Sesame Halvah Cookies

Posted on May 20, 2013 by ButterSugarFlowers

Halvah cookies (9)

My grandmother would have turned 91 last Saturday.  Since I couldn’t bring her a cake or call her and sing, I decided on a small act in her honor.  I bought some halvah – the sweet treat she always had in her fridge – and I heartily savored a few too many slices of it.  Dense with sesame sweetness, each bite brought me back to the kitchen of grandma’s house, where my sister and I spent many summer afternoons sipping iced tea, snacking on brie cheese, and nibbling on halvah: one of grandma’s most favorite indulgences.

Halvah cookies (1)

Made and spelled in various ways, halvah has ties to numerous regions.  For my grandma, halvah came through her Jewish background and was always the sesame kind, preferably marbled with chocolate. The day after her birthday this year, I found myself with plenty of extra halvah and a yearning to bake. I remembered a scrumptious recent post on a favorite blog of mine, where halvah had been imbedded into a nutty loaf cake — an utterly mouthwatering idea!  Inspired, I created my own halvah-laden treat: thumbprint-style cookies with a chunk of halvah as their filling.  Here is the recipe.

Sesame Halvah Cookies (makes 20)Halvah cookies (5)

  • 1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • ½ cup butter, softened to warm room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 ounces sesame halvah, cut into ½” cubes (about 20 cubes)
  • 3 ounces chopped dark chocolate or ½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Toast sesame seeds on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown.  Transfer seeds to a bowl to cool.  Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together.  Add the butter and mix until an even dough forms (using damp, warm hands can be easiest).  Add the vanilla and knead until just incorporated.

Halvah cookies (14)Form dough into balls a little over 2 teaspoons each (about .6 ounce a piece), placing them at least 1.5” apart from one another on prepared baking sheet.  Push a cube of halvah firmly into the center of each cookie, bracing sides of dough and squeezing gently to hold the halvah in place.  Freeze cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes (they will still spread a bit when baked, but this will help them hold their shape).

Bake cookies for 20 minutes at 325 F.  They’ll be about 2″ in diameter with toasty edges. Remove from oven and let cool completely, setting in fridge or freezer to hasten cooling if desired.  Carefully melt the chocolate (a few 20 second stints in the microwave, stirring after each until just smooth will do).  Transfer chocolate to a pastry bag or plastic bag with its corner snipped.  Drizzle over cooled cookies a few at a time, immediately following with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.  Let chocolate harden before eating (if you can wait).

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Surrounded with buttery shortbread dough and topped with rich chocolate, the decadence of halvah is truly celebrated in these one of a kind cookies.  A sprinkle of fragrant sesame matches perfectly with the sweet paste within, just as the crisp adornment pairs nicely with the crumble of the cookie. With their marvelous flavors inside and out, sesame halvah cookies would make grandma proud.  I only wish I could share them with her right now.

Halvah cookies (6)

Maybe next time… Though I haven’t tried it myself, I trust that these cookies would work well with almost any kind of halvah in their centers.  Moreover, the dough would taste great with a dash of ground spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or the like), and some fresh citrus zest such as orange could also be yummy.  For a more chocolatey cookie, replace ¼ cup flour with cocoa powder, and consider dunking the cookies in melted chocolate instead of drizzling them with it. Feel free to freeze the unbaked cookies in a sealed container up to 2 weeks before baking. Candy in a cookie — can it get any better?

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Mango Meringue Pie with Coconut Macadamia Crust

Posted on May 9, 2013 by ButterSugarFlowers

Mango Meringue Pie (14)

I love this time of year at the market, when mountains of fragrant mangoes seem to surround me as I shop.  Mangoes lure me in with their promise of sweetness and a juicy, tropical taste.  When I thought about making a mango confection recently, I was skeptical at first.  Could they be any better than they are plain?  Would their natural sweetness make for a wince-inducing, sugary dessert?  After much thought and experimentation, I decided to pair my mangoes with a crispy graham crust full of macadamias, coconut and lime.  Then I slathered the creation with fluffy vanilla meringue and toasted it like a marshmallow. The result was a perfect spring treat, and it disappeared before I knew it.

