Enjoy Passover With Cannabis-Infused Caramel Matzo Crunch

Matzo (also spelled matzo, matzah or matza) is basically a large cracker made from flour and water. It is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which celebrates the story of the Exodus and the many miracles God performed to help the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt. 

 

Called “the bread of affliction” in the bible, matzo symbolizes the Israelites’ speedy exit from Egypt, with no time to bake bread for the journey. By eating matzo, we are reminded of our ancestors' struggles, and encouraged to reflect on the importance of freedom and justice in our own lives.

Plain matzo, while fairly bland, can be used in many dishes, from matzo ball soup to fried matzo brei (not unlike French toast). Caramel matzo crunch is an easy and delicious dessert - so irresistible it’s often called “matzo crack.”

Our simple recipe includes infused cannabutter, but you can make a non-buzzy version with plain butter. (Note that a kosher version would require specifically kosher for Passover matzo and unsalted margarine. According to Wikipedia: “If smoked, under normal circumstances there is no reason cannabis would not be kosher,” although, not surprisingly, rabbis do argue the point.)

 

Infused Matzo Crunch Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup infused cannabutter
4-6 unsalted matzos
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Coarse sea salt for garnish (optional)

Total time: 4 hours to make cannabutter; 1 hour to make matzo crunch

Step 1: Make Cannabutter

As in our ‘No-Bake’ Cannabis-Infused Cheesecake recipe, the first step is to infuse your butter with cannabis. You can make the butter ahead of time, storing it somewhere cool and dark until ready to use.

Start by heating - i.e. “decarbing” your weed. Decarboxylation is a scientific term for heating your cannabis to activate its psychoactive potential. It’s simpler than it sounds.

You will need:

1 cup of cannabis buds
1 cup of butter
Baking tray
Cannabis grinder
Cheesecloth

Directions

1. Heat the Buds

• Preheat your oven to 245ºF
• Remove flowers but don’t discard the stems; they make excellent tea.
• Place the buds on a non-stick tray.
• Set the timer for 35 minutes and leave your cannabis buds to bake. Then let them cool for another hour.

2. Grind the Decarbed Buds

Don’t chuck your baked buds into butter! You need to coarsely grind them to kickstart the release of THC and CBD. Employ our four-layer grinder, which lets you preserve the kief and use it for other recipes,.

3. Infuse the Butter

You’re now ready to make the star ingredient of your dessert:

• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Pro-tip: Prevent butter from burning by boiling a cup of water first.
• Add the decarbed cannabis when the butter melts. Stir until the weed spreads evenly.
• Let the mixture simmer on low heat for around two hours, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Strain, using your cheesecloth. Your butter is now ready to use or store.

Step 2: Make Matzo Crunch

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
   
2. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the foil on the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment paper. This is important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.
   
   
3. Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzos, breaking the pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.
   
   
4. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the cannabutter and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
   
   
5. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzo, covering completely.|
   
   
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the  mixture is not burning (if it is browning too quickly, lower the heat to 325° or remove a few minutes early.)
   
   
7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzo Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
   
   
8. Chill the baking sheet in the freezer until set (approximately 30 minutes). Break in to small pieces and enjoy!

It’s easy to switch up your matzo crunch flavours. Try using white chocolate chips (or a combo of white and dark), or garnish with chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-lovers crunch.

As always, when ingesting cannabis watch your dose. It takes an hour or so for edibles to take effect, so it’s best to start with a few pieces.