I'm not an expert on Jewish cuisine, but I do have a very good recipe for Passover brownies. They can easily be made parve if you pick a non-dairy chocolate, and they are made with matzo cake meal instead of flour.
What is Matzo Cake Meal?
Matzo cake meal is a finely ground version of matzo meal, which itself is made from ground matzo (unleavened bread). It has a texture similar to flour, making it ideal for baking cakes, cookies, and other delicate desserts during Passover when traditional flour is prohibited.
Since it’s still made from matzo, it doesn’t have the same binding properties as regular flour, so it works best in recipes specifically designed for Passover baking. It’s also used as a thickener for sauces and gravies.
Good All Year Round
Where I live, matzo cake meal is pretty easy to find the month before Passover begins. However, if you can't find it you can substitute 85 grams of matzo meal for your Passover brownies. Cake meal will give you a smoother texture, though. In fact, I like the texture so much that I plan on making these all-year round. They are really good, and it will be fun telling people about the secret ingredient.
Here's a picture of what they look like after being chilled and pulled out of the 8 inch square metal pan.
And here's a brownie! I put the serving size as 12, but your could easily get 16 small-ish or 9 jumbo size or 18 wedges.
Update: I liked these Passover brownies so much I made another non-Passover batch using 85 grams of all-purpose flour. It worked! So not only can you make these as a Passover dessert, you can make them as a good oil-based or non-dairy brownie.
While you are making Passover desserts, try the Small Batch Matzo Crunch. It's another one we love all year long.
Recipe
Passover Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons matzo cake meal 85 grams
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
- ⅔ cup toasted chopped nuts plus a little more for garnish
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with nonstick foil.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, yolk and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the oil gradually, then add the cake meal and cocoa powder, stirring until smooth. Stir in the espresso powder, salt, nuts and chocolate chips.
- Scrape mixture into the pan and sprinkle more nuts on top if desired.
- Bake for about 30-32 minutes or until brownies appear set. Let them cool completely.
- I like to chill them a bit before I lift them from the pan and cut with a knife.
Anna says
Thanks for the 5 stars, Katarina. I'm so glad you liked the brownie and hope applesauce works for you next time.
Katarina says
Super tasty and super easy to make. My Catholic husband said that you can't tell they're kosher for Passover! Next time, will try substituting some oil for applesauce to make me feel a little better about my son eating it.
Anna says
Carol, yes! You can definitely add vanilla. Coffee adds a lot, but if you don't like it don't use it. I think they'd be okay without the nuts.
Carol says
Sounds yummy! I do not like coffee in any form. Could I use vanilla extract without dramatically changing the taste. Can I make it a plain brownie without nuts as well? Are they fudgy?
Sonya says
Interesting! They look great!
Anna says
You can also make chocolate chip cookies with it. If you check out this link you can see the difference in making cookies with matzo meal and matzo cake meal. They both tasted good, but the cake meal gives you a much smoother texture.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/03/chocolate-chip-cookies-with-matzo-meal/
T. Martin says
Going to look out for the matzo cake meal in my area where I should have no problem finding it. Would think it would be a nice ingredient to try out for other recipes.
Carol says
I am going to have to look for this cake meal. These look like the perfect brownie to me!