Mango Meringue Pie (12)

Despite the long recipe, this pie is pretty simple to make.  The most difficult task is finding the very best mangoes around; their flavor really comes through.  I recommend fresh, seasonal mangoes that are very ripe; they should be incredibly fragrant and hold an indention when you push on their skin.  I chose not to strain the mango puree, so the tiny threads of mango fiber and all their pleasant flavor are present.  This texture also helps the gelatin form a sliceable but not rubbery structure.  (I’ve made mango curd with corn starch instead of gelatin before, but the outcome was more paste-like than pie-worthy.  I’ve also tried making mango fillings and custards with cream and eggs, but I found the additions did little but dilute the delicious mango — so in this recipe, gelatin it would be.)

Mango Meringue Pie (makes a 9” pie; serves 10)

For the crust:Mango Meringue Pie (1)

  • ¼ cup (25 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup (50 grams) whole shelled macadamia nuts
  • 1 medium lime
  • 5 ounces graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • dash of salt (omit if butter and/or nuts are salted)

Preheat oven to 325 F.  On a large baking sheet, spread out the coconut and macadamias separately, side by side.  Toast in oven for about 5 minutes, until edges of nuts are golden brown, coconut is browned, and both are fragrant.  Leave oven on.  Finely zest and juice the lime; set juice aside for later.  Crush graham crackers into even, fine to medium crumbs.  Once they are cool, chop the macadamia nuts finely.  Lightly grease a 9” pie pan, preferably glass.  Mix coconut, nuts, lime zest, crushed graham crackers, flour, and salt (if using). Start by stirring in 1/3 cup butter, gradually increasing to 1/2 cup butter if needed; you want to moisten all the ingredients until they stick together nicely but aren’t soggy.

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[TIP: Drier graham crackers and/or larger coconut shreds or nut pieces can make this crust stubborn about sticking together.  If you have this problem, try gradually adding a little more melted butter, and/or pulsing all ingredients in a food processor before pressing into pie pan.] 

Using the back of a spoon, press mixture evenly and very firmly into pie pan, holding it up to light (if glass) to avoid thin spots, especially in the center.  Bake for 20 minutes. If crust has slid down or puffed up in oven, carefully push it back into place with the back of a spoon while hot. Let cool to room temp.

For the filling:Mango Meringue Pie (2)

  • 4 large mangoes (such as the common Tommy Atkins or Haden variety), very ripe and fragrant,  weighing about 14-16 ounces each with pits and skins*
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gelatin powder
  • Juice of one lime (from lime above)
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • water

*You need a total of 3.5 cups pureed mango pulp. If using peeled, pitted mango from the get-go, you’ll need about 32 ounces (896 grams).

Cut mangoes and discard pits and skins.  Place in food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Place lime juice in measuring cup and add water to make ½ cup liquid total. Heat the mixture to scalding (a minute in the microwave will do). Whisk gelatin and powdered sugar into the liquid; mix rapidly until all powder has dissolved. Quickly pour into the mango puree and blend for another minute or so.  Transfer the mixture to the cooled crust, cover with tin foil, and chill for at least 3 hours.  (My fridge is not the coolest, so I placed mine in the freezer for one hour, and in the fridge for the other two; the texture was perfect.)  When ready to serve (within a day), make the meringue.

For the meringue:Mango Meringue Pie (8)

  • 3 egg whites
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • dash of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean

Whisk egg whites, sugar and salt in a large metal bowl (preferably the bowl of a standing mixer).  Place bowl over a pot of simmering water; do not let bottom of bowl touch water.  Whisk constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, until mixture feels hot to the touch and all sugar/salt granules have dissolved. Remove bowl from heat and beat egg whites on high for 6 to 8 minutes, until stiff, shiny peaks have formed, adding vanilla bean paste at the last minute.  Spread meringue over pie in a decorative fashion, then toast the meringue with a kitchen torch, like this:

Mango Meringue Pie99

Mango meringue pie is vivid with complementary flavors.  The crumbly, coconutty crust is perfectly studded with rich macadamia pieces, and the trace of lime is just enough to highlight the tangy fruit filling.  Mango lovers are sure to enjoy the almost-purely mango filling, while those with a sweet tooth will happily devour the sweet meringue topping.  Taken all together, though, this pie is surely at its best; after all, there is a marvelous magic that happens when creamy, sweet, fruity and nutty meet in one bite.

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Maybe next time… Got extra limes? Feel free to use more lime juice in the filling, in place of the water. If you like your meringue piled high and your pie on the sweeter side, feel free to double the meringue recipe above.  If you don’t have a kitchen torch (yes, it’s one of the most unnecessary yet addictive cooking gadgets), you can instead heat your oven to broil with a rack at the top position, and place the pie there for about a minute.  To make this pie dairy-free, replace the butter in the crust with melted coconut oil.  To make it vegetarian, experiment with agar agar in place of gelatin (though I’m afraid I’m not experienced enough with agar to give instructions; it acts different from gelatin).  I think this pie would work well with other pulpy tropical fruits, such as pineapple, in place of the mango.  Finally, if you want a chunkier pie, reserve some cubes of mango and fold them into the puree just after blending in the gelatin.

