Kosher for Passover Brownies

Passover started last night and ends next Tuesday night, April 2.  In an ongoing effort to learn how to cook foods that correspond with different Jewish holidays, I wanted to kick my Passover cooking up a notch. 

In other words, I'm sick of eating those bland, tasteless and heavy box mixes.  I don't expect them to taste like "regular" brownies or cake or whatever the box says is inside, but it would be nice if it tasted like SOMETHING.

I scoured the internet looking for Passover recipes and didn't see anything I liked.  Then, I found one that I sort of liked, only it called for vanilla extract, which isn't actually KFP since it's made with fermented alcohol.  So, I decided to fully embrace the holiday and went into the kitchen, mad-scientist style, and figured they would be delicious if God willed it.  Maybe I should back up a little, first.

On Passover, the only grain Jews are permitted to eat is matzah, an unleavened, cracker-type of bread.  We are forbidden to eat any of the 5 grains, called chametz: wheat, rye, barley, spelt and oats.  Depending on your Jewish heritage, forbidden foods also include: corn, peas, beans, peanuts (all legumes, actually) and rice.  This is because all of these are either grown near chametz, opening the door for contamination and confusion (the appearance of chametz), or can be ground up and used to make bread.  Leavening agents are also not allowed - yeast, baking powder/baking soda etc. 

There are other, selected foods that are prohibited, but that's basically a highlight reel.

So, when you take out all of those ingredients from food, you're left with something that's not really so tasty.

Unless you make these brownies.

Now, I'll be completely honest: they do NOT taste like regular brownies.  They certainly taste like Passover brownies, but they're also moist and chewy and chocolatey.  With a glass of milk, it's easy to overlook the fact that the only thing holding these together is some eggs and some crushed up matzah.  If you're going to make this recipe, definitely use the honey! Passover foods are notorious for being dry, so I needed to find a way to overcome the dryness.  Rather than adding more sugar, I opted for honey so that I could get the moisture and the sweetness in one fell swoop.  The melted chocolate also helped to round out the chocolate flavor.

I'll have another Passover recipe later in the week.  Until then, I hope your Sedarim were full joyful family and friends.  Chag Pesach Sameach!

Kosher for Passover Brownies
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Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup melted chocolate
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup matzo meal

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8" square pan.

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until edges are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Yields 16.