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Dessert · Australian

Rocky Road

Easy no-bake rocky road with melted chocolate, marshmallow, peanuts and glace cherries. A Halloween treat now and a Christmas gift later.

Prep
20 min
Cook
5 min
Total
2 hr 25 min
Serves
20

Updated

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Ready in 2 hr 25 min, serves 20.

Total time
2 hr 25 min
Serves
20
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
Australian
Ingredients
7
Steps
5

Make ahead / storage: Keeps in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for longer.

Squares of rocky road with marshmallows, glace cherries, peanuts and coconut on a white plate

Rocky road is really just a ratio: roughly equal parts chocolate to add-ins, enough chocolate to bind everything together without drowning out the texture. Once that's set in your head, you can swap in whatever's in the cupboard and it still works.

This version uses marshmallow for softness, peanuts for crunch, glace cherries for a chewy hit of sweetness, and cubed Turkish delight because it's an easy way to get a bit of colour and a different texture into the mix without any extra effort. None of these are essential on their own, but the combination of soft, chewy and crunchy is what makes rocky road more interesting than a plain chocolate bark.

A small amount of copha or butter melted in with the chocolate stops the slice from setting bone-hard, so it cuts into clean squares instead of shattering under the knife. Skip it and you'll still get rocky road, just a harder one.

It works for two very different occasions at once. Right now it's an easy no-cook Halloween treat that doesn't need the oven on a warm night. Closer to December, the same slice cut into small squares and bagged up makes an easy, low-effort gift that doesn't need to be kept refrigerated for a day or two in transit.

Recipe

Rocky Road

Prep
20 min
Cook
5 min
Total
2 hr 25 min
Serves
20

Ingredients

20 Servings

Method

  1. Step 1: Line a 8 inch square tin with baking paper, leaving the paper hanging over two sides to lift the slice out later.

  2. Step 2: Melt the chocolate and copha together in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Take it off the heat.

  3. Step 3: Stir the marshmallows, peanuts, glace cherries and Turkish delight through the melted chocolate, reserving a small handful of each to scatter on top.

    Tip: Work while the chocolate is still warm but not hot, it coats everything better before it starts to set.

  4. Step 4: Pour into the prepared tin and spread into the corners. Scatter the reserved marshmallows, peanuts, cherries and Turkish delight over the top, pressing gently so they stick, then sprinkle with coconut.

  5. Step 5: Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until completely set, before lifting out and cutting into squares with a hot, dry knife.

Tips

  • Chop the glace cherries rather than leaving them whole. A whole sticky cherry is an unpleasant surprise in an otherwise crunchy piece.
  • Warm the knife under hot water and dry it before each cut, it slices through the set chocolate cleanly instead of cracking it.
  • If your kitchen runs warm, keep the tin in the fridge rather than on the bench while you're working, the chocolate layer softens fast.

Variations

  • Nut-free: swap the peanuts for pretzel pieces or sunflower seeds for the same crunch without the allergen.
  • Gluten-free: check your marshmallow and Turkish delight brands, some are dusted with a wheat-based starch.
  • Halloween version: drizzle the set slice with melted white chocolate tinted orange, and press on a few candy eyes before it sets.
  • Christmas gifting: cut into small squares, stack in cellophane bags and tie with ribbon, it travels well since it doesn't need refrigeration for a day or two.

Storage and make-ahead

Keeps in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for longer. Avoid direct sun or a warm kitchen bench, the chocolate will sweat and lose its snap. Freezes well for up to 2 months, cut into squares and layered with baking paper.

Nutrition per serving, estimated

Calories
210
Protein
4g
Carbs
24g
Fat
12g

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