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Posted in Pies, Tarts, Tortes & Cheesecakes, Sweets, Traditional with a Twist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Gin and Tonic Cake: A Cocktail Turned Confection

Posted on April 24, 2013 by ButterSugarFlowers

Gin and Tonic Cake (15)Herbal and effervescent, a gin and tonic just might be the most refreshing concoction in existence. I’m not sure why the drink has been on my mind lately; perhaps it’s the recent surge of warm weather, or more likely, my own need for invigoration. Whatever the reason, gin and tonic was quick to transform from a classic cocktail to a fresh dessert – first in my mind, then in my kitchen.

Gin and Tonic Cake (17)Juniper berries are intrinsic to gin, so it seemed natural to reach for them here, ignoring their common use as a savory seasoning. A bit sweet and sour with a hint of pepper and pine, the little blue spheres taste a lot like the liquor they flavor: aromatic, clean, earthy and botanical. I chose a unique, locally-sourced gin that proved to be simultaneously warm, cool and forest-like on the palate. It was sure to pair wondrously with fizzy tonic water and fresh lime – not merely to sip, but to bite, chew and savor.

Gin and Tonic Cake (makes a tall 8″ round cake; serves 10-12)

Please note: Since originally posting this recipe in 2013, I’ve improved a few steps, and I’ll soon share a fully revised version of this post with further details. For now, here are the two main changes: First, I stopped decorating the cake with any juniper berries and instead use the full amount of berries ground and mixed into the cake batter; I’ve come to prefer white sprinkles/sugar pearls, and sometimes lime zest, as the decoration. Second, and most important: the original glaze recipe embedded in this recipe can be fussy! I now strongly recommend a more trustworthy, tasty version — please see the very bottom of this post for the updated method. 

  • 3 small limes
  • 45 juniper berries* (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup gin, divided
  • ¾ cup tonic water (fresh; not flat. Flat tonic can lead to batter overflowing in the oven.)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (for the glaze; don’t be alarmed — this large amount shrinks)

Gin and Tonic Cake (9)Line an 8” cake pan that’s at least 2″ deep with parchment paper; lightly grease paper and sides of pan.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Finely zest limes; set aside zest.  Juice limes and measure out ¼ cup juice and, separately, 1 tablespoon juice; set both aside. Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, mash 30 of the juniper berries until small flakes are formed; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla until even and smooth.

Sift over the mixture: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed, gradually adding 1/4 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup gin.  Beat until smooth. Toss in the lime zest and Gin and Tonic Cake (13)crushed juniper berries, mixing until evenly dispersed. Gently fold in the tonic water with a spatula, then quickly pour into prepared pan.  (If desired, watch the batter bubble, brown and gloriously raise in your oven! Height will depend on freshness of baking soda and tonic.) Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes, first checking center with a wooden skewer or toothpick at the 35  minute mark; cake is done when no wet batter appears; a few moist crumbs are OK. Cake will be golden brown, likely domed with with a few cracks.

Remove cake from oven and let cool in pan at least 45 minutes. Loosen sides of cake with a butter knife, remove parchment, and carefully transfer cake to a wire rack over a baking sheet.  While cake cools a bit longer on rack, make the glaze (see revised, less fussy version at the very end of this post. Original version follows in the next sentence to keep the original post authentic).

Place the powdered sugar, remaining tablespoon lime juice, and remaining 1/3 cup gin in a saucepan. Whisk over medium heat for only about 30 seconds; remove from heat while still opaque and keep stirring. (This amount of heating is just enough to activate the thickening power of the corn starch in the powdered sugar. Longer heating turns the sugar into a clear sticky glaze that will remain wet; if this happens, whisk in more powdered sugar immediately, but don’t use too much more; keep the glaze at pouring consistency.)

Working quickly, pour half of the glaze over cake; it should harden fast.  Immediately repeat with second half of glaze, letting it drip down the sides of the cake. Reserve a bit of glaze in pan, tossing the remaining 15 juniper berries in it.  If glaze in pan is already too hard, place pan over low heat momentarily. Using small tongs or baking tweezers (the sugar coating is HOT), quickly place glazed juniper berries evenly around edges of cake and a few in the center.  (You may notice that I only used 8 around the edges of my cake, but I suggest placing 12+ around the edges so that each slice bears at least one berry.)

