Can you resist this easy rocky road tray bake? Gorgeous little pieces of chocolate containing nuts, marshmallows, raisins and digestive biscuits. These rocky road bars make the perfect chocolate treat! Ideal for dessert or a snack and just as popular wth adults as with kids!
Another dessert in so short a time! This time I'm sharing this gorgeous rocky road tray bake which is the BEST way to satisfy any chocolate cravings you may have. It's a super simple rocky road recipe and in fact, no baking is involved. So I probably shouldn't even call it a tray bake. Never mind, it looks like a tray bake and where chocolate, nuts, marshmallow and biscuit pieces are concerned, who cares about the name!
What is rocky road?
Rocky road is a homemade chocolate snack or dessert made with melted chocolate and golden syrup. Different fillings can be added with the simplest ones including just marshmallows and biscuit pieces. When the chocolate has set, it is cut into bars or squares.
As well as marshmallows and biscuit pieces you can add all sorts of other ingredients. Common rocky road ingredients include: nuts, dried fruit, glace cherries, coconut, honeycomb, popcorn, jelly sweets or hard sugar coated sweets such as smarties.
How can you make this rocky road different?
Now, traditionally in a rocky road bar, all the ingredients are mixed together. When I first made this I decided to make my rocky road a little differently. My husband is not a big fan of raisins and some people I know are not keen on nuts.
So, I used these ingredients as toppings and made 4 slightly different variations but still in one tray. I divided the tray into 4 sections. One quarter was decorated with macadamia nuts only. The next one with raisins only. Then nuts and sultanas. The final quarter did not have anything on the top.
All 4 sections did of course have digestive biscuit pieces and marshmallows inside.
I have to admit though that these days I mix everything in together as otherwise my kids pick the nuts and raisins off the top!
Ingredients for rocky road tray bake bars
To make these rocky road square you'll need:
- Dark chocolate - Dark chocolate is better as it has a stronger chocolate flavour and is a little less sweet. Most of the fillings are pretty sweet too.
- Butter - Unsalted or salted is fine.
- Golden syrup - If you don't have golden syrup you can use maple syrup, honey or agave nectar instead.
- Vanilla extract - This is optional but I like to add some as I think it adds to the flavour.
- Digestive biscuits - You can use a different kind of biscuit if you like. Try shortbread, gingernuts or even biscuits like Oreos or custard creams
- Mini marshmallows
- Macadamia nuts - You can use a different kind of nut. Hazelnuts work well and so do almonds and pistachios.
- Raisins - Feel free to use currants, sultanas or even diced dried apricots or another dried fruit.
How do you make rocky road squares?
Rocky road is one of the easiest sweet treats to make as it is a no-bake snack. Just melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup together. You can do this in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Or you can put the bowl in the microwave.
If heating in the microwave, heat for about 40 seconds. Then stir. Heat again for about 20 seconds. Stir. Keep repeating this process until you have a smooth chocolate mixture.
Then just stir in the biscuit pieces and marshmallows. Pour the mixture into a square tin lined with non-stick baking paper.
If you are adding different toppings to different parts of the rocky road, add them after you have transfered the mixture to the tin.
If you want every piece to have every ingredient in, stir everything in before transferring to the tin.
Can you adapt this rocky road tray bake recipe?
You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your tastes and those of the people you're making it for. Be adventurous with the rocky road fillings. Choose your favourite nuts, favourite sweets or dried fruit. As long as you keep the proportions similar then it'll be just fine.
You can make it look more attractive by sprinkling extra marshmallows over the top and drizzling on melted white chocolate. Alternatively you can add a sprinkling of icing sugar.
Ultimately rocky road is a treat and you want it to be a treat. Go on treat yourself!
How long does it keep for?
Rocky road will keep fresh for quite a while if you can manage not to eat it all at once! If you keep it in a tin at room temperature then it will keep for a couple of weeks but if you store it in the fridge it will keep for at least a month.
Can you freeze it?
Yes. Rocky road freezes well. Wrap it in baking paper and before eating, defrost it overnight in the fridge.
If you freeze it in individual portions you can just take out a piece or two whenever you want and it will defrost quite quickly just at room temperature.
When to eat rocky road bars?
These rocky road bars are the ideal sweet snack. I love to have one with my morning and afternoon coffee. They are also really popular with our children as a dessert or snack too.
If you're having a Christmas, New Year or Birthday party they will definitely go down a treat. Indeed, whatever special occasion you make them for, you can guarantee they will disappear quickly!
More chocolate recipes
If you're a chocolate fan you might like one of these recipes too:
- Chocolate cheesecake dip
- Chocolate raspberry pots
- Strawberry chocolate banana muffins
- Double chocolate chip cookies
- Mary Berry's American style chocolate cheesecake
- No bake chocolate refrigerator cake
Recipe
Rocky Road Tray Bake
Ingredients
- 250 g dark chocolate
- 100 g butter
- 2 tablespoon golden syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g digestive biscuits broken up into pieces
- 36 g mini marshmallows
- 30 g macadamia nuts chopped in half
- 30 g raisins
Instructions
- Melt chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl above a pan of boiling water. When melted and thoroughly combined add the vanilla.
- Add the chopped biscuits to the chocolate. Stir to combine then add the marshmallows and stir in too.
- Line a tin with baking paper and add the chocolate mixture. Dividing the tin into quarters, decorate one with macadamia nuts only, one with raisins only, one with nuts and raisins and one quarter without anything on the top. Alternatively, stir all the ingredients together at stage 2.
- Leave to cool. When cool put in the refrigerator to finish setting.
- Cut into bite sized squares and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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The Food Hunter
Yummy!
Aparna
Great idea to divide these into 4 to cater to different tastes. 🙂
Thanks for sending them in to SHF: Bite Size Desserts.