Are you bored of matzah yet? These treats are great for Passover or anytime … and are matzah and flour-free!

Alon Shaya’s Chocolate Candied Hazelnuts are chocolaty, crisp and naturally grain-free.

“It’s perfect for Passover, but it’s a treat that’s easily enjoyed on its own, on top of ice cream or even given as a gift all year round,” Shaya, chef/partner of Pomegranate Hospitality and author of “Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel,” told the Journal. “You do need a candy thermometer to help you get the candy coating right, but the whole process, from start to finish, is pretty seamless.”

He added, “Feel free to double the recipe.”

Chocolate Candied Hazelnuts

This phenomenal start to a Pesach morning is a kicked-up version of the classic. It can be served with the Date-Berry Syrup recipe provided below or any jam of your liking, plain maple syrup, cinnamon sugar or just as is. It requires more work than the conventional version, but it’s well worth it!

Yield: 1 ½ cups

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup cocoa powder

Rub the skins off the hazelnuts, removing as much as you can but not obsessing over it. Cut a large sheet of parchment or foil, about 16 inches long, and set it aside.

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a small saucepan. Combine the sugar and water inside and gently stir just to combine, making sure you’re not letting the sugar climb up the sides of the pan since it can burn. Without stirring it at all, cook over medium heat until it reaches 250°F.

Stir in the cocoa powder and let the mixture reach 275°F; it will look like molten lava. Fold in the nuts and keep stirring vigorously, allowing the mixture to reduce until, almost like magic, it becomes a dry, crumbly mix with cocoa clinging to the nuts like a candy shell. It should register around 300°F on your thermometer.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and spread the nuts in a single layer over the parchment. Using a clean dish towel or paper towel to protect your hands from the heat, gently break apart any large clumps and allow the nuts to cool completely. These, along with the little chocolate crumbs, will stay crisp for about a week in an airtight container.

Sarah Zulauf’s Energy Bites with chocolate ganache 

Sarah Zulauf hears from her daughter — a nurse — daughter and busy professional friends that just one or two of Zulauf’s energy bites power them through the day beautifully. 

“That’s why I love them for Pesach,” Zulauf, the founder of Sarah’s Organic Gourmet, told the Journal. “It is a very labor-intensive holiday, and liberating ourselves out of mitzrayim takes some real energy (bites).” 

Zulauf’s delicious and healthy treats are available at Bibi’s Bakery and Cafe on W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. 

“To the ones I sell at Bibi’s, I also add adaptogens, Lion’s Mane, Cordeceps and Rishi for added energy, focus and immune support,” she said.

10 pitted dates

1 Tbsp cocoa powder 

1/3 cup hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and/or pecans

~ ¼ cup maple syrup (eyeball this for desired consistency)

Pinch of salt

12 oz chocolate chips

1 ½ Tbsp avocado oil

1 tsp vanilla extract 

For garnish: crushed dehydrated strawberry, coconut shreds, mini chocolate chips, Blue Magic spirulina, orange zest, sesame seeds and/or matcha, the list is endless. 

Place dates in a small bowl. Cover with hot water and add cocoa powder. Soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse nuts and seeds in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and the soaking water with cocoa to the food processor. Add maple syrup and salt. Process until the nuts are finely chopped. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Combine chocolate chips, avocado oil and vanilla extract in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave in 45 second intervals three times at medium (50%) power.  After each 45-second cook, take out the bowl and mix, until it’s completely melted. 

Roll the mixture into balls. 

Dip or pour ganache over each ball and garnish.

Peanut Butter Love: The Best Flourless Blondie *(Kitniyot, for Sephardim)

Yield: 12 squares

For another healthy option, Dawn Lerman’s flourless blondies are gluten-free and refined sugar-free. 

“They taste chocolatey and moist from the melted chips in the center,” Lerman, a nutrition expert and author of “My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love and Family, With Recipes,” told the Journal.

“I made these one Passover for my ad man dad, who was working on the Skippy peanut butter diet, while working on the campaign,” she said. “He exclaimed that they taste like “The real thing.’ They’ve been a staple in my house ever since.” 

16 ounces natural, no sugar added peanut butter (Tip: mix well in the jar over the mixing bowl)

1⁄2 cup pure maple syrup

1⁄2 cup milk or non-dairy milk of choice

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3⁄4 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips

Butter or oil for greasing the pan

Preheat the oven to 325°F. 

In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, maple syrup, milk and mashed banana. Combine well. Then mix in the beaten eggs, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda. Blend until smooth. 

Stir in half of the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch square Pyrex dish. Sprinkle the remaining chips on top.

Bake for 55 minutes, checking after 15 minutes to avoid browning edges. If the top looks too brown, cover with foil and bake for the remaining 40 minutes. 

Cool and enjoy!