Keep cake uncovered or loosely covered until ready to serve, preferably the day it’s made. Store leftover cake well-covered at room temperature (don’t refrigerate); eat within 2 or 3 days.

Gin and Tonic Cake (4)

With an undeniable echo of the cocktail behind it, the gin and tonic cake offers herbal undertones and citrusy traces of juniper in a moist and fulfilling format. The sweet, boozy glaze envelops a tender crumb, giving each bite both crispness and a kick.  While the carbonation vanishes from the end result, its tiny air pockets make for a springy and scrumptious dessert. Refreshment, sweetness, and spirits – what more do you really need?

Gin and Tonic Cake (14)Maybe next time…

  • If your cake will be sitting out uncovered for awhile, you can whisk together a tablespoon each of vegetable oil and gin, and brush the sides (only) of the cake before adding the glaze. This will keep the sides from getting dry.
  • For a ginnier taste, brush the cake with a more liquor before drizzling with icing. For less boozy flavor, replace some or all of glaze’s gin with more lime juice.
  • If your 8″ cake pan is not at least 2″ deep, you can use a 9″ pan, but watch the baking time closely — as a thinner cake, it will bake faster.
  • For G&T cupcakes, this recipe will make two dozen standard sized, and they bake super fast — like in 8 minutes! — at 350F. Remember to line your cupcake pans and be ready to work quickly with the fast-drying glaze.
  • As for the gin itself, it goes without saying that using a different kind will change the flavor of this dessert. Use whatever kind you like–though I can recommend with great confidence the magical type I used here, whether for sipping or for baking. (Despite the notion that distinctive spirits and cooking shouldn’t mix, the quality and character of what you use will always come through, so my philosophy is: might as well use something good!)
  • Finally, for a more classic, less liquor-y, citrus yellow cake, use traditional frosting instead of the glaze, but to keep the dessert dairy-free, make sure your frosting is, too.  You can even split the cake into two layers (shortening the baking time and watching carefully) for a more classic layer cake.

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*I found my jar of juniper berries in the spice aisle of my local grocery store.  I admit I tossed a handful of them my salad a few nights ago and greatly enjoyed the enhancement — but above all, their promise as a baking ingredient has captivated me, and I can assure you they’ll be back on my dessert menu in the future.  In fact, I’ll likely add more to this recipe next time; feel free to adjust your amount to your taste, too.

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New and improved glaze method:

Place cooled cake on a wire rack nearby with a tray or liner underneath to catch run-off glaze. Measure out 2 cups powdered sugar, well packed, and set nearby. In a 1/3 cup measure, place 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Fill the rest of the cup measure with gin. Place in a small to medium saucepan. Add a dash or two of salt.

Heat until liquid just comes to a strong simmer, bubbling — this won’t take long. Turn off heat and add all the powdered sugar to pan. Working swiftly, whisk mixture vigorously, just until consistency is even. Immediately pour over cake; it should dry quickly. Repeat to add another layer of glaze.

If using sprinkles or other decorations that need to stick, add them immediately while glaze is still moist. (If glaze dries in pan before you’re done, you can heat it very briefly and whisk again to reuse, but avoid high heat and keep heating time short.)

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Scrumptious Spring Flowers: Hibiscus Pistachio Meringues

Posted on April 9, 2013 by ButterSugarFlowers

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (5)As I was leaving work last Friday, I felt even more compelled than usual to bake over the weekend. There was no particular event to bring dessert to, and no one was expecting any treats from me. My desire to make something was all about the process; I craved the presence and focus that would be required as I’d stand in the kitchen.  I wanted to get lost in sweet fragrances and to have messy, sticky hands — to feel in awe of the magic of transforming various ingredients into a new, independent creation.

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (1)When I finally thought about what I wanted to bake, I knew it had to be something pretty.  Something that required some decorating time.  Something that ushered in a little much-needed brightness.  Something spring-like that would hint of summer’s imminence. Something, say, reminiscent of my favorite iced drink that might evoke the stunning crimson flowers it’s brewed from: beloved hibiscus. The answer was flower-shaped meringues sweetened with delicate hibiscus syrup. Enhanced with citrus zest and sprinkled with bright green pistachios, my weekend creation proved to be a fulfilling, therapeutic creative process with a delicious and adorable outcome.  Here’s the recipe.

