Having grown up kosher and then marrying someone not Jewish has taught me that some food concepts I took for granted are troubling and confusing to many folks who did not grow up with the idea. Take, for example, pareve desserts: “What do you mean there’s no milk in this cookie? Can that even happen? How can that possibly taste good?” Even worse are desserts that are Kosher for Passover: “Potato starch? Now that just ain't right.” So, when I said to my husband that we were going to sample MazelToff!, the parve, Kosher for Passover dark chocolate and toffee-covered matzah treats this week, he was less than enthused.

But here’s the thing: It was fantastic. We fought over the last bite. Rich moaned, audibly, numerous times as we basically attacked and devoured the package. “Are you sure this is parve? Are you sure this is Kosher for Passover? They even made the matzah taste good.” The dark chocolate was smooth and rich, the crunchy bites of toffee were a perfect mix of sweet and salty. The company’s witty packaging sums it up best:

After several millennia in the nude, Matzah begged us for a make-over.  We agreed and took Matzah shopping.  Now, decked out in the finest ingredients, including mouth-watering toffee and rich chocolate, Matzah’s new look is sure to turn heads…

MazelToff! was started in 2007 in New York City by friends Phillip Guttman and Abby Hendel Levy, who drew inspiration from Guttman’s Bubbe Edith’s toffee-and-chocolate-covered matzah. By 2010, the treat was being sold nationwide and had been featured on The Martha Stewart Show and The Rachael Ray Show. The varieties include some that are kosher and available year-round, including the dairy milk chocolate and dark chocolate with sea salt, as well as kosher-for-Passover parve dark chocolate and coconut parve dark chocolate. The Festive 2 Bar Gift Box is $9.25 plus S&H; a Family Box of 8 Bars is $29 plus S&H. Both are available online at www.matzeltoff.com. Or you can buy them at Harvard Square institution Cardullo’s.

For the second year in a row, Matzel Toff! is working with local Jewish organizations around the country through its fundraiser program, Project Passover. Local Jewish organizations receive 25% back on every box they sell. Think of it as Girl Scout cookies, but Jewier. This year, Matzel Toff! is working with more nearly three dozen organizations around the country, including these Boston-area day schools:

• Cohen Hillel Academy, 6 Community Road, Marblehead, MA 01945
• Gann Academy, 333 Forest Street, Waltham, MA 02452
• South Area Solomon Schechter Day School, One Commerce Way, Norwood, MA 02062

Want to support one of these schools and eat some delicious treats? Check in with the school of your choice and enter their code when you order online.