These rocky road brownies take homemade brownies to a whole new level! These deliciously moist, ooey-gooey brownies are topped with puffy marshmallows, crunchy almonds, and drizzled with melted chocolate!
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These are the BEST rocky road brownies EVER! I got the inspiration from s'mores and of course the classic ice cream flavor and used my favorite pretzel brownie recipe to make it happen.
Even with all the mini marshmallows and chocolate, they are not overly sweet and are perfect year-round.
They taste just like rocky road ice cream, which if you've never had it before, is a chocolate ice cream stuffed with marshmallows, nuts, and lots of chocolate fudge.
why these are the best rocky road brownies
- Moist, fudgy, and rich chocolate brownie base.
- Topped with ooey-gooey mini marshmallows, crunchy chopped almonds, and drizzled with melty dark chocolate.
- Great for any season and occasion!
ingredient notes
- Semi-sweet chocolate: You can substitute bitter or dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet.
- Almonds: I used chopped almonds in this recipe but you can easily substitute cashews or your favorite kind of nut!
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
recipe instructions
Before you start: Line a square 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, then preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
Step 1: In a small pot, melt the unsalted butter and chocolate chips together, then pour them into a large bowl and whisk in the granulated sugar. Whisk the eggs in one at a time until the batter is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Fold in the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder until just combined.
Step 2: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan until it evenly fills the pan.
Step 3: Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the top of the batter, then bake for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Pull the pan out of the oven and evenly sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the top. Return the pan to the oven for 1-2 minutes more or until the marshmallows are puffy and just barely starting to brown. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack, then drizzle with more melted chocolate. Sprinkle with more chopped almonds and mini marshmallows and enjoy!
expert tips for how to make perfect brownies
- Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
- Don't over-mix the batter: Fold the dry ingredients into the batter until just combined. Overmixing the batter will lead to dense and tough brownies.
- Don't overbake them: Insert a toothpick into the center of the brownie. The end of the toothpick will just be smeared with a bit of melted chocolate when ready. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are overbaked and will be dry.
- Use a greased knife for cutting: These brownies are pretty messy, so cutting them is a little more difficult. Lightly spray or butter a sharp knife before cutting them to help cut through the gooey marshmallows!
storage & freezing
- Room temperature: Store the brownies in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days for the best freshness.
- Freezer: You can freeze the brownies in a sealed container for 2-3 weeks.
faq's
Unfortunately no, the regular-sized marshmallows won't melt and get soft fast enough.
Yes! Feel free to substitute cashews, hazelnuts, or walnuts instead of almonds.
I have not tested them with gluten-free flour but would love to hear how they turn out!
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Recipe 📖
Rocky Road Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup almonds chopped
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- semi-sweet chocolate chips melted, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180 C. Prepare a 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a small pot, heat the butter and chocolate chips over medium heat until melted.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour the hot melted butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugar.1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time until combined and the batter starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
- Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder with a rubber spatula until just combined.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and then sprinkle the almonds over the top.⅓ cup almonds
- Bake for 30 minutes, then take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the marshmallows over the top. Return the pan to the oven for another 1-2 minutes until the marshmallows are puffy and lightly golden brown.1 cup mini marshmallows
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with more chopped almonds and mini marshmallows if desired.semi-sweet chocolate chips
- When ready to cut, spray or butter a sharp knife to keep the marshmallows from sticking to it. Wipe the knife with a hot wet towel in between cuts to keep it from pulling the marshmallows off!
Notes
recipe tips
- Use a kitchen scale: Baking with a scale is faster, easier, and overall much more accurate than cup measurements.
- Don't over-mix the batter: Over-mixing the batter will make the brownies dense and tough.
- Oven temperatures vary: Keep an eye on the brownies as they bake as some ovens run hotter or cooler than others!
- Wait to cut: Cutting the brownies too soon will make them fall apart, I know it's hard to wait but it's worth it!
common questions
- Can I use a different kind of nut? Yes! Feel free to substitute chopped walnuts, cashews, or hazelnuts!
- Can I make them gluten-free? I have not tested them with gluten-free flour but would love to hear how they turn out!
storage & freezing
- store the cooled brownies in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month!
Debbie says
Hi!
Great Recipe! I 1st made this in college decades ago and lost the recipe. Thanks to you I have it again. My friend told me this was called "Rocky Road." So all these years I thought it included brownies... not fudge or ice cream. (Just sharing another reason in which I couldn't find the exact recipe. lol!)
I'm originally from southeast Louisiana, so I did make an exchange, so they would turn out as I remembered. I used pecans instead of peanuts. Also I used a little extra melted chocolate, marshmallows and pecans, so that I could have almost 2 layers of marshmallows, pecans and chocolate. Just enough to make it look a little more bumpy.
*Now I want to share what my daughters, grandmother on their father's side did. (She's a very good cook!) She was out of mini marshmallows one time she made this but came up with a n excellent solution. She had regular size marshmallows and new they wouldn't melt properly due to size. So she cut up each marshmallow into 4 to 6 pieces. A few marshmallows were a little fluffier and ended up being cut into 6 pieces. Anyway, it turned out fine and no one knew she used large marshmallows. They melted just fine. She did use a little powdered sugar to keep the big marshmallows from sticking to the knife. I believe a little butter would also do the same. And I hope this helps people that are in the same situation, so they don't have to make a mad dash to the grocery store, just for mini marshmallows. As for the huge campfire marshmallows for s'mores, I believe you could use them too, as long as you cut them into 6 or 8 pieces... But at that point, I'd make a run to store. lol!
Happy Baking! 🙂
Lisa M. says
AMAZING! Everyone loved these brownies and they tasted just like rocky road. Such an easy recipe to make, these are definitely going to be made again soon!!