As the end of 2020 approaches, I think we can all agree it’s been one heck of year. With that in mind, lets get a traybake that throws caution to the wind and ticks 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 been an essential in me getting through this whirlwind of a year.
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 (firmly is now though!), purely because I didn’t like the Rocky Roads I have tried. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your 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.
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 mixed 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 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 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 help balance this out and keep things sweet.
Cocoa Powder
Because you can never have too much chocolate!
Digestive Biscuits
The old favourite biscuit for Rocky Road, or in fact any traybake here in the UK. The 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 separate 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. However you can easily swap these for raisins if you’re not a fan.
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 whatever suits your taste. And if you’re not a nut fan, simply switch them out for some halved Maltesers.
Free-from & Vegan
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free biscuits and double check the rest of your ingredients for hidden gluten.
Nut-free: Instead of almonds or hazelnuts, swap out the nuts for Maltesers or some of your favourite cereal.
Vegan: Use dairy-free dark chocolate, block margarine and vegetarian marshmallows. Top with either dairy-free white chocolate or a dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
- 225 g Butter or Block Margarine
- 125 g Dark Chocolate
- 2 tbsp Golden Syrup
- 2 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 320 g Digestive Biscuits
- 50 g Marshmallows ((mini or cut-up))
- 50 g Glace Cherries ((halved))
- 50 g Blanched Almonds or Hazelnuts
- 50 g White Chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 20x20cm baking tray 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 3/4 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 4 hours or ideally overnight, before cutting into individual portions.
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.