Hibiscus Pistachio Meringues (makes about 125 meringues)

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (18)¾ cup boiling water
¾ cup dried hibiscus petals, divided
3 ounces shelled pistachio nuts
1 lemon or lime
1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
3 egg whites (about 3/8 cup)
red food coloring* or beet powder, optional
salt for sprinkling (if nuts are unsalted)
candy thermometer

In a heatproof container, pour boiling water over 1/2 cup of the hibiscus flowers.  Cover and let brew for 10 minutes. Strain and measure out 1/3 cup brewed tea. Set aside. Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to finely crush the remaining 1/4 cup dried hibiscus petals. Sift or sieve them into a container, then measure out a heaping teaspoon; set aside.

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (10)Adjust oven racks to evenly spaced positions with plenty of space in between.  Preheat oven to 200 F. Line three baking sheets with parchment. Fit a large pastry bag with a medium plain round tip, such as #10. Zest the lemon or lime; set zest aside.  Crush the pistachios to make about ½ cup crushed; set aside.

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (17)In a small saucepan, whisk together the brewed hibiscus tea with ¾ cup sugar and corn syrup. Fit with a candy thermometer; set pan aside. With an electric mixer (preferably free standing), beat egg whites on high until frothy and white. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; keep beating until medium/stiff peaks begin to form. Meanwhile, bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium heat. As soon as mixture hits 230 F (“thread stage” in candy-maker lingo), slowly pour it into the egg whites with mixer on medium. Turn to high, and let it beat until bowl is barely warm and meringue looks glossy and thick (about 6-8 minutes). For a pink tint, add a drop of red food coloring or a teaspoon of sifted beet powder. At the last minute, toss in the ground hibiscus and citrus zest, turning mixer off just when evenly distributed.  (At this point, the egg whites are actually cooked; feel free to taste the meringue and/or simply use it as a delicious frosting.)

Quickly transfer meringue into pastry bag and pipe it onto prepared baking sheets to make 1.75 – 2” diameter meringues. I made 5-petaled flowers to echo the hibiscus flower, but any Hibiscus pistachio meringues (11)shape will do. Dip finger or small spoon in water, pushing an indention into the center of each meringue. Fill each center with a pinch of crushed pistachios (using your ¼ teaspoon measure can help). You’ll have some extra pistachios to use as you please. If your pistachios are unsalted, lightly sprinkle meringues with a bit of salt. Bake for a total of 60 minutes: After 30 minutes, switch cookie sheets from top to bottom racks and vice versa. Bake for another 30 minutes, turn off oven, and let meringues cool for 45 minutes in closed oven.  Remove from oven and transfer to an airtight container.  Store at room temperature away from moisture.

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (9)I’ve come to profess that these meringues are a delight to all five senses.  Feather-light between your fingertips, their scent is tart and refreshing.  The sound of their crispy crunch is music to the ears, and they melt in your mouth with harmonious hints of citrus,  salt, and nutty warmth at once.  A nod to the flower that inspired them, these treats offer an soft echo of hibiscus’ beauty and tang. Indeed, they make a lovely spring gift — in this case, both for the baker and for those with whom she might find to share them.

Hibiscus pistachio meringues (4)Maybe next time… The hibiscus flavor from the syrup is rather mild; if you prefer a stronger punch of its tang, look for powdered hibiscus petals at a local health food store, spice shop, or online, and add a spoonful to the meringue while whipping. If you’re not in the decorating mood or don’t have a pastry bag, feel free to pile the meringue on the parchment instead of piping it; use two spoons — one to scrape the other — to make little meringue mountains.  Similarly, the nuts can be folded into the batter rather than sprinkled on top; add them gently just before divvying out the meringue. Aside from lemon or lime, one of my favorite additions to hibiscus iced tea is fresh peppermint leaves; a few minced teaspoons would be a fine addition here.  Likewise, cinnamon hibiscus tea is known to be wondrous, and I’m sure a teaspoon or two of ground cinnamon would taste great in this batter.  Finally, if you live in a humid area like I do, consider adding a desiccant packet (perhaps borrowed from your vitamin bottle) to the container of your stored meringues to keep stickiness at bay.

*Avoid coloring that contains any type of oil (meringue’s structural enemy).

