Matzah is a Passover classic. While some people think that it’s sub-par to a biscuit’s butter goodness and not as tasty as saltine’s saltiness, I think there’s something to be said about the simplicity and versatility of matzah. It really is a simple food.
And it’s perfect for snacking. I enjoy it as a makeshift peanut butter and jelly sandwich (a little bit of peanut butter on one piece, a little bit of jelly on the other), with some sardines on top (don’t hate it until you try it, especially if you like sardines), or toasted with a little bit of salted butter (stop what you are doing right now and go try it).
But as dessert?
Well that’s obvious. COVER. IT. IN. CHOCOLATE.
And then top it in whatever you want. The recipe below is simple to follow, and shows you countless ways to decorate and coat these puppies.
SHOUT OUT TO MY SISTER FOR COMING UP WITH ALMOST ALL OF THESE IDEAS.
Get the kids involved too. Because Passover is meant to be spent together.
chag kasher v’same’ach (חַג כָּשֵׁר וְשָׂמֵחַ)
Matzah (enough for eating)
Chocolate (enough for coating. 1 cup chocolate chips will get you 5-10 large pieces of matzah coated)
Vegetable Shortening (for thinning chocolate, if needed)
Toppings
Coating
Melt chocolate in the microwave, using vegetable shortening to thin it, if necessary.
Using a spoon, coat one side of the matzah with your chocolate.
I found that a spoon was easier to coat with than any other utensil. I also found it easier to coat the chocolate rather than trying to dip an entire piece of matzah in chocolate. You’d risk breaking the matzah, and that would require too much chocolate in the bowl.
I also only coated one side of the matzah, rather than both. If we coated the bottom, chocolate would get all over people’s hands when they get to pick these up. Coating only one side keeps the mess to a minimal. Also it keeps drying time down.
Topping
Think about your toppings beforehand.
If you’re topping with things like nuts or chocolate or anything that you want to stay on top of the matzah, coat while the chocolate is still wet.
If you’re topping with things like a peanut butter drizzle or white chocolate or jam, wait till the chocolate coating is dry before adding these.
Matzah (enough for eating)
Chocolate (enough for coating. 1 cup chocolate chips will get you 5-10 large pieces of matzah coated)
Vegetable Shortening (for thinning chocolate, if needed)
Toppings
Melt chocolate in the microwave, using vegetable shortening to thin it, if necessary.
Using a spoon, coat one side of the matzah with your chocolate.
Top with whatever you want. The possibilities are endless!
]]>It’s the Big Game Weekend, and everyone is eating chips and dip, nachos, and wings. Your appetizer/dinner menu is pretty standard across the board, and it’s never going to change. Maybe one year someone will bring over guacamole, or maybe this year you’ll put some pulled pork in the oven for sliders.
But what do you eat for dessert?
Football and dessert never really went together, and I wanted to change that. So I made these nachos. With ‘homemade’ tortilla chips, and the trifecta of chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel, these are bound to please the most manly of men and the pickiest of kids.
Plus if you make them with gluten free white corn tortillas, you’re goooood.
My only regret is that I ate too many, and now I don’t want to move……..
Chips
10 Small white corn tortillas (Gluten Free)*
Olive Oil
Course Sea Salt
*Let’s make this clear that you can use the yellow corn tortillas if you want to add more color to your nachos or flour tortillas if you fancy. I thought that the corn ones crisped up better than their flour counter parts, and I found the white ones easier to see when they were done in the oven instead of the yellow. Pay attention to labels and ingredients on this item if you want it Gluten Free.
Chocolate Drizzle
1/3 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Vegetable Shortening for thinning, if preferred
Peanut Butter Filling
1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Caramel
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
YIELD: I made a small batch of these because you can’t eat too many. But double, triple, or quadruple the recipe depending on the size of your party.
The Chips
Take your tortillas and cut them into 6 pieces. Lightly brush them with olive oil. I did both sides for some, and then got lazy and only did one side for others. The difference was so minuscule. Sprinkle them with a pinch of course sea salt.
