Crispy Matzoh Butter Crunch: Baking With Bubby Dawn & Son Jesse

In our YouTube series, Baking With Bubby, we feature our Taglit-Birthright Israel alumni with their bubbies, exploring how their families pass on recipes, traditions, and laughter in the kitchen. You can enjoy more family stories, episodes of Baking With Bubby, and recipes on our Facebook Community, Around the Table. 

In this episode of Baking With Bubby, we introduce you to Bubby Dawn Kitz and her son Jesse Wekerle, who’s sister Leah went on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip in 2012, as they make a sweet dessert out of the most versatile snack of them all: matzoh! Jesse’s son, Julian, is Dawn’s first grandson, earning her the title “bubby.” 

Connecting With Culture

Jesse’s first memory of watching his mother cook was filled with shock as he came downstairs to her pouring a can of Coca-Cola into a whole chicken. Her methods may be unexpected, but they always deliver in taste. 

Her most notable recipe? Matzoh butter crunch—a dessert she makes every single Passover.

Dawn and her sister Amy spend an entire day making trays of this tasty treat, each topped with a different spread or garnish. This snack is so beloved in the Wekerle home that Bubby Dawn ensures her loved ones have it every Passover, even going so far as to send it overseas. Jesse received it in the mail when he was in Thailand for one Passover.

“I think it’s really important to pass on traditions. Being connected to your past is very important,” Bubby Dawn explains.

A Bubby’s Love

When Jesse and his sister Leah were growing up, Bubby Dawn was a single mother who worked full time to support her children. Jesse’s aunts helped raise him and his sister; their family has always been incredibly close-knit. 

It wasn’t always easy, but with a regimented schedule and unconditional love, it got done. Jesse thinks of his mother as cool, calm, and collected..mostly.

He laughed, thinking back to chaotic school mornings where a bowl of cereal was never enough. In fact, Bubby Dawn had a whole menu of breakfast items she’d list off—in a yell—from the bottom of the stairs. She always made sure Jesse and Leah—and now Julian—were well fed. 

Bubby Dawn can’t help but gush when speaking about Julian—her first grandson and the newest addition to the family.

“Because I enjoy cooking; when Julian became old enough to help out, he would come over and help me make cookies, and now, especially that he’s reading and knows his numbers, it’s something else—he can do the measuring.”

Julian and his Bubby Dawn bond over cooking and sharing their meals over a board game or two.

“My mother and my son have an incredible relationship. I think if it were up to him, he’d live here. My mother loves the one-on-one time with him. When he comes here, they’ll bake something together, and then they’ll sit at the dining room table and play Monopoly or cards,” Jesse shares with a smile.

The Food

“When my children were younger—probably elementary school age—I instituted a thing where they each had to cook a dinner one night a week, and they could choose whatever it was; I didn’t care if it was a sandwich or a can of soup!” Bubby Dawn explains. 

“It was super fun,” Jesse reminisces and laughs that it became “really competitive.”

Wekerle Wednesdays were nights eating dinner at their Aunt Amy’s house. Even now, Passover seders are one of the most memorable moments shared among the whole family, and Bubby Dawn still hosts Rosh Hashanah dinner, another family favorite.

The Recipe 

Get ready to follow along with this incredibly quick and delicious recipe below—it’s perfect for your next Passover!

Bubby Dawn’s Matzoh Butter Crunch:

1. Lay aluminum foil over a baking sheet, then layer with parchment paper.
2. Lay matzoh pieces over the baking sheet.
3. Melt 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of brown sugar in a pot.
4. Once it caramelizes, pour it all over the matzoh pieces and spread evenly.
5. Bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips; then, spread the chocolate chips after melting.
7. Top with walnuts or any topping of your choice, let harden, and enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed this tasty dessert. Ready for more amazing Bubby-approved recipes? Check out our other Baking With Bubby blogs.