I’ve been slowly settling into this blogging thing and establishing a rhythm. I know you’ve seen me play around with different post times and schedules, but I think I’m finally settled on new posts coming out on Fridays. It gives me the whole week to come up with something new and get some good photos before I share with you. Speaking of sharing, I want to thank all of you who have left me a lovely comment, pinned on Pinterest, shared on Facebook, followed me on Bloglovin’ or Instagram, landed here from Foodgawker, and even been willing taste-testers. This blog started out as a way for me to share my favorite recipes and has been getting so many hits lately that I had to change web servers! It’s already exceeded my original dreams and goals, so now I have to go set some new ones. Thanks everyone for your support! It really means a lot to me.
Okay, on to the recipe. These rocky road brownies have been in the works for a while. You can ask my husband how many times I had to torture him to get him to taste another iteration of these brownies. I even made him lick a few beaters to ensure he was strong enough to remain a taste-tester. (He passed the test.) Everyone has told me that they are so horrible I had to keep making them so they could continue to help me improve the recipe. 😉
I’m not a huge chocolate person (weirdest girl alive-I know), but I adore rocky road ice cream. I originally set out to recreate the flavors in the form of a cookie. Sad to say, the cookies were a big, ugly flop. Yummy, but the marshmallows totally melted and they spread so much that I just had a gooey mess permanently caramelized onto my cookie sheet. My husband lovingly ate them anyway, but I wasn’t about to post them here with my name attached. You guys would all laugh at me. My second attempt was a cookie bar. I thought they wouldn’t spread so much if they were contained. They turned out okay, but weren’t super cookie-like.
That’s when a friend walked in and asked if he could have a brownie. *Ding* Light bulb moment! I was making brownies! I adjusted a few measurements and cook times over the next few batches and came out with these wonderful, chewy, coworker-approved rocky road brownies. The batter for these brownies is super-thick, so you want to make them in a mixer if you can or use a strong wooden spoon if you can’t. I almost broke my favorite spatula trying to scrape the batter out into the pan. You also want to line the pan with parchment or grease it generously because the marshmallows do tend to caramelize a bit.
The chewiness of these brownies comes when you let them cool completely. (Hard, I know.) Through the baking process, the marshmallows that are mixed into the batter melt away leaving behind fudgy, chewy air gaps. By freezing the marshmallows before adding them or topping with them, you slow down the melting and the browning on the top of the brownies. It’s kind of important to have them frozen because they burned otherwise. You should be fine to throw them in the freezer at the beginning of the baking process and have them chilled enough by the time you’re ready to mix them in. Frozen marshmallows are delicious!
My last tip is for the butter. We all know that you are reading this recipe right now and mentally going through your baking inventory to see if you have the ingredients you would need to make these because you just can’t resist. I’m sure you didn’t think to set out a stick of butter this morning so it could be nice and soft just in case you decided to bake right? Well, have no fear! I always forget to soften my butter too and am stuck trying to toss it in the microwave as I preheat my oven. I used to try nuking it on high for 10 seconds at a time and hoping I didn’t walk away and melt it to death in my microwave. I finally figured out that if I put a stick in the microwave for 1 minute on 20% power (power level 2) it comes out very evenly softened. So there you go, you can have brownies for your afternoon snack. (Or lunch, or breakfast, or midnight. I won’t tell. 😉 )
This is all that was left when I walked away from that plate for a moment.
Rocky Road Brownies
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 28
- Total Time: 38
Description
Chewy brownies stuffed full of chocolate chips, almonds, and gooey marshmallows.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almonds, slivered or chopped
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups (divided) miniature marshmallows, frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease or parchment a 9×9 pan.
- In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla and mix on medium speed to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
- One by one, fold in the mini chocolate chips, almonds, and 1 cup frozen marshmallows by hand until well-incorporated
- Pour batter into the greased pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining 1 cup frozen marshmallows.
- Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- I prefer mini chips over large chips because the chocolate isn’t too overpowering and melts in. If you’re a chocoholic, feel free to use the large ones.
- Doubling: Double everything, just cook for 35 minutes in a 9×13 pan.
- Gluten Free: This recipe should work well with gluten-free flour. If you test it, let me know. 🙂
- Vegan: Earth Balance butter is a great substitute, I prefer the Enjoy Life chocolate chips, Dandies makes some lovely vegan marshmallows (or you can DIY them) and 1/2 cup of applesauce should work as a swap for the 2 eggs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
Recipe Remix: You won’t have any leftovers, but you could turn this recipe into rocky road cookie dip by replacing the two eggs with 1/2 cup of applesauce, 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, or 1 whole banana.
Have you tried this recipe? I love getting feedback. Leave me some love by commenting below!
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I’m all about using the microwave to make life easier!!
These look magnificent, and I love your handy substitution and suggestion guide. 😀
Sometimes I meet people who don’t have a microwave and my eyes bug out a little. How can people live without a microwave!? I use mine at least 5 times a day.
I’m trying something new with the substitutes. Glad to know they’re well-received. 🙂
I think I’ll try them GF for the Superbowl. Will let you know how they turn out!
Great! I look forward to hearing how they turn out. I bet you could even cut them into football shapes with a cookie cutter if you were so inclined.
Well the GF brownies disappeared faster than the Broncos’ hopes in the Superbowl. They were thick and fudgy and gooey and delish. Since my favorite part was the toasted marshmallow topping, I put extras on. 🙂 Thanks for another favorite recipe!
That game was so sad! At least we had good food and good friends right? Glad I can add to your recipe collection. 🙂
Wow… these look incredible. Stopping by from the Saturday Night Fever Link-up and I’m definitely going to try these. Amazing!
Let me know how you like them! Thanks for stopping by.
Wow, if you’re a weird girl I must be weird too since I’m not a huge chocolate person either. Also, I’m pretty sure that my boyfriend could sympathize with your husband since I pretty much force him to ingest everything I bake whether it’s edible or not. I must say though, chocolate lover or not I don’t think I could say no to brownies covered in marshmallows, it’s just too much ooey gooey goodness to pass up!
Maybe I’m not so weird then. 🙂 I just get those strange looks every time I tell someone I don’t really like it.
Hubby is definitely a willing taste tester and has a huge sweet tooth, so I think he was okay after this. He’s even asked me to make another batch, but he ate all the marshmallows!
I think you’ll like them. Let me know if you make them. 🙂
Never had rocky road Ice cream, (making a mental note to make some) these brownies look delicious. Thanks for the tip about freezing the marshmallows, I shall remember that! Visiting from Saturday Night Fever.
Laura,
Thanks for stopping by! If you like marshmallows and chocolate, you will definitely like rocky road ice cream. I think Dreyer’s made the original, but most brands have their own version now.
Brownies are my very fave dessert ever but I’ve never had rocky road ones!! I HAVE to give these a whirl! They look wonderful! Thanks for sharing at Saturday Night Fever – pinning now! P.S. love your blog!
Jen,
Thanks for stopping by!! I’m not sure these qualify as healthy, but I think they do count as yummy and easy. 🙂 Thanks for hosting such a great party!
YUM! I love anything Rocky Road and these look delicious. Pinning to my brownie board 🙂
An entire board dedicated to brownies? Wow! For the sake of my waistline, I should probably not go look it up, but I kind of want to. Thanks for the pin!
Yes…an entire brownies and bars board…lol. I have cakes & cupcakes too 🙂
I love Rocky Road ice cream. These look amazing! Pinned!
Thanks for the pin! I hope you enjoy them. 🙂