Matzo Meal Cookies
Submitted by catwoman58
Matzo meal cookies with coconut and brown sugar, baked until rich brown and filled with jam centers. A Passover-friendly cookie with no flour, no eggs, no leavening.
YIELD
20 servingsPREP
35 minCOOK
25 minREADY
60 minThese are Passover cookies built for the holiday’s restrictions and they happen to taste great on their own merits. Matzo meal, minced coconut, brown sugar, margarine, and vanilla get rubbed together into a crumbly dough that holds when packed. No flour. No eggs. No baking powder or soda. Just six ingredients pressed into balls and baked until deep brown.
The dough is deliberately crumbly. It’s not supposed to be smooth or elastic like a regular cookie dough. The matzo meal and coconut are the only structure here, held together by margarine and a single tablespoon of water. Pack each ball firmly between your palms, then flatten. If the dough falls apart, it needs more pressure, not more liquid.
Baking low and slow at 325F for 25 to 35 minutes develops a rich brown color and a sandy, shortbread-like texture. These aren’t chewy cookies. They’re crisp and crumbly, almost like a macaroon crossed with a shortbread round.
The jam centers are the finishing touch. Press the handle end of a wooden spoon into each cookie three minutes after they come out of the oven (not longer, or they’ll crack). That depression holds a tiny pool of jam that sets as the cookie cools. Raspberry, apricot, or strawberry all work beautifully.
Kitchen Tips
- Mince the coconut fine in a food processor. Large shreds won’t bind into the dough properly
- Pack the tablespoon-sized balls firmly. Loose balls crumble apart during baking
- Don’t overfill the jam wells. A quarter to half teaspoon is enough. More will overflow and stick to the rack
- Time the jam indentation carefully. Too hot and the cookie collapses. Too cool and it cracks
Variations
- Use unsweetened coconut and increase the brown sugar slightly for a less sweet cookie
- Press a whole almond into the center instead of jam for a different look
- Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the cooled cookies for a non-Passover treat
Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor or with a knife, mince coconut. In processor or bowl, whirl or rub together coconut, matzo meal, sugar, margarine, water, and vanilla until the crumbly dough sticks together when packed.
Compact dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place 2” apart on 2 ungreased 12×15” baking sheets.
Flatten balls to make about 1½ inch wide.
- Bake in a 325℉ (160℃). oven until cookies are a rich brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
Transfer to racks.
For jam centers, let cookies cool for about 3 minutes, then press the handle end of a wooden spoon into each cookie, making a depression about ¼ inch deep.
Fill each hollow with jam (¼ to ½ teaspoon; do not overfill); let cool.
Serve, or store airtight up to 4 days; freeze or store longer.
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