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Sweet Sesame Matzah Bars

Posted on April 1, 2013 by ButterSugarFlowers

Matzah bars (8)

You don’t have to be Jewish or even to have participated in a Passover seder to be familiar with matzah. Also spelled matzoh, mazto, or matza, it’s technically bread, despite its similarity to crackers (which I can’t help calling them). Matzos are crisp and dry and plain on the palate — put simply, they’re much like a giant water cracker.  Growing up, we’d sometimes end up with extra boxes of them around the house in the spring, and I have vivid memories of making matzah-crust pizzas, matzah-speckled omelets, and peanut butter and jelly matzah-wiches (crunch!).

Matzah bars (1)But it wasn’t until this year that I decided to transform the ceremonial bread into a decadent treat. Something about its blank-canvas quality and its distinctive browned edges had finally lured me in. Together with a heap of toasted sesame seeds, my broken matzos would meld with sweet almond paste and honey, bits of citrus zest and a splash of vanilla. The result was a delicious and decadent treat, reminiscent of baklava with its light-weight crunch, honey, and citrus : a perfect new spring tradition.

Sesame Matzah Bars (makes a 9 x 13″ pan; 32 bars)

  • 1.5 cups (8.3 oz or 235 g) sesame seedsMatzah bars
  • 10 ounces plain matzah crackers (about 8 cups once broken, loosely packed)
  • 14 ounces almond paste, OR 7 ounces almond paste plus 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (see note**)
  • 2 medium oranges
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Place sesame seeds in a 9 x 13” cake pan and bake for 20 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir and turn seeds.  Remove from oven and let seeds cool in pan.  Meanwhile, break matzah crackers into roughly 1.5 inch pieces in a large bowl.  Grate almond paste with a standard sized grater; set aside.  Zest oranges with a fine grater; set zest aside. Juice oranges over a sieve until you have 1/3 cup strained juice (one orange may be enough). When sesame seed pan is cool enough to handle, pour the toasted seeds into the matzah. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with foil; grease the foil, set pan aside nearby, then grease a wooden spoon for easy mixing.  Measure out the peanut butter (if using), honey and vanilla so they are ready to quickly add to the pot.

Matzah bars (5)In a large pot over low-medium heat, melt the butter or coconut oil.  Add the honey and salt, stirring gently.  Add the grated almond paste and peanut butter if using, and constantly stir for a few full minutes, until mixture is smooth and bubbling.  Turn off heat and carefully add strained juice and the vanilla (mixture is very hot and will spatter).  Mix until just even in consistency.  Quickly add matzah, sesame seeds and zest to the pot. Mix vigorously from the bottom of the pan so that all crackers and seeds get coated with honey mixture.  Transfer to lined pan and push down on it very firmly, letting matzah break as you create an even, well-packed bar. This process can take several minutes, and using the back of a wooden spoon or large offset spatula can be easiest. Smooth the top of bars with a heatproof spatula, applying plenty of pressure.

Chill the pan until bars are Matzah bars (7)cool and firm, then use the tin foil to remove the bars from pan. Transfer to cutting board and carefully remove foil.  Using a sharp knife and plenty of pressure, cut the cold slab into quarters; cut each quarter into 8 slices to make 32 bars.  For best results, transfer cut bars to paper cupcake liners; this makes for easy serving and eating.  Store in a sealed container in the fridge, eating within 3 days.  These taste best chilled but are still scrumptious at room temperature.

Fragrant with nutty sesame flavor, these sweet, crisp bars offer the moist richness of almond paste and the tart tang of fresh orange peel.  Alongside the light crunch of seeds and crackers, the rich almond paste and sticky honey makes their texture sing; some have called this “matzah baklava”.  A legendary symbolic bread in the form of a rich, complex, delightful dessert — this signals celebration!

Maybe next time…  While the flavors are already complex and complementary, an added handful of chewy, tart fruit such as dried cherries or cranberries would be delicious in this recipe, as would a bit of toasted coconut or cocao nibs.  It’s best to choose something not too sweet and add it when adding the matzah.  Chocoholics might enjoy a drizzle of bittersweet or semi-sweet atop the sliced bars.  Depending on your side on the honey debate, these bars could be considered vegan by choosing egg-free matzah and using coconut oil instead of butter.

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**If you have marzipan on hand, it will work in place of the almond paste. (I prefer the latter for its higher nut-to-sugar ratio, always choosing the block or tube variety, such as Odense brand, over the canned type. As a bonus, Odense comes in convenient 7 ounce containers and is widely available).  Swapping half the almond paste for peanut butter will make for a more frugal, less sweet recipe with a familiar and delicate peanutty essence.

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