I like making candy for gifting this time of year because I find it to be easier than cookies and people have this belief that homemade candy is hard (thus, making it impressive). One such confection that I’ve made a handful of times over the years is this homemade rocky road candy. It’s fun to make, can be customized endlessly, and is so easy that you can even do it with kids.
The best thing of all is that there’s no actual baking. You melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or in short bursts in the microwave) and then stir in the nuts and marshmallows. Traditionally you use just peanuts, but a fancier version would involve lightly toasted almonds or even macadamia nuts.
Once it’s combined, you scrape it into a greased, parchment-lined pan, press it firmly (lay another sheet of parchment over the top so that you don’t make a mess), and refrigerate it until it is firm. Sometimes I make it in an 8 x 8, as it’s pictured here. Other times, I use a shallower 9 x 13 pan, for shorter squares.
Holiday Giving: Homemade Rocky Road Candy
Ingredients
- 14 ounces milk or dark chocolate chips use whichever you prefer
- 3 cups mini-marshmallows
- 1 cup roasted and salted peanuts
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 (thicker) or a 9 x 13 (thinner) baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs the sides of the pan and lightly grease with cooking spray or butter.
- Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. When the chocolate is just melted, remove the bowl from pan.
- Stir the marshmallows and nuts into the melted chocolate. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it out to the edges. Use a sheet of parchment paper to help you flatten the mixture into an even layer.
- Refrigerate the rocky road until firm. Lift the candy out of pan and place it on a cookie sheet. Cut into small squares.
- The finished candy will keep in an airtight container for up to three weeks.
My family has made a very similar recipe for years – we call it Heavenly Hash. We’ve always used walnuts or pecans instead of peanuts but it is essentially the same otherwise.
It looks very yummy.
Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe with us.
Had cashews in my pantry. No peanuts. So I just made it using cashew & marshmallows! Very tasty !,
Just this morning I noticed I had a mostly full bag of mini marshmallows I needed to find a use for before they went stale – now I know what I’m going to do with them!
Perfect plan!