Rocky Road Brownies

Rocky Road Brownies are packed full of chocolatey flavor, gooey marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanuts all topped with a chocolatey drizzle. These nutty marshmallow brownies are a triple chocolate threat dessert recipe that your family will adore.

When the chocolate craving strikes you are going to want to make sure you have this decadent brownie recipe! Make these Peppermint Frosted Brownie Cookies, when you want some mint. Or try Bailey’s Irish cream Chocolate Chip Cookies with a hint of cocoa right in the batter. A family favorite are these Nutella Oreo Truffles, which can be decorated any way you like them.

Rocky Road Brownie Recipe

Yes, you read that correctly! This rocky road brownie recipe has triple the chocolate. That means triple the flavor, right? There are even TWO types of chocolate chips in this recipe, dark chocolate and semi-sweet. I mean, this recipe takes brownies to a whole new level!

Mix up all the ingredients for the fudgiest brownies and then bake them for a bit. Here comes the fun part, adding on all of the decadence. Gooey marshmallows get mixed in with fresh peanuts and chocolate chips and that gets plopped on top. And why stop there?

Drizzle on even. more. chocolate!! Yay!! This is going to make your mouth do a happy dance.

Freaky Friday

Hooray, it’s Freaky Friday (my favorite Friday)! If you are wondering what I am talking about, Freaky Friday is a blog hop that happens every quarter that was created by Michaela from An Affair From the Heart. You HAVE to go check out her blog, she has got some of the best recipes and is a just a great person!

If you aren’t familiar with this event, I’ll explain it. A bunch of bloggers get assigned someone else’s blog within the group. But, shhhh, it’s a secret and you can’t tell anyone who you got. You then get to pick one recipe that goes along with the particular season and recreate it for your own blog. Then on the day of the reveal, you get to share with your readers and everyone in the group, which blog you got (and who got you!). So fun, right?!

For this quarter, I was randomly assigned to Julie’s Blog, Hostess at Heart. Julie pours a lot of love into her blog and it shows. Her adoration for entertaining and cooking for her family and friends really shines through. Julie has even taken some culinary classes, which has helped her expand her own cooking abilities.

It was really interesting to find out that Julie and I have a few things in common besides our obvious love of food! Julie lives in Nebraska and I was stationed at a base in Nebraska for a few years when I was in the military. She has two children and I do, too. She even has two grandchildren, I am not quite there yet. We both also believe that some of the best meals are the easiest ones.

I had a blast looking over Julie’s blog, she has an abundance of delicious recipes. Some of the ones that caught my eye were these Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Roll, drooling over the pictures! This Baked Blackened Shrimp Recipe, I am a sucker for seafood. And she has sooo many homemade bread recipes, I can’t wait to make this Spelt Sourdough with Rosemary. It is definitely a must see food blog.

There were so many great options on Hostess at Heart, that it was tough to narrow it down to just one recipe. But, I decided to go with a dessert because we all love dessert AND I found these incredible Rocky Road brownies that I had never made before. I think you will be excited to try it out!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

I am sure you have heard of Rocky Road ice cream. Cold, creamy chocolate ice cream that is swirled with miniature marshmallows (YES!) and chopped up almonds.

As a kid I definitely ate my fair share of rocky road! When I first heard that there was marshmallows in the ice cream, I was SOLD. I have discussed my love of marshmallows in the past like in this Lucky Charms Bars recipe.

And these Fluffernutter Cookies, which are THE fluffiest peanut butter cookies sandwiched around fluffy marshmallow frosting. These are sooo good that my hubs said they may replace his favorite dessert which is BROWNIES. Needless to say, I was shook!

Another reason I wanted to make Julie’s Triple Chocolate Rocky Road Brownies is because brownies are my husbands favorite dessert…I think?? He’ll eat them either way and so will the kids!

Why Make Rocky Road Brownies?

• To fulfill that chocolate craving.
• They are delicious and your family is going to love them!
• Easily doubles to take to a picnic or potluck to feed a crowd.
• These are fun and messy.

How did Rocky Road get its Name?

It is said that William Dreyer (yes, the man behind Dreyer’s ice cream) moved to the United States from Germany in 1906. From New York he moved to California, where he opened an ice cream shop in the town I actually grew up in, Visalia, Ca!

Apparently, one day in 1929 he cut up some walnuts and marshmallows and threw them into his chocolate ice cream. He called it “Rocky Road” because the stock market had just recently crashed and was making life, well, rocky! He had hoped that this flavor would bring some joy to people.

Rocky Road Brownies Ingredients

Here are all of the ingredients you need to make each portion of this rocky road brownie recipe. It’s basically three different layers of deliciousness.

Brownie Batter Ingredients

• Flour: All purpose flour.
• Cocoa Powder: Make sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder, if sugar is added to it the brownies will come out way too sweet.
• Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
• Salt: I like to use fine sea salt, if you use table salt you may need to cut it back to 1/8 tsp or it may be too salty.
• Butter: Unsalted butter that has been melted.
• Eggs: Use large eggs in this recipe.
• Vanilla: You want real vanilla extract for this recipe and not imitation vanilla flavor.
• Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate chips (or chunks) go into the brownie mixture.

