January 3, 2008

MatzoToffee Brittle

So I got the bright idea to be ambitious the Eve of Christmas Eve and make a load of treats.  Why?  I dunno...perhaps there was crack slipped into my coffee. Perhaps I thought that the only way to relieve all the stress & pressure of the holiday season was to bake?   Who knows....

Before I got the bright idea to make truffles, I was surfing the net (as usual) and found this recipe for Matzo Toffee Brittle that peaked my interest. Toffee+Matzos+Chocolate+Almond slices means a match made in heaven for this bean.

While I was buying all the supplies for the truffles (everything found PERFECTLY at Trader Joe's-thank you). I COULD NOT for the life of me get a hold of a package of matzos.  I went to 6 different grocery stores....NOTHING.  The section where they were supposed to be in each store was completely empty. What?!?  And the one store I found them in had only Onion flavoring. Bleh. I didn't think that would work.

Then I made my truffles...and couldn't stop thinking about the matzos.  It was stuck in my brain.  I was SOO determined to make that recipe that the night before the Eve of Christmas Eve (whoa, complicated) I went out to Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck as we call it) to see if my good karma would reward me.  YES!  They were there.  Thank You!!  I bought two packages... Why?  In case of an earthquake I guess.  No-it's really cuz the freak in me was thinking-what will I do I wanna make these again and I can't find them?????

So here they are/were:

They are light, crunchy, flakey, yummy and... everything else that ends in Y that's a good adjective.

The only hard part was waiting until they were completely done.  I was to anxious to see if they would work out.   Phew!  They did. Disaster diverted.  All is right with the world.  That will teach me to try a last minute recipe.  (Doubtful--- I know I will continue to do so.)

Oh yeah...and notice the toffee undersides.....

now here's the recipe:

Matzo Toffee Brittle:

-3 1/2 sheets unsalted matzos
-1cup unsalted butter
-1cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1cup semisweet chocolate morsels
-1/3cup finely chopped toasted slivered almonds

1. Line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick aluminum foil. Arrange matzos in prepared pan, breaking as necessary to fit and completely cover bottom of pan.

2. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Carefully pour mixture evenly over matzos in pan, and spread over matzos.

3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. (Mixture will start to bubble at about 10 minutes. Continue to bake to 15 minutes.) Carefully remove pan from oven to a wire rack. (Mixture will still be bubbly.) Let stand 1 minute at room temperature or until no longer bubbly. Sprinkle top evenly with morsels; let stand 1 minute or until morsels soften. Spread morsels over brittle. Sprinkle with almonds; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Place pan in refrigerator; chill 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Break into about 20 pieces. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week in refrigerator.

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