Rocky Road Bars

Chocolate, nuts and marshmallows are the only things you really need to put together a delicious rocky road – and I really have a soft spot for a good rocky road. My favorite rocky roads are ones that are simply loaded up with marshmallows.  Others prefer ones that are heavy on the nuts. And just about everyone wants plenty of chocolate in the mix. There aren’t too many options for commercial rocky road bars out there, so making rocky road at home gives you not only convenience, but lets you mix and match the proportions to create your ideal bar.

This recipe originated in an issue of Everyday Food, which is a great magazine that is always packed with everyday-type treats and dinner recipes, as 95% of the content is strictly recipes. I was completely tempted by the picture that accompanied the recipe and, while the bars look far better in person than they do in any photo, I certainly hope you get the same feeling from my photo, above. The bar is moist, dense and very chocolaty, like a very rich brownie. The chocolate, nuts and marshmallows take the flavor over the top and, while an even 1:1:1 ratio is going to produce the most balanced bar, you should feel free to use more chocolate or more nuts to get your favorite ratio into the bars. Rocky road usually features walnuts, but I prefer the flavor of pecans and used those in this recipe.

Now, I should mention that these are different from the Rocky Road Brownies I made a while back. The base has no leavening agent in it so it is denser and more candy-like than that of a traditional brownie. Also, all of the rocky road components are on top of this bar, rather than mixed into the batter. This means that you get a double dose of chocolate, from the bar and the chocolate chips, in addition to the crunch of toasted nuts and the sweetness of the topping marshmallows.

Rocky Road Bars
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (lowfat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips (dark or semisweet)
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with greased aluminum foil (place foil, then grease with butter or cooking spray).
In a medium saucepan, melt butter and cocoa together, stirring with a whisk to eliminate lumps. Remove from heat when mixture is smooth, then stir in sugar, egg, flour, salt, milk and vanilla extract until well-blended.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and top with pecans, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Return to oven and bake for 5-7 additional minutes, until marshmallows puff and chocolate chips appear to melt slightly.
Cool on a wire rack before slicing (with a damp or lightly greased knife) into 16 bars.
Bars can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge.

Makes 16.