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Apple Matzo Kugel on a white plate with a board of matzo in the background.

Apple Matzo Kugel with a Crisp Topping

Beth Lee
Apple matzo kugel with apricots and a crisp topping is a wonderful Passover side dish with a touch of sweet, tart and crunch and an option for lightening the egg volume too -- a nice option for Passover menus! This recipe was inspired by a reader who loved my first farfel kugel recipe in 2013.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Passover Side Dish
Cuisine Jewish Holiday Cooking
Servings 12 servings
Calories 334 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup raisins regular or golden
  • ½ cup dried apricots chopped
  • ½ cup hot water or red wine or orange juice or apple juice
  • 4 cups matzo farfel 5-6 boards of matzo (set aside ⅓ cup for matzo crunch topping)
  • 4 eggs 6 eggs if you don't use flaxseed mixture
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 stick of unsalted margarine or butter divided - (2 tblsps for crisping up matzo farfel (step 3); 4 tblsps melted for kugel (step 5), 2 tblsp melted for crunch topping (step 6) )
  • 3 medium or 2 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice or ½ a lemon for squeezing
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 6 tablespoons of water optional - use if you want to reduce the number of eggs to 4

Matzo Crunch Topping

  • ⅓ cup matzo farfel set aside from above 4 cups
  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine listed above
  • ½ cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 X 13 baking dish.
  • Rehydrate/soften the dried fruit (raisins and apricots) with hot water or whatever liquid you choose (wine, apple juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, grape juice). Let them sit while you continue with the other preparation.
    Raisins and apricots soaking in hot liquid in a red bowl.
  • Make your own farfel, instead of buying pre-made farfel. Simply place the matzo boards in a ziploc bag and use your rolling pin to break them up into little pieces. 2 boards will yield about 1 cup of farfel.
    Matzo crushed by a rolling pin in a plastic bag.
  • Beat 2 of the eggs and mix with the farfel and a teaspoon of the salt. Heat a skillet to medium low, melt two tablespoons of the butter then add the egg farfel mixture, mixing frequently to be sure the pieces brown and separate. You can walk away while this cooks but return frequently to mix and separate the farfel. Once the egg is set, pieces are mostly separate and a little darker in color, set the farfel aside while you prepare the apples and wet ingredients.
    Matzo farfel browned in pan on stovetop.
  • Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples - sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning.
  • In a medium bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs (4 if you don't use the flaxseed) with the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, and 4 tablespoons of the melted and cooled butter or margarine. Add in the applesauce, flaxseed mixture, toasted farfel mixture, and the dried fruit and it's soaking liquid. Mix until well combined.
    Farfel and egg mixture in a red bowl with red spoonula.
  • In a small bowl combine all the matzo crunch topping ingredients and mix well.
  • In your greased baking dish, layer ½ the apple slices and sprinkle with a dusting of cinnamon if you'd like (optional), then add the matzo farfel mixture and then top with the remaining apples. Then sprinkle with the matzo nut crunch topping.
    Top layer of apple matzo kugel added - the second layer of apples and the crunch topping.
  • Bake for approximately 40 minutes. (should get crunchy on the top and bubbly on the inside). You can make the kugel ahead but be sure to reheat in the oven so the crunch returns to the topping!

Notes

  • This kugel is non-dairy if you use a butter-substitute. If you don't mind the dairy, by all means use real unsalted butter!
  • The original recipe called for 8 eggs. In an attempt to reduce the number of eggs to 4 or 6, I added applesauce and flaxseed meal. If flaxseed meal is not kosher for passover for you, then use 6 eggs and the apple sauce. Still 2 eggs less than the original!
  • To plump up and soften the dried fruit, plain hot water will do the trick. If you want to add a little bit more flavor, use one of the alternative liquid suggestions in the recipe.
  • I love the tang of the apricots and sweetness of the raisins, but you can try cranberries, cherries or dates (like the original recipe) or dried figs or prunes - whatever dried fruit you prefer or have on hand.

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 423mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 3gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 340IUVitamin C: 2.7mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2.4mg
Keyword apples, kugel, matzo,
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