Each spring when Passover arrives, I find myself scouring cookbooks and websites for new recipes, looking for fresh ways to tempt my palate after the fifth day of PB&J matzo sandwiches.

Enter the Bagel Deli & Restaurant. We’ve raved about the eatery before, but it wasn’t until I began my annual recipe search that I discovered the deli also serves an excellent selection of Passover goods, both house-made and store-bought. Customers can place orders for everything from gefilte fish to horseradish and kosher turkey breast. Even better, you can dine at the restaurant with a special Passover menu. I’ve got my eye on the sponge-cake French toast and apple-matzo kugel.

But, if you don’t want to make the drive to southeast Denver, you can get a little taste of the Bagel Deli at home, with co-owner Rhoda Kaplan’s Passover brownie recipe. The sweets are surprisingly moist, but after attempting to bake a batch, I suggest adding either nuts or frosting to avoid the characteristic cake-meal taste. You can find all the ingredients at your local grocery store or specialty shops such as East Side Kosher Deli.

Passover Brownies

1 pound melted margarine or butter
4 cups sugar
8 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups Passover cake meal
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Mix margarine or butter, sugar, and eggs until well blended. Add cocoa, cake meal, and salt. Slowly blend in milk. Bake in a greased 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan for 50 minutes to one hour at 350°.

Don’t Miss: Be on the lookout for reruns of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The Bagel Deli was recently featured—making it the second local spot, after Steuben’s, to be on the show.

6439 E. Hampden Ave., 303-756-6667

Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer
Daliah Singer is an award-winning writer and editor based in Denver. You can find more of her work at daliahsinger.com.