Passover Brownies - Single Recipe

Click here for double recipe.

These brownies make a delicious Passover treat.  I've been making some variation on this recipe for years -- ever since I noticed that some brownie recipes do not require baking powder or baking soda. This year I used whole wheat matzo meal and they are just as delicious! I suspect the addition of chopped dates would be a great way to make these brownies a little more moist, sweet, and dense . . . and add a little fiber. First, a few comments about the ingredients.

Make Your Own Cake Meal
Years ago, I ran out of cake meal and had no time to run to the store for more, so I made my own. I just whirled some matzo meal in the blender. Over the years, I've used the food processor to do the same job.

Whole Wheat Matzo Meal
A few years ago, I started using whole wheat matzo meal for some of my holiday cooking. This year, I've been using whole wheat matzo meal for everything. At first, I thought I needed to reduce the amount -- same as when I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, but so far, the two products seem to behave the same whether they are in matzo balls, a cake, or brownies. I'm starting to think you can use the same amount of matzo meal whether it's regular or whole wheat. The only difference is that whole wheat matzo balls are a little on the gray side which is unfortunate...but they sure taste good!

When is a 9 yaer old as big as a grandma?
When your grandma comes in a condensed size!
Grandma Goldie and Bob, 1963

Lately, I've been wondering what kind of matzo meal my grandmothers' and greatgrandmothers' used for their Passover recipes. Did they make their own matzo? Did they buy it? Was it made with white flour or whole wheat? When did we switch from whole wheat to white flour? If I could go back in time, I'd love to visit all my grandmothers (at least 4 generations back) and ask them about so many things -- including Passover cooking.

Vanilla Extract
Just as I was putting the vanilla extract into my recipe today, I remembered that there is kosher for Passover (KFP) vanilla. If you don't have KFP vanilla, you can use KFP wine or skip it all together. To learn about KFP ingredients such as vanilla extract and possible substitutions, read this.

This is a dairy recipe.
If you substitute KFP margarine for the butter, it will be parve.
If you double this recipe, it fits into a 9x13 pan -- double recipe here.

1 cup whole wheat (or regular) matzo meal (or use cake meal and skip the second step)
½ cup butter (or KFP margarine)
6 tablespoons (= ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 - 2 teaspoons KFP vanilla or KFP wine (optional)
1 cup nuts (optional)

• Preheat oven. Grease a 9x9 or 7x11 pan. If you are making this parve, use oil to grease the pan. Dust pan with cocoa.
• If you buy your cake meal, you can skip this step. Place the whole wheat (or regular) matzo meal in a blender or food processor and whirl until the texture is fine. Now you have cake meal.
• Melt the butter in the microwave or a double boiler. Add the cocoa, and sugar. Mix until blended. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs. Pour the melted chocolate mixture slowly over the eggs, beating all the time.
• Add the cake meal you prepared in the second step. Mix well.
• Add the vanilla (or wine) and nuts, if you wish.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until done.