolproof!
For more quick and simple desserts, check out the following recipes:
- Chocolate babka parfaits
- 5 ingredient rosemary shortbread
- No-bake chocolate mousse pie
- Cream puffs with tiramisu cream
- Chocolate chip cookie dough cups
6-ingredient Toffee Matzo Crack
Ingredients
- 4 sheets of matzo fit to cover a baking sheet
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 (10 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the matzo. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then cover with a single layer of matzo (as many pieces as you can fit, approximately 4).
- Make the toffee. Place 1 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat, then whisk until mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling, continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the toffee turns silky smooth, light golden brown, and pulls away from the edges of the sauce pan. Remove from the heat and add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, then carefully stir to combine.
- Bake the matzo. Quickly pour toffee on top of matzah and spread with an offset spatula, trying your best to coat all matzo. Bake for 8-12 minutes. The toffee will look cracked on top.
- Finish with chocolate. Remove baking sheet and pour entire bag of chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes. Spread chocolate in an even layer with an offset spatula. Generously sprinkle sea salt all over the top, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until hard, about 2 hours. It will look like too much salt, but trust me – it's not! Break matzo into bite-size pieces. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container until needed.
Notes
- Make ahead: yes, matzo crack can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Will keep in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Can I use something other than chocolate chips? You can, but note that other baking chips (peanut butter, caramel, toffee, white chocolate, etc.) melt differently. They may not spread as easily as regular chocolate chips. Give it a try and see!
- Why so much salt? When you break apart the cooled matzo crack into pieces, a lot of the salt will fall off. Gotta make sure there’s enough left on there when you’re finished!
Simple, fast, and addictive. I am so lucky they go so fast because it would be dangerous to keep something this delicious around all the time!
Agree, I cannot be trusted around matzo crack haha! xo, Ari
what do you do when matzoh sticks to foil and candy covering comes off matzoh
Hi Rose! Hopefully that only happened to a small portion of the matzah toffee. You can still just break it into chunks and throw it together in a serving bowl. It always gets eaten, even when pieces break off. xo, Ari
Super easy and delicious recipe! Just made it and everyone loved it!
So glad you enjoyed this, Jackie! We make about 5 batches every Passover lol! xo, Ari
Hi Hannah — I’m sorry you had this experience, but I have made this matzah the same way for over a decade. Yes, the toffee looks bubbly after taking it out of the oven, but I stand behind this recipe 100%, as written. It is so loved by all, that we make about 4 or 5 batches every year, always using the same recipe. I’m glad you were able to adapt it to fit your preferences. Best, Ari
My first time making Matzo Crack and I’m more than impressed! This was outrageous! And you are absolutely right about the sea salt flakes. I made a double batch and gave a container to each of three family members. They were floored! I have to buy some more Dark Brown Sugar as I do not normally keep this on hand, so I can make some more batches and deliver them to several other friends! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Yes yes yes!! Thanks so much, Patty! We also make 4-5 batches each Passover to share with family + friends. My husband is bringing a double batch into the office this week. So appreciate the feedback! xo, Ari
Truly, honestly, this is the only way to eat matzah. It’s delightful, delicious and so much fun! My friends look forward to my gifting them “matzah crack” each year! Thanks, Ari!!! Your recipes are amazing!!!
It’s my favorite way to eat matzo too! Thank you!! xo, Ari
The only “problem” with this recipe is that it is SO GOOD, that I can’t stop eating until I’ve finished even the last crumb!!
Agree to agree! Literally can’t control myself around this matzo! xo, Ari
Absolutely delicious. Everyone in my family loves this. The sea salt adds a perfect finish. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
Thank you! Wouldn’t be the same without the salt! xo, Ari
Not all matza is gluten free. Only if it is labeled on the box as gluten free.
Such an oversight on my part — thank you! xo, Ari
Hi, I accidentally skipped the baking step. After I made the toffee I put it on the matza, put on choco chips, baked for 2 min to melt chips, and spread chips around. Then I put it in the fridge. Do you think it’ll come out ok? I can’t put it back in the oven now bc I already put on pecans and freeze dried berries. Thank you!
Hi Shayna! I’m not sure I’m understanding correctly. You didn’t bake the matzo and the toffee first, you only baked everything for 2 minutes total? I think it will still be tasty, but the texture of the toffee might be a little off. You’re probably ok because the toffee on its own is delicious! Hope it works out! xo, Ari
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but my chocolate chips didn’t melt right…They look chunky and won’t really spread well…they’re Toll House semi sweet morsels…I followed all the steps too. I’m sure it’ll still taste great!
Hi Catherine, so sorry to hear this! Kind of a silly question, but were the chocolate chips purchased recently or are they older? I’ve made this recipe on Passover for over a decade so feel pretty confident with its success rate, but I’ve tried it with a variety of different types of chocolate — dark, semi sweet, white, older bags of chocolate — and some are more successful than others. Why don’t we start there and then I’ll try to help you troubleshoot. Thanks! xo, Ari
This was my first time making this and it came out amazing! Yes, all the salt is absolutely needed to balance out the sweet- someone else made the same dish with a different recipe and this one came out MUCH better. I didn’t bake it again after I spread the chocolate on, the chocolate melted fine and I let it cool without the extra step and it worked well for me!
Hi Min! Thrilled to hear it was a success! This is definitely one of the easiest, most delicious desserts, and yes the extra salt is crucial! xo, Ari