Two seders, at least two main courses, salads, a myriad of side dishes. Not to mention the chicken soup and matzah balls.

 Passover can be daunting in the amount of work and preparation involved. Making dessert should, in my mind at least, be stress free, however, so I’ve whipped up four unbelievably easy and delicious recipes to replace the usual chiffon cake, make it a little bit more fun and a whole lot of tasty. Three chocolate desserts and a macaroon, to be precise. Most can and should be made ahead, leaving your oven and stove top free for all the last minute reheating that seders call for. If you have kids hankering for something sweet during the holidays, why not treat them to what I call Passover S’Mores? Simple and effective, it may just become a holiday ritual.

Break off small pieces of matzah, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Top with 1 heaping tablespoon of semisweet or milk chocolate chips. Place in microwave. Heat for about 40 seconds on high power or until chocolate has melted. Remove from microwave. Place heaping tablespoon of marshmallow fluff; microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallow fluff has puffed and melted. Let cool slightly before enjoying.

These divine little cakes can be made all year round. Feel free to substitute pecans for the marshmallows or caramel sauce for the chocolate ganache. I like to serve each one on an individual plate with a decorative pattern of raspberry coulis around the plate and a few fresh raspberries.

3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. kosher for Passover vanilla
1/2 cup matzah cake meal
2 tbsp. potato starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/3 cups kosher for Passover mini-marshmallows
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Topping:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream or nondairy creamer

Lightly grease 16 muffin cup tins. Preheat oven to 350. In saucepan set over medium heat, melt together butter and chocolate, until smooth. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Whisk in eggs. Whisk in vanilla. Gently stir in matzah cake meal, potato starch and salt. Stir in marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Fill each cupcake tin about halfway with batter. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes or just until set. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Run small paring knife around edge of each cake and remove gently. Let cool on rack. (Brownie cakes can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored for up to 3 days).

Topping: Bring cream or creamer to a boil over medium high heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Let cool slightly. With fork, drizzle chocolate ganache over top of brownie cakes. Makes 16 brownies cakes.

This showstopper treat is simplicity itself, although it does have to be made the day ahead and you should plan on having enough room in your fridge to store the martini glasses. To make this dish more sophisticated, or if the children at your seder are having another dessert, feel free to add kosher for Passover liqueurs to each layer, matching the liqueur to the chocolate flavour.

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
10 oz. premium milk chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
8 oz. premium white chocolate coarsely chopped and melted
6 cups whipping cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Stir 2 cups of cream into each of the melted chocolates, stirring until blended and smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1-1/2 hours, or until well chilled and liquid but not yet firm.Using a standup or hand held mixer, beat the dark chocolate mixture until soft peaks form. Divide evenly among 8 martini glasses, smoothing top.

Whip the milk chocolate mixture until soft peaks form. Carefully spoon milk chocolate over dark chocolate layer, smoothing top and being carful not to mix the layers. Chill while prepare the white chocolate layer.

Whip the white chocolate layer until soft peaks form. Carefully spoon on top of milk chocolate layer, again being careful not to mix the layers. Cover top of glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or for up to 36 hours.

Garnish with shaved chocolate, a chocolate kiss, or fresh raspberries. Makes 10 servings.

1 lb. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine
8 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
3/4 cup whipping cream or oil based cream substitute
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 10-in. springform pan.

In saucepan set over medium low heat, melt together butter and chocolate until smooth.

In bowl of standup mixer, beat egg yolks until broken up. With mixer running, gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar. Beat for about 5 minutes or until mixture is very thick and almost to the ribbon stage. Fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture.

In clean bowl, whisk egg whites and salt until soft peaks appear. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar until stiff glossy peaks form. Stir one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites just until blended, along with vanilla and salt.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until puffy and just firm. The cake should still be moist in the centre although not runny. Cool completely in pan on rack. Wrap cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Topping:

In heavy saucepan, combine sugar and 3 tbsp. water, swirling pan until sugar is dissolved. Cook over medium heat, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until sugar starts to turn a deep amber colour. This should take about 5 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the heat; stir in nuts and cream. The mixture will froth and splatter. Return pan to low heat and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Slice cake and top with hazelnut caramel sauce. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

4-1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut (2-200g bags)
1/4 cup each chopped almonds and pecans
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. matzah cake meal
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup cream of coconut (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine coconut, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Stir in matzah cake meal, breaking up any lumps of coconut if necessary. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and coconut cream (if using), stirring until mixture is well moistened.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold into coconut mixture.

Using 2-tbsp. ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop mounds of cookie onto two parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake in centre of preheated oven, one baking sheet at a time, for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on rack. Serve same day or wrap tightly in plastic wrap for up to two days. Makes about 44 macaroons.