Marshmallows, pistachios, cranberries, and crackers are folded into a mixture of melted chocolate and butter to make this Christmas rocky road candy bar delicious. To make it prettier, I gave a swirly effect with white and dark chocolate.
It doesn’t require cooking; melt the chocolates and mix your favorite adds. It takes just 10 minutes and is a great way to get kids into the kitchen to be creative.
Chocolate Rocky Road is the perfect treat to enjoy at parties or to give to friends and family at Christmas. It is one of the easiest treats you can make, and you won’t get enough of the fudgy, chewy, and crunchy texture!
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If you’ve never tried rocky road, you miss out on something outstanding! These candy bars sound like a simple treat, but unless you try them, you won’t get just how heavenly the combination of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts is.
What Is Rocky Road?
Rocky road is a type of chocolate bar that is made of melted chocolate that is mixed with marshmallows and nuts.
The recipe of the Rocky road varies by location.
In North America, nuts and marshmallows are used, whereas, in Australia, Rocky Road often has cherries and coconut, while the UK version is loaded with cookie bits!
They all sound delicious to me!
The ingredients you need to make rocky road are pretty simple, and you will likely already have them on hand!
I used a combination of chocolate, graham crackers, nuts, orange zest, and marshmallows.
Classic rocky road is often made with Turkish delight, but I didn’t use it because it’s not an ingredient accessible to everyone.
You can modify this recipe to personalize it to your preferences.
Why Should you make this recipe?
- This recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare.
- It’s delicious
- It is so simple and easy and requires only five ingredients to make
- Its Kid-friendly recipe
- It can be easily customizable.
- It makes thoughtful and unique gifts.
- It involves no cooking and uses no-fancy equipment – just a bowl and spoon.
The bonus is Instant Pot made the process a lot easier.
I made this rocky road using an Instant pot as a double boiler. It’s a game-changer experience.
I have been doing this double boiler method for melting chocolate in an instant pot for quite some time (check out my Hot Cocoa bombs, Popcorn, peppermint fudge, and Tiger butter fudge recipes in which I have used melted chocolate using IP), and I love it.
My preference is the Instant Pot because of its keep-warm setting.
But it could also be made in the microwave (just microwave chocolate and butter at 30-second intervals, stirring well in between until the chocolate is fully melted. Or you can do it on the stovetop with the double broiler method.
Either method will work great based on what you have and what you prefer.
Rocky Road Ingredients
- Chocolate – I like dark chocolate for my Christmas Rocky Road recipe. However, you can substitute it with milk or white chocolate. Choose high-quality chocolate for melting (I prefer Ghirardelli, Lindt, or Nestle). Chocolate is the main ingredient in this recipe, so choosing a good quality makes all the difference. For the swirl, I used white and dark chocolate.
- Marshmallows– Use Mini marshmallows for this recipe, so you don’t need to cut them in half. I used Vegan marshmallows. You can use colored marshmallows instead of white ones.
- Pistachios – Essential for a good crunch. I have used Pistachios. You can use any nuts of your choice. If making for nut allergies, omit the nuts entirely.
- Dried Cranberries – Gives a nice chewy texture and taste.
- Orange zest – It tastes so good in this rocky road recipe.
- Graham crackers – for the crisp texture. You can use ginger snap and Bischoff too.
- Butter – Use good quality butter. I have used salted butter in this recipe. Salted or unsalted butter will work. If using unsalted butter, add a tiny pinch of salt to the chocolate mixture.
Step-by-step process
Pre-prep
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper so that a portion of the paper is hanging from four sides of the pan. This makes it easier to lift the fudge once it is completely set.
- Note – I recommend using an 8-inch square pan, which keeps the rocky road squares on the thicker side.
- Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and lightly bang on them with a rolling pin until you have chunky pieces. (Ensure you have some large parts as well as crumbs.) Keep it aside.
Melting the chocolate using the instant pot
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the Sauté NORMAL setting. Don’t do this process on HIGH.
- Add 2 cups of water.
- Once the water starts simmering and you see steam coming from it, place the glass or metal bowl on top. A glass bowl that is slightly larger than your Instant Pot. The bottom of the bowl should fit inside the Instant Pot, but the top should be taller.
- Add chopped dark chocolates and butter. Cancel the saute mode and switch to keep warm mode. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted and everything is combined.
- Note – check out the FAQ section for how to melt the chocolates in the microwave and stovetop.
