Rocky Road Brownies
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Rocky Road Brownies are layers of goodness. Brownie, cheesecake, nuts, chocolate chips, and marshmallows all topped with a chocolate glaze.
Rocky Road Brownies… Can’t stop, won’t stop.
That is the theme for today’s post.
Namely, because I keep baking and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. And Halloween is OVER which means all of my favorite holidays are coming which means it’s totally a.o.k to start listening to Christmas music, decorate my house as such and bake with all the crazy goodies I like with no judgment from all of you. {Not that the judgments of others have stopped me in the past from making pumpkin recipes in July or Christmas cookies in February–>true story.}
But this time, these brownies aren’t so out of place because you can’t really pin them down or associate them with any given holiday.
WHY?
Because they belong at EVERY holiday. {After one bite, you will completely agree with me.}
Chocolate, cheesecake, nuts, marshmallows…all holiday neutral and all delicious.
The story behind me actually experimenting with rocky road brownies started long ago in a faraway land…
Just kidding.
Well, unless Florida is that far away land and long ago means 5 weeks.
I went on a Caribbean cruise. The morning before I boarded the ship, I went out to eat and the restaurant had rocky road brownies. So obviously, I ordered one and fell in love with it. It was divine and glorious.
So divine that I contacted the restaurant later that week asking for the recipe.
Did they give it to me? {Um, is the pope catholic? Is the sky blue? Do I have a thigh gap?} Of course they didn’t give me the recipe.
But that’s because I think they were using a recipe from the Pillsbury bake-off circa 1972! It’s the ONLY recipe I’ve found through my very thorough Pinterest browsing research to taste identical to the one I ate in Florida.
I ended up switching a few things within the Pillsbury recipe based on what I had at my house, but generally, these recipes are spot on delicious.
Lots of yummy, sweet layers in this decadent dessert bar. Totally ridiculous and out of control, but perfect for any holiday you feel like celebrating.
Printable recipe below. Have a sweet Monday, friends!
Rocky Road Brownies
Ingredients
- 18.9 oz. boxed brownie mix* 1 box
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup oil
- 2 eggs
for the cheesecake layer-
- 6 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
for the rocky road layer-
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
for the chocolate glaze-
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 2 oz. cream cheese
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, make brownie mix according to package directions. Pour into prepared pan and smooth out.
- In another bowl, whip all ingredients together for cheesecake layer until completely smooth, about 45 seconds. Dollop across the top of the brownie batter and spread over top.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until bars are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Top with mini marshmallows and return to oven for 3 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat butter, milk, chocolate, and cream cheese together until completely melted. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle over the entire pan, being sure to cover all the marshmallows. {It's ok if you miss a few, but there should be plenty of glaze!}
- Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until glaze is set before slicing. I find it best to refrigerate at least 4 hours for easier cutting. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
other sweet recipes you might like:
Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hot Pot Chocolate Cookies Recipe
These look so scrumptious!! I love all the layers and textures. Definitely going to try!
Holy guacamole, these look amazing! And just when I thought the Halloween indulgences were ending… haha
Can this be baked in a sheet pan ? If so any recipe modifications to be done ? Thanks in advance
Thank you so much for posting this. I made these every Christmas for more than 20 years and this year one of my sons asked for the recipe. I had the bake off booklet and now I’m afraid gave it away in the process of sorting them out. As soon as I saw your picture, I knew it was the right one and was able to find it on the Pillsbury site. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I have.
I just “re-found” this on one of my Pinterest boards and so think I need to make soon.
Why can I not pin your recipes anymore??
WHY CANT I SHARE THESE. RECIPES TO
MYSELF ???
I WANT TO MAKE BUT DO NOT HAVE PRINTER TO
PRINT THEM
Where are you wanting to share them?
I’m adding these to my holiday baking list!
I just started following and I love your recipes and stories!! Thank you for sharing!!
[…] Bars from Lauren’s Latest Red Velvet Oreo Brownies from Sally’s Baking Addiction Rocky Road Brownies from Lauren’s […]
These are hands down my new favorite brownie! We put walnuts only on half of the brownies (for the adults) and left the other half without nuts for the kids. Everyone loved them.
I preferred the brownies with the nuts—that extra crunch just took the brownies over the top, and cut the sweetness just enough.
Seriously. So. Dang. Good.
Thanks, Lauren!