The Australian Rocky Road and Brownie merged into these Fully Loaded Rocky Road Brownies that are chock full of incredible flavour!
Rocky Road means slightly different things in different parts of the world.
In the US, it’s famous mostly as an ice cream with chocolate, marshmallow and nuts.
In the UK it contains chocolate, marshmallow, raisins and biscuits (cookies).
In Australia there are so many types of Rocky Road, but whatever type it is it always contains the two main ingredients of chocolate and marshmallow. But it can also contain coconut, glace cherries, jelly (or jello) cubes, Turkish delight, nuts (usually peanuts) and sometimes even strawberry sauce.
New Zealand first introduced me to Rocky Road but it was in Australia that I really started loving it. This was all thanks to my friend Jacqueline who made amazing rocky road. And then just before I left the country I discovered this chocolate shop in Brisbane called Noosa Chocolate Factory that sells the most wonderful rocky road. I bought two bars but I wish I could have bought the whole shop. If ever I go back I will be their number one customer!
Since I can’t have Australian rocky road anymore, I decided I will make my own. But better. So I merged two of my favourite things to make these incredible Fully Loaded Rocky Road Brownies!
So as you can see, this is a more elaborate, rich and flavourful rocky road. My favourite combination of ingredients in rocky road is bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, white marshmallow (I’m not a fan of flavoured marshmallow. At all!), almonds, agave jelly or gummy bears and raspberry.
So that’s exactly what went in to these rocky road brownies. But the best thing about these beauts is that you don’t need to stick to a particular list of ingredients. You can put anything you want in to this.
I wanted these brownies to have a little bit of a festive feel, so I decided to go with pistachios and almonds for nuts, beautiful red, orange and yellow Agave jellies, mini white marshmallows, raspberry sauce and bittersweet chocolate.
I have a huge aversion to flavoured and coloured marshmallow. Unless they are homemade, of course! I’ve made enough regular vanilla marshmallows and flavoured marshmallow variations (like these chocolate marshmallows, peppermint marshmallows, tahini marshmallows, butterscotch marshmallows, orange blossom marshmallows etc.) over the years to fill a castle! And I remember when I used to work as a barista I was very generous with how much marshmallows I gave my customers with their mocha or hot chocolate. As long as they were coloured ones. The white ones were all mine!
You are also welcome to use any kind of jelly you like. I chose red and yellow ones because I wanted those bright colours. But really you can use anything from gummy bears to gum drops to gummy snakes to any other jelly based candy. I chose delicious Agave gummy bears. I also chose to spread a generous amount of raspberry jam on the brownie before it was baked.
By doing this, the jam bakes into the brownie and gets lost in it but you get these little bursts of intense raspberry flavour when you bite into the brownies. You have to try it, it’s amazing!
I highly recommend that you toast/roast the nuts and the desiccated coconut. This really intensifies the flavours of these two ingredients. So even though it’s an extra step – try not to skip it.
These brownies are incredibly fudgy! I am a fudgy chocolate brownie fan through and through and these have a very satisfying fudgy layer of bitter sweet brownie beneath the deliciously rich layer of chocolate ganache, marshmallow, coconut and gummy bears. While I recommend using this recipe, you are welcome to take a shortcut and use your favourite fudgy brownie mix if you’d like (I promise I won’t tell).
I used bittersweet chocolate for the brownie and semi sweet chocolate for the topping. You can use white chocolate instead for the topping, if you’d like a sharp contrast in colour. But my husband and I find white chocolate to be just too sweet to be used in the brownie or in the topping. However I couldn’t resist grating a thin layer of white chocolate on top of the brownie. It just looked like snow!
