Rocky Road Brownies are chewy homemade brownies topped with a decadent layer of chocolate, marshmallows, and almonds! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Rocky Road Brownies
Today we’re taking my favorite homemade brownies and covering them with marshmallows, almonds, and plenty of rich sticky chocolate ganache to make Rocky Road Brownies.
These are decadent, rich, and packed with flavor (and if you’re still recovering from the spoils of your Easter basket, like I am, you might want to wait a week before making them). I also love the way the different textures go together: the smooth chocolate, the soft and squishy marshmallows, the crunchy almonds and the fudgy, chewy brownies.
What more could you want in a dessert?
Tips for Making Rocky Road Brownies
Rocky Road Brownies are easy to make. The hardest part is having the patience to wait for the topping to set. The chocolate topping for these brownies is essentially my easy chocolate ganache with some marshmallows and nuts tossed in. I tried many “frosting” variations (including the fudgy icing on my Coca Cola cake) before settling on this one. I have a few tips to make sure your topping comes out perfectly, and some notes for substitutions!
- I opted to use a blend of semisweet and milk chocolate chips, but you can use your favorite flavor of chocolate chips when making your own.
- To me, nothing says rocky road like a whole bunch of almonds! However, feel free to substitute your favorite coarsely chopped nuts. Walnuts would also be great here!
- After making your ganache, let it cool for at least ten minutes before adding your marshmallows. If the ganache is too hot, the marshmallows will melt. You want distinct marshmallow pieces in your topping, so have some patience.
- After I poured the rocky road topping over my brownies, I topped everything off with extra almonds and marshmallows for appearance. Just keep in mind that if you add marshmallows on top, they’ll become stale and unpleasant to chew on in a matter of hours. The marshmallows that are coated by the ganache will stay nice and soft, though!
- A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top is great for tempering the sweetness of these brownies and adding an extra dimension of flavor!
- The ganache will take several hours to set completely. You can speed up the process by placing the brownies in the fridge though!
Even once entirely set, the chocolate topping will be a little sticky, especially if it happens to be humid wherever you are. This is normal, and if you’e tried my Mississippi mud cake, you’re already familiar with this!
Enjoy!
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Rocky Road Brownies
Ingredients
BROWNIE LAYER
- 12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk lightly beaten, room temperature preferred.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5ml
- 1 ¼ cup (145 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
ROCKY ROAD TOPPING
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips (I used a mix of milk and semisweet chocolate chips, you can use your favorite chocolate chips)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup¹
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (110 g) mini marshmallows
- ¾ cup (125 g) coarsely chopped almonds (or preferred nuts)
- fine sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper². Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, cocoa powder, and sugars and stir until well-combined.12 Tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- Add eggs/egg yolk and vanilla extract and stir well.2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5ml
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.1 ¼ cup (145 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Evenly spread batter into prepared baking dish and transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven. Bake 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean. Allow brownies to cool completely in their pan before proceeding.
ROCKY ROAD TOPPING
- Once brownies have cooled, prepare rocky road topping by combining chocolate chips, heavy cream, corn syrup and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over low/medium-low heat.2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips, ¾ cup heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons corn syrup¹, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Stir frequently until chocolate chips are completely melted and mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for ten minutes before stirring in mini marshmallows and chopped almonds. Stir just until marshmallows/almonds are coated in chocolate and then immediately pour over brownies. Use a spatula to spread if needed so the topping is even. Top with a sprinkling of sea salt, if desired.2 cups (110 g) mini marshmallows, ¾ cup (125 g) coarsely chopped almonds, fine sea salt
- Allow brownies to sit and the chocolate to set (this could take several hours, or you can speed up the process by setting the brownies in the fridge) before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Noreen
Oh so sweet! I made these for National Rocky Road Day (June 2nd). They turned out great. 👍 I used pecans instead of almonds, and added extra marshmallows here and there on top of the chocolate topping,
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Love that idea, Noreen! Thanks so much for using our recipe ❤️
Noreen
I’ll be making these Sunday, for National Rocky Road Day. 😊Perhaps I should get some Rocky Road ice cream to go with the brownies. 😉 That’s going a little overboard. 🙃
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Oooo, no that sounds perfect to us 😅
Allie
Yummy and fun. I used unsalted/untoasted almonds, and they just tasted soft in this recipe (they are not stale, I checked ;). Would a roasted and maybe even salted almond help enhance this topping? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Allie! That’s really odd. They shouldn’t be soft. You could try roasting them. 🙂
Paige Larson
Another great and easy recipe!
Ellie
Wow, these rocky road brownies are SO good!! The chocolate ganache around the marshmallows is some kind of magic. The recipe was easy to follow and they turned out perfect, not difficult at all (my 10 year old, actually, made most of it). My husband isn’t even a huge fan of rocky road ice cream, but he won’t stop eating these (if he can get them away from us)! Thank you so much, will be making these every summer from now on!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ellie! Hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come. 🙂
ishitha
can we use cake flour instead of all purpose flour
Sam
I wouldn’t recommend it, sorry!
Elaine
These were a hit. Easy to make and delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Elaine! 🙂
Maxine
Perfect timing, I had a pan of brownies waiting to be frosted, and I opened your post, Voila, frosted brownies—extra almonds as I did not have marshmallows in the house. Delicious and looks great. Thank you!!! Love your recipes as I have made many. Have never been disappointed!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the brownies, Maxine! 🙂