As you guys know, I’m down an oven – my oven broke the Friday before Pesach and I’m *still* fighting with the home warranty company to take care of it.
Our entire Pesach menu, therefore, has had to be stove-top. Since brownies, cakes and even matzah crack all require an oven, I’ve had to get somewhat creative when it comes to dessert.
Fortunately, my family’s favorite lemon strawberry sorbet and chocolate covered strawberries don’t need an oven. But I was looking for something else I could add to my line-up. A friend suggested nut-and-raisin clusters. “Just melt chocolate and mix in nuts and raisins,” she said.
Hmmm, I thought. That sounds promising.
But then I looked at our “hail” — aka mini marshmallows — and thought, “You know what sounds really promising? Marshmallow clusters!”
The irony is that I don’t even like marshmallows. But this combination just sounded delicious to me — and a little experimenting in the kitchen proved that instinct right: These are delicious!
They are also one of the world’s easiest recipes. In fact, I’m kind of embarrassed to call this a “recipe” — that’s how easy this is!
Their only drawback is that they are hideously un-photogenic. I tried a thousand different “poses” but couldn’t get these little cluster candies to look like anything other than, well… you know. Please don’t judge this book by the cover. I promise, your kids (and you!) will love them!
Chocolate Marshmallow Clusters
Ingredients
1 chocolate bar – I used dark chocolate, but you can use anything you wish
2 – 2 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
1/2 tsp coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
Break the chocolate bar into 8-10 small pieces and place in a glass bowl. Add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil (this helps to keep the chocolate from clumping up while you’re melting it and mixing up the candy).
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments. Remove the bowl after every 30 seconds and stir. Mine usually takes 60 seconds. If it’s not fully melted after a minute, continue melting in 10 second increments, so that you don’t burn your chocolate.
(You can also melt your chocolate in a double boiler on the stove top if you don’t have a microwave, or if you didn’t kasher it for Passover.)
Remove the bowl of chocolate from the microwave and give it one last stir, to make sure there are no solid pieces left.
Stir in the marshmallows – a few handfuls at a time. You want to make sure that there is no runny chocolate left in the bowl – it should all be clinging to the marshmallows. At the same time, you shouldn’t be able to see the white of the marshmallow — they should be fully chocolate-covered.
Drop by the spoonful on a wax-paper line cookie sheet (or any rectangular pan will do). I usually get around 16 – 19 clusters, depending on how big I make them.
Place the sheet in the refrigerator for an hour or two until the chocolate “sets”. If you’re especially eager, you can cut the setting time down to about 20 minutes by putting the pan in the freezer.
Once the chocolate has set, remove the candies from the waxed paper and store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. The chocolate won’t melt at room temperature, but it will get a bit gummy if left out for too long, so don’t plate these until you’re ready to serve them.
B’tayavon!
Have you invented any fun new Passover dessert recipes? Please share them in the comments below. And if you try these, I’d love to hear what you think!
This recipe would not have been shared without Gevura, for her inspiration; Sarah, for her marshmallows; and Nancy, for her recipe-writing suggestions! Thank you, friends!
I hope you have a new/repaired oven very soon.
There is a candy for which hubby found the recipe years back and that I am now required to make at least three batches of every Pesach. If you have a microwave you can use for Pesach, it is a cinch to make. Alternatively, the chocolate can be melted on the stove top. It is a chocolate almond apricot candy. I have to make up bags for neighbors and even for one of our contractors! It is super easy. If you want the recipe it is at the bottom of this article: https://oukosher.org/passover/articles/the-chefs-table-healthy-passover-pleasures/
Oooh, sounds good. I am now making cashew and raisin ones – also amazing!