Recipe
Fully Loaded Rocky Road Brownies
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Fudgy Raspberry Brownie Layer
- 115 g unsalted butter 1 stick / ½ cup
- 226 g coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate 8 oz
- 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- 50 g brown sugar ¼ cup
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 80 g all purpose flour ⅔ cup, spoon and leveled
- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tbsp
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 125 g roasted nuts 4.5 oz. I used pistachios and slivered almonds (see note 1)
- ½ cup raspberry preserves Raspberry jam with whole fruits
Rocky Road Ganache Layer
- 283 g finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate About 10 oz. Can be substituted with any kind of chocolate – white, milk or dark
- 120 mL heavy cream (35% fat) ½ cup
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 cup gummy bears gum drops or turkish delight
- ⅓ cup toasted desiccated unsweetened coconut you can increase this upto ½ cup if you prefer (see note 2)
- extra white chocolate to grate on top optional
Instructions:
Fudgy Raspberry Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Line a 8×8 inch square pan with non stick foil or parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler (if using a stove) or microwave safe bowl (if using a microwave). Stir at intervals to make sure they do not burn and that they melt evenly.115 g unsalted butter, 226 g coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
- Add the sugars and salt and whisk to combine. Let it cool slightly.100 g granulated sugar, 50 g brown sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Whisk/beat in the eggs and vanilla, until it is incorporated well.3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, sift the cocoa powder and flour together. Add the nuts and coat them with the flour.80 g all purpose flour, 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder, 125 g roasted nuts
- Add the flour, cocoa and nuts into the brownie batter and mix well.
- Evenly spread in the pan and tap it on the counter to break any bubbles in the batter.
- Spoon the raspberry preserve over the batter and use a spoon to gently swirl it into the batter.½ cup raspberry preserves
- Bake in preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes. Check at the 25 minute mark. The brownie is done when you insert a tooth pick (or cake tester) into the brownie and it comes out cleanly with only a few crumbs attached.
- While the brownies are still warm, spread the rocky road layer on top. Recipe follows.
Rocky Road Chocolate Ganache Layer.
- Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and keep all the other ingredients close by.283 g finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate, 120 mL heavy cream (35% fat)
- Heat the cream in a saucepan until it just starts to boil.
- Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and whisk to melt the chocolate completely.
- Add the gummy bears, marshmallow and coconut into the chocolate. Leave aside until the brownies are ready.1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 cup gummy bears, ⅓ cup toasted desiccated unsweetened coconut
- When the brownies come out of the oven, warm up the chocolate for about 30 seconds – 1 minute (on a double boiler or in the microwave) to allow the chocolate and candy to soften (but not melt the marshmallow)
- Spread this mix over the hot brownies while it is still in the baking tray.
- Grate some white chocolate on top while it is warm (optional).extra white chocolate to grate on top
- Leave to cool completely until the chocolate layer on top is set – preferably leave it to rest over night. Loosen the brownies from the pan using a warm knife or palette. Cut into 1.5 x 1.5 inch squares (or smaller, as it is a rich dessert)
- Can be eaten at room temperature, cold or warm!
Recipe Notes
Note 2 – You can get untoasted unsweetened coconut and place them on a dry pan and over low-medium and toast them (keep them moving constantly) until they just start to toast and you can smell the coconut.
Note 3 – If you melt the chocolate and butter, and leave them to cool and then re-heat it again it adds to the fudginess of the brownie. It is not necessary to do this, but I try to at least melt the butter earlier, let it cool and then melt it again whenever I make brownies.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Like I said these brownies are deceptively fudgy. You will see the raspberry swirls that help these brownies become even fudgier and fruitier. I really like the green of the pistachios and the flavours of all the roasted nuts.
The bright, almost glistening gummy bears have melted into the chocolate ganache along with the marshmallows. Together with the toasted coconut they completely elevate the texture of these rich, fudgy brownies.
Still not sure? Here’s another close up. But I warn you… it just might be NSFW!
And if you’re really in the mood, you can zap these brownies in the microwave for a few seconds and the brownie will become even fudgier, the gummy bears will become softer and the marshmallows will melt even further and become even gooier. One bite of that and I guarantee you will be in brownie heaven!
So make these brownies part of your Christmas party this year. What’s your favourite brownie? What’s your favourite Christmas treat? I’m going through a sugar high this week with all these delectable sweets I’m baking in my kitchen. I fear the consequences for when I stop, because I know I must. Repentance will surely follow, but for now all I can do is give in, reach out for my rocky road brownie that’s sitting in front of me as I write this, sink my teeth in and be carried away to ooey gooey brownie heaven.
If you would like more chocolatey ideas for Christmas, check out the recipes below. They are definitely indulgent!
Intense Dark Chocolate Rum Balls – {or Rum Truffles} These are amazing! Don’t take my word for it. Intense bitter sweet chocolate with a nice boozy Rum kick! Perfect to give as gifts, ONLY if you can bear to part with them.
Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding – Creamy Custard with Chocolate Swirled Chocolate Babka and Raspberries baked right in this warm delicious winter Pudding.
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