Bake these in the oven at 350° for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to burn them! And be careful to not add too many to the pan at once, or they won’t crisp up.
Let them cool on the pan briefly before transferring them off and cooking more.
Peanut Butter Filling
While on the tale end of your tortilla batches, start making the peanut butter filling. Pour the heavy cream into a small sauce pan and then add the peanut butter and sugar. Adding the heavy cream first helps the peanut butter not stick to your sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
Depending on your stove, this may take 4-8 minutes. You’re done when everything is melted, it has thickened, and the mixture is much glossier than expected. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become, so beware of over cooking.
Transfer to a separate bowl to make sure this doesn’t continue to cook while you make the caramel.
Caramel Drizzle
This is a faux-caramel since we technically aren’t caramelizing anything. But it’s quick. And it’s almost fool-proof to make.
Pour the heavy cream in a small sauce pan, and add in the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Cook over medium low heat, whisking occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes. Your caramel will get thicker. Once it begins to bubble, let it for 1 minute before removing from the heat. If your mixture was way too thin, keep it bubbling for a few minutes longer. Transfer to a separate bowl to help it cool and thicken even more.
Assembling the Nachos
Now that your sauces are ready, it’s time to assemble these bad boys. Start by melting chocolate (microwave works best for this), thinning it as necessary for drizzling, and keep it handy.
Put your tortilla chips on your serving tray and glob on half of your peanut butter filling. Then, throw on some more tortilla chips.
Drizzle on half of your melted chocolate on top before dropping on the rest of the peanut butter filling.
Then, add the rest of your tortilla chips. Drizzle with the remainder of your chocolate, and then drizzle with your caramel.
I didn’t use all of my caramel, so don’t feel the need to add more than you’d like. This caramel goes great with apples or any other fruit, so just refrigerate the remainder. Be careful when dividing the batch though for cooking the caramel drizzle. If you make the recipe too small, you won’t find a small enough sauce pan, so you’ll use one that’s too big and then you’ll burn it.
Finish it with a sprinkle of sea salt and serve this up to the hungry fans. No need for fancy plating, just plenty of wet naps!
Step 3) Drizzle in chocolate. (See how the corn chips have so much of a better color than the flour ones?)
Chips
10 Small white corn tortillas (Gluten Free)*
Olive Oil
Course Sea Salt
*Pay attention to labels and ingredients on this item if you want it Gluten Free.
Chocolate Drizzle
1/3 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Vegetable Shortening for thinning, if preferred
Peanut Butter Filling
1 cup peanut butter (smooth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Caramel
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/8 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
YIELD: I made a small batch of these because you can’t eat too many. But double, triple, or quadruple the recipe depending on the size of your party.
The Chips
Take your tortillas and cut them into 6 pieces. Lightly brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle them with a pinch of course sea salt. Bake these in the oven at 350° for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to burn them! Let them cool on the pan briefly before transferring them off and cooking more.
Peanut Butter Filling
Pour the heavy cream into a small sauce pan and then add the peanut butter and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Depending on your stove, this may take 4-8 minutes. It should have thickened, and the mixture should be much glossier than expected. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become, so beware of over cooking. Transfer to a separate bowl.
Caramel Drizzle
Pour the heavy cream in a small sauce pan, and add in the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Cook over medium low heat, whisking occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes. Your caramel will get thicker. Once it begins to bubble, let it for 1 minute before removing from the heat. If your mixture was way too thin, keep it bubbling for a few minutes longer. Transfer to a separate bowl to help it cool and thicken even more.
Assembling the Nachos
Start by melting chocolate (microwave works best for this), thinning it as necessary for drizzling, and keep it handy. Put your tortilla chips on your serving tray and glob on half of your peanut butter filling. Then, throw on some more tortilla chips.
Drizzle on half of your melted chocolate on top before dropping on the rest of the peanut butter filling.
Then, add the rest of your tortilla chips. Drizzle with the remainder of your chocolate, and then drizzle with your caramel (as much as you like. You’ll have extra).
Finish it with a sprinkle of sea salt and serve this up to the hungry fans. No need for fancy plating, just plenty of wet naps!
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