Rocky Road candy with walnuts and marshmallows is a delightful treat to make for family and friends. Rich chocolate, fluffy marshmallows, and crunchy walnuts are a perfect combination!
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Rocky road candy with nuts
Old Fashioned Walnut Rocky Road is a chocolate candy made super delicious with marshmallows and nuts – all ingredients to satisfy your sweet tooth. Williams Sonoma sells something similar for a whopping $34.95 a box. You don’t have to spend that much – our cookies taste just as good and cost a lot less.
This Rocky Road recipe is so easy to make with only three ingredients – chocolate, marshmallows, and walnuts. It tastes wonderful and is perfect for gift giving.
With its chocolatey base, the fluffiness of the marshmallows, and the crunchiness of the walnuts, this is an irresistible concoction. And, it’s definitely a rocky road to make!
An easy rocky road recipe
If you need a quick batch of candy, this Rocky Road recipe doesn’t require any baking in your oven. You do have to melt the chocolate, but it’s quick to make.
You can always have a batch on hand to offer to friends when they pop over. The problem will be keeping your family’s fingers away from it long enough so that there’s some left to serve to guests!
My rocky road candy with walnuts gets devoured very quickly and my family members are always waiting for a refill.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Chocolate
- Large marshmallows
- Chopped walnuts
How to make rocky road candy
- Cut marshmallows into quarters.
- Lightly spray a baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Melt the chocolate. See different ways to melt it below.
- Layer the bottom of the pan with a third of the melted chocolate.
- Sprinkle marshmallows and nuts on top.
- Pour remaining melted chocolate on top.
- Gently spread chocolate over marshmallows and nuts.
- Let set to cool to room temperature.
- Break or cut into pieces.
How to melt the chocolate
Be careful when melting the chocolate. You don’t want it to bake and become clumpy rather than velvety smooth. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave or on your stovetop.
Microwave: Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Microwave on medium for 45-second intervals, stirring between each interval. Only microwave until the chocolate is about 95% melted, then stir until smooth.
Stovetop: Add water to the bottom of a saucepan. Place a large bowl on top of the pan so that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. On low heat, add the chocolate to the bowl and melt while stirring occasionally.
Once the chocolate is melted, allow it to cool slightly, so you don’t melt the marshmallows. Once you’ve made your candy, let it harden at room temperature for about 2-3 hours. You can speed up the process by putting it in the fridge, but sometimes this makes the chocolate turn a funny color.
Recipe notes and variations
Use semi-sweet chocolate if you don’t want your candy to be too sweet. Of course, you can use milk or dark chocolate if desired.
Try a combo of milk and dark chocolate. It makes the candies super creamy without being too sweet or too rich.
You can use mini marshmallows, but if you only have regular-sized ones on hand, cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Where was the original Rocky Road? Australia?
The origin of this candy has been debated, but the earliest mention of it seems to have been in 1853 during the Australian gold rush.
Rocky Road was said to have been created as a way to sell confectionery that had gone off during the long voyage from Europe. Once on dry land in Australia, the spoiled cookies were mixed with cheap chocolate and locally-grown nuts to disguise the less than tasty flavor.
According to this tale, the name came from the rocky road that the gold prospectors had to take to reach the Australian goldfields.
Or, America?
According to this story, Rocky Road Ice Cream was first concocted in 1929 by William Dreyer in California. He made use of some sewing scissors belonging to his wife to cut up some marshmallows and walnuts and add them to chocolate ice cream.
In fact, what he was doing was copying his partner Joseph Edy’s candy creation. Following the 1929 stock market crash, the two men called the flavor Rocky Road – “To give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Great Depression.”
To add to the Rocky Road story mix, Dreyer may have stolen the idea from a friend, George Farren of Fenton’s Creamery. Fenton’s Creamery is still around today.
Rocky Road Ice Cream was first concocted in 1929 by William Dreyer in California. He cut up some marshmallows and walnuts and added them to chocolate ice cream.
Following the stock market crash, the Dreyer brothers called the flavor Rocky Road – “To give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Great Depression.”
Love chocolate? Try these recipes!
- Homemade Truffles
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Chocolate Fondue Recipe
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe
- Fools Gold Candy
- Homemade Twix
Favorite Christmas Treats
- Easy Peppermint Bark Candy Recipe
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
- Cornflake Wreaths
- Hello Dolly Bars
- Oreos Dipped in White Chocolate
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Almond Shortbread Cookies
Be sure to check out more of my easy candy recipes and the best Christmas recipes to make for your family and friends.
Rocky Road Candy with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 20 ounces chocolate
- 15 large marshmallows quartered
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Lightly spray a baking pan with nonstick spray. Layer the bottom of the pan with a third of the melted chocolate.
- Line pan with marshmallows and pour nuts on top.
- Pour remaining melted chocolate on top. Gently spread chocolate over marshmallows and nuts.
- Let it set at room temperature. Break or cut into pieces.
Liz Nelson
I tried this and it was so easy to make and tasted wonderful!