Crunchy biscuits, sticky marshmallows, and sweet chocolate come together in this no-bake Rocky Road. Quick to make and endlessly customisable – a simple yet indulgent recipe that’s guaranteed to be a family favourite!
I first shared my ultimate Rock Road recipe at the end of 2020. As you may recall, it was one heck of year and a sweet treat was very much needed!
With that in mind, it was time for a traybake which threw caution to the wind and ticked every possible box of sweetness you can imagine.
Ladies and gentlemen… Please welcome, Rocky Road!
Chocolate- check ✓
Biscuits – check ✓
Marshmallows – check ✓
Glace cherries – check ✓
More chocolate – CHECK ✓
Not to mention the addition of golden syrup and sugar. I don’t know about you. but sugar has always been an essential in me getting me through any tough times.
Rocky Road is undoubtedly sweet but it is also a very versatile recipe. In fact, once upon a time it wasn’t a big favourite of mine (it firmly is now though!), purely because I didn’t like the Rocky Roads I have tried. However, the great thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your own taste.
Not a fan of Digestive Biscuits? No a problem, swap them for your favourite biscuit instead. Don’t like the sweetness of glace cherries? No issues, substitute them for some unassuming raisins. Can’t have nuts? Don’t worry, they’re optional too, why not try Maltesers in their place.
In fact, Rocky Road was first created as a way to use up ingredients that were past their best, so you can add in whatever you have in the cupboards (within reason) or whatever else you think belongs in there.
How to make Rocky Road?
It is unbelievably easy to make Rocky Road. Simply melt chocolate, syrup & margarine/butter together before mixing in crushed biscuits, marshmallows, cherries and nuts. Press the mixture into a lined tin, before finishing with a drizzle of white chocolate. Then chill the yummy Rocky Road until it is set, before slicing into individual squares to serve.
Does Rocky Road contain nuts?
Whilst I do use nuts in this Rocky Road recipe, they are by no means an essential addition. The great thing about Rocky Road is just how customisable it is to your own tastes (or dietary needs). Can’t have nuts? Simply swap them out for some Maltesers, or a few extra biscuits.
The same goes for any of the other ingredients you aren’t too keen on. Use this easy Rocky Road recipe as your base but don’t be afraid to make it your own!
Do you need golden syrup in Rocky Road?
I would always recommend using golden syrup in your Rocky Road mixture. Not only does it add a little extra sweetness, it also helps bind the ingredients together.
If you really can’t get your hands on golden syrup, you could add a little extra chocolate. This will help bind your Rocky Road together, but it will also make it a bit tougher to bite into – so watch your teeth!
Ingredients:
Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate is used in the mixture for Rocky Road for a couple of reasons. Number one, it melts better. Number two, when you mix it with the butter and syrup, it still maintains a delicious chocolate taste; whereas if you used a milk chocolate it won’t taste nearly as rich, particularly once dispersed around your other sweet ingredients.
Butter or Margarine
This helps thin out the chocolate and create a sweet, delicious glue, as opposed to just being melted chocolate.
It’s personal as preference whether you use butter or block margarine. I use the latter to omit the dairy.
Golden Syrup
As with the butter/margarine, golden syrup helps create the sweet delicious glue that holds your Rocky Road together. It also adds that familiar sweet, warming flavour that we all love.
Caster Sugar
As we are using Dark Chocolate – which can sometimes be a little bitter – a couple of spoons of sugar can help balance this out and keep things sweet.
Cocoa Powder
Because you can never have too much chocolate!
Digestive Biscuits
The good old favourite biscuit for Rocky Road, or in fact, most tray bakes here in the UK. They are a great choice because of their simplicity, however you can swap them out for whatever biscuit you please.
Gingernuts are great if you fancy giving things a festive twist. Or Oreos if you really want to mix things ups!
Marshmallows
It’s marshmallows that give Rocky Road it’s distinctive look and differentiate it from the likes of Tiffin. This is one ingredient I would recommend keeping, above all others! Mini marshmallows are the easiest to use, and I’d recommend cutting up the larger ones.
Top Tip: If you are using larger marshmallows and need to cut them, use scissors. You will save yourself a lot of sticky grief.
Glace Cherries
Personally, I love a glace cherry and think they add a nice punch of candied sweetness to each mouthful. But if you aren’t a fan, you can easily swap these for raisins or dried cranberries.
Almonds or Hazelnuts
Nuts are an optional extra to Rocky Road but one I love. Almonds or Hazelnuts are the obvious ones, but you can add whichever nut is to your taste. And if you’re not a nut fan, just switch them out for some halved Maltesers instead.
Love this? Try this:
Rocky Road
INGREDIENTS
- 225 g Block Margarine or Butter
- 125 g Dark Chocolate
- 2 tbsp Golden Syrup (See Notes)
- 2 tbsp Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 320 g Digestive Biscuits (Graham Crackers)
- 50 g Marshmallows mini, or cut-up
- 50 g Glace Cherries (Candied Cherries) halved
- 50 g Blanched Almonds or Hazelnuts
- 50 g White Chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a 20 x 20cm (8 inch) baking tin with some greaseproof paper and set aside.
- Crush the digestive biscuits, either by pulsing in a blender or placing them in a freezer bag and hitting with a rolling pin. You want to leave some reasonable sized bits of biscuit to add some texture and crunch to your Rocky Road.
- Place into a large bowl. Add about ¾ of the marshmallows and all of the cherries & nuts. Set aside.
- Melt the dark chocolate, butter/margarine, golden syrup, sugar and cocoa powder over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave.
- Once completely melted, add to the bowl of digestives, marshmallows (ect...) and mix well, ensuring everything is coated in the chocolate mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into your pre-lined tray, pressing it down and paying special addition to the corners. Scatter the remaining marshmallows on top, pressing them into place.
- Melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave, before drizzling over the top of your Rocky Road to finish.
- Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight, before cutting into individual portions.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- For full explanations on each ingredient and possible substitutions, see the Ingredients section above.
- For hacks and advice on making free-from and vegan rocky road, see the Free-from & Vegan section below.
- Store your rocky road in an air-tight container and it will keep for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Free-from & Vegan
Gluten-free: To make this a gluten-free Rocky Road recipe , use gluten-free biscuits and double check the rest of your ingredients for any hidden gluten.
Nut-free: Instead of almonds or hazelnuts, swap out the nuts for Maltesers or some of your favourite cereal, to make this a nut-free Rocky Road recipe.
Vegan: To make this a vegan Rocky Road recipe, use dairy-free dark chocolate, block margarine and vegetarian marshmallows. Top with either dairy-free white chocolate or a dusting of icing sugar.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
Originally published in November 2020. Updated in February 2025.
Thank you to Naomi Seiler for creating the updated photos.
2 responses
RECIPE IS JUST WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR. I HAVE NOT MADE IT YET BUT I LIVE IN A CARE HOME, I’M 88 YEARS OLD AND WITH THE FESTIVE SEASON APPROACHING I AM MAKING SOME FUDGE, COCONUT ICE, ETC. WHICH I CAN PACK INTO CELLOPHANE AND PRETTY UP WITH RIBBONS.. SO MANY CARERS AND WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO AFFORD A SMALL GIFT FOR EVERYONE MAKING SOME EASY SWEETS WHICH I CAN DO AND WILL BE A LOVELY WAY
Wonderful taste and very easy.
Making some more for first meet up since last September with our grandchildren. Fingers crossed for picnic weather.