- Take the bowl on a countertop and add crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, dried cranberries, chopped pistachios, and orange zest. Mix very well.
- Pour the rocky road mixture into the prepared pan and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Your rocky road is ready.
To make it look more festive and pretty, follow this extra step (This step is entirely optional)
- Melt the white and dark chocolate in a separate bowl in the microwave. Next, take the chocolate in microwave-proof bowls. Melt the chocolates in 30-second increments and stir them well between each one. It shouldn’t take any longer than 1 minute.
- Remove the rocky road from the fridge. Pour the white chocolate over the top and, working quickly with a spatula, spread it out over the rocky road.
- Drizzle the dark chocolate over the top of the white chocolate. Then, run a toothpick through the dark chocolate to swirl the dark chocolate into the white.
- Place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
- When set, grab the edges of the parchment paper and pull the rocky road out of the baking pan.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares and enjoy!
Note and Quick FAQs
- If you prefer to leave out the cookies and use only marshmallows and nuts, then add a bit more of each, about ½ cup.
- I have used chocolate bars. You can use chocolate chips too.
- Use colorful marshmallows for a more festive look.
This all depends on what you put into your rocky road. This recipe is not gluten-free, as I have used graham crackers.
To make it vegan, ensure your chocolate is all dairy free and a vegan alternative to butter.
Yes, you can. Make sure it’s in an air-tight container and will keep in the freezer for 3 to 4 months—thaw overnight in the fridge.
It lasts up to 3 weeks in the fridge when stored in an air-tight container.
In the microwave: Take the chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl. Melt the chocolates in 30-second increments and stir them well between each one. It shouldn’t take any longer than 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Then add the butter and follow the recipe.
Fill a small saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a simmer. Place a heat-safe bowl on top without it touching the water, and put your chocolate in. Stir it well until it’s about 90% melted, then remove it from the heat and stir until fully melted. Make sure water doesn’t get into the chocolate, or else the chocolate will seize. Then add the butter and follow the recipe.
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Christmas Rocky Road
Ingredients
- 290 grams of dark chocolate I have used 86% dark chocolate bars
- ½ cup salted butter 113g
- 200 grams graham cracker around 13
- 2 cups vegan mini marshmallows
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pistachios
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
For topping (optional step)
- 90- gram white chocolate
- 2 tablespoon dark chocolate
Instructions
Pre-prep
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper so that a portion of the paper is hanging from four sides of the pan. This makes it easier to lift the fudge once it is completely set.
- Note – I recommend using an 8-inch square pan, which keeps the rocky road squares on the thicker side.
- Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and lightly bang on them with a rolling pin until you have chunky pieces. (Ensure you have some large parts as well as crumbs.) Keep it aside.
- Chop the chocolate bars into small pieces and keep them aside.
Melting the chocolate using the instant pot
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the Sauté NORMAL setting. Don’t do this process on HIGH.
- Add 2 cups of water.
- Once the water starts simmering and you see steam coming from it, place the glass or metal bowl on top. A glass bowl that is slightly larger than your Instant Pot. The bottom of the bowl should fit inside the Instant Pot, but the top should be taller.
- Add chopped dark chocolates and butter. Cancel the saute mode and switch to keep warm mode. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted and everything is combined.
- Note – check out the FAQ section for how to melt the chocolates in the microwave and stovetop.
- Take the bowl on a countertop and add crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, dried cranberries, chopped pistachios, and orange zest. Mix very well.
- Pour the rocky road mixture into the prepared pan and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Your rocky road is ready.
To make it look more festive and pretty, follow this extra step (This step is entirely optional)
- Melt the white and dark chocolate in a separate bowl in the microwave. Next, take the chocolate in microwave-proof bowls. Melt the chocolates in 30-second increments and stir them well between each one. It shouldn’t take any longer than 1 minute.
- Remove the rocky road from the fridge. Pour the white chocolate over the top and, working quickly with a spatula, spread it out over the rocky road.
- Drizzle the dark chocolate over the top of the white chocolate. Then, run a toothpick through the dark chocolate to swirl the dark chocolate into the white.
- Place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
- When set, grab the edges of the parchment paper and pull the rocky road out of the baking pan.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you prefer to leave out the cookies and use only marshmallows and nuts, add a bit more of each, about ½ cup.
- I have used chocolate bars. You can use chocolate chips too.
- Use colorful marshmallows for a more festive look.
Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
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