Rocky Road Brownie Topping Ingredients

• Mini Marshmallows: You will need about 5 ounces or 2 cups of mini marshmallows.
• Peanuts: I like that Julie uses peanuts in this recipe, it gives the brownies a peanut butter chocolate flavor.
• Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are used in this layer.

Chocolate Drizzle Ingredients

• Butter: Unsalted butter that has been melted, but slightly cooled.
• Powdered Sugar: Sift if the powdered sugar has a lot of hard clumps.
• Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Whipping Cream: You can also use half and half or milk.

How to Make Rocky Road Brownies

• Preheat the oven. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
• Mix in melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, combining until smooth.
• Gently fold in chocolate chips and pour into the prepared 8×8 pan.
• Bake brownies. Then pull out of oven.
• Cover the top with mini marshmallows, nuts, and chocolate chips.
• Bake for a few more minutes to melt the marshmallows.
• In a small bowl mix all ingredients for the drizzle together. Add it to a zip bag and cut a tiny bit off the corner or piping bag with a little cut off the tip. Drizzle over warm brownies.
• Let cool before cutting.

Can I Make Rocky Road Brownies from a Box Mix?

I like to make baked goods from scratch, but also like to have a good cheater recipe, too. So, I wanted to include a short cut recipe in case you are in a hurry.

• Using a 16 ounce box of brownie mix, make according to the package directions adding in the 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
• Cook the brownies according to the package.
• Top with the the topping ingredients and bake for 4-6 minutes.
• Mix the topping ingredients and drizzle the chocolate onto warm brownies.

How to Apply the Chocolate Drizzle

I like to either use a zip bag that has a little of a corner cut off or a piping bag with the tip cut off. Before cutting the bag, fill with the chocolate topping, then snip a little off the bag. Drizzle across the top of the brownies horizontally and then vertically. You could also use a fork or spoon dipped in the chocolate and then drizzle across.

How to Cut Rocky Road Brownies

The best time to cut brownies is once they have completely cooled. Run a very sharp knife under hot water and dry it, then slice into brownies. Once knife gets too goopy, repeat the process of running it under hot water and drying it. Then cutting again.

Tips to Make the Best Rocky Road Brownies

• Always hand mix the brownie batter. After combining the dry ingredients with a whisk, you can switch to a wooden spoon to mix the wet ingredients into the dry.
• Don’t over mix ingredients. Only mix until the flour disappears. This will ensure that the batter doesn’t get over mixed.
• Good quality ingredients. Using good quality ingredients will ensure you get the best brownies.
• Use boxed brownies. If you are in a hurry, you can use a box mix to make the brownies. I included the directions above.
• These brownies are RICH. A small square might not look like that much, but they are quite rich.
• Make a double batch. Easily double the ingredients to make a double batch of this brownie recipe. Bake in a 9×13 pan.
• Eat them warm. Reheat brownies in microwave for a few seconds for a warm treat.

Rocky Road Brownie Variations

• Use different nuts. I use peanuts in this brownie recipe, but you could use chopped up almonds, cashews, pecans, or hazelnuts.
• Make your own marshmallows. It would be fun to put your own homemade marshmallows into these nut brownies.
• Add caramel. You could make rocky road brownies with caramel, you can make your own caramel or buy the pre-jarred stuff. Drizzle it on with the chocolate drizzle or on its own.
• Use different chocolate chips. Instead of using dark chocolate chips and semi sweet chocolate chips you can use different flavors like white chocolate or even butterscotch or a combination of any of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these rocky road brownies dairy free? No, I do not recommend making these brownies without dairy.

Can I make these rocky road brownies gluten free? Although I have not tried making these brownies gluten free, they may work with a gluten free flour. If you try it let me know how it turns out.

Rocky Road Brownie Storage Instructions

How to store brownies? Let the brownies cool and put in an air tight container. They should last about 2-3 days at room temperature. Storing them in the refrigerator can make them dry out.

Can you freeze rocky road brownies? I don’t recommend freezing these brownies.

See all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Spring Edition Recipes

Hosted by – An Affair from the Heart

1. An Affair from the Heart – Blueberry Lemon Pull-Apart Bread
2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Baked Asparagus with Parmesan
3. The Carefree Kitchen – Carrot Cake
4. The Culinary Compass – Dunkaroo Dip Recipe
5. Devour Dinner –Fruit Charcuterie Board
6. Family Around the Table – Fresh Strawberry Milkshake 
7. Feast + West – Frozen Grasshopper Martini
8. Home Cooked Harvest – Rocky Road Brownies
9. Hostess at Heart – Honey Bun Cake
10. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog –Homemade Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes
11. Off the Eaten Path –  Beer Margarita Recipe
12. The Speckled Palate – Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bourbon and Walnuts
13. Sue Bee Homemaker – No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
14. Take Two Tapas – Crab Dip
15. The Wimpy Vegetarian – Texas Trash Dip Warm Bean Dip

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