Fabulous Passover Treats

Passover is all about freedom.  And, of course, food.  At the Cake Bakes household, we're having an Easter and Seder mash-up next weekend (due to scheduling conflicts poor planning on my part) but meantime, I'm delighted to share the best of our Passover baked goods, two of which I made tonight.

Matzoh Buttercrunch
Pictured at top is the amazing matzoh buttercrunch, an addicting treat sure to torpedo diets everywhere.  It actually is a derivative of a very old American dessert (caramel and chocolate atop soda crackers), but baker/writer Marcy Goldman updated it for the holiday.  Click here for the recipe.

Farfel Muffins
Farfel muffins are a favorite of my family of origin.  Unfortunately, I've never been able to create the same texture that my grandmother achieved year after year.  But they're still quite good and I'll keep on trying.  Click here for the recipe.

Matzos Cookies 
Next up are Matzos Cookies from The Way to a Man's Heart: The Settlement Cookbook, an unusual and delicious drop cookie.  Click here for the recipe.

Farfel Muffins - Don't Pass These Over

One of the rewards of enduring my family's five hour seders were the farfel muffins made by my Grandma Jean who made these (and everything else) from scratch.

Her farfel muffins were like a Jewish version of Yorkshire pudding, very light and almost hollow on the inside.  As you can see, my muffins, while delicious, haven't yet achieved the high standard my grandmother set.

I'm lucky to work just a few blocks away from the Streit's Matzoh factory on Manhattan's Lower East Side, which has a retail shop attached, as I was unable to find farfel in any of the grocery stores in my Park Slope neighborhood.  Matzoh yes, farfel no.

These muffins, from my mother's recipe (below), are very easy to make, and almost impossible to stop eating.

Soak the farfel in water and then drain before proceeding with the recipe.

My mother's recipe.  When I took this recipe card, she said, "Mine were never as good as Grandma's."

Luckily I have eight days to get these right.

Production notes:  Grease the muffin tins. Soak the farfel in cold water until soft, then drain. Beat eggs separately, and add to drained farfel, melted butter, salt and matzoh meal.  These make approximately 15 muffins.   (Alternately, you don't need to beat the eggs separately, just mix them into the rest of the ingredients -- I'm sure that's what my mother did.)