These easy rocky road cookies are thick, fudgy with crispy edges, and packed full of gooey marshmallows, chocolate, and almonds. They’re a one bowl recipe and whip up so fast! You don’t need any fancy mixers for this one - just a wire whisk will do thanks to the melted butter. If you’re like me and constantly forget to leave your butter out to soften, then this recipe is for you. You can't have them any easier!
To make these rocky road cookies not just taste but also appear perfect, I have a couple of tips up my sleeve. First of all, us a cookie scoop or your hands to roll the cookie dough into balls before baking. This will help them spread out to be perfectly round. You also want to top the cookie dough with all the toppings. In this case, it’s chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) and almonds. Lastly, as soon as they come out of the oven, you want to push any uneven edges back into the cookies with a spoon. You can also scoot them by shaking a larger round cookie cutter (or bowl) over the cookie to even out the edges. Lastly, don’t forget the sprinkling of flaky salt for a bit of extra texture and flavour!
Those toasty mallows
While the rocky road cookies are still warm, I like to top them with more marshmallows. Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast them before serving or use as is. Make sure you’re not toasting them on a piece of parchment paper because that might end up lighting on fire.
I tried topping the cookies with marshmallows before baking but they ended up overcooking and became hard shells that would just get stuck in my teeth. Also, if I had kept them in the oven a minute longer they would have started to burn and would have lit my parchment paper on fire.
Make sure the rocky road cookies are served warm so that the marshmallows and chocolate stay gooey! If you’re eating leftovers, I definitely recommend reheating them slightly.
FAQ
Chilling the cookies firms up the butter, which reduces spread while baking. This will result in a thicker and fudgier cookie. Chilling will also give time for the moisture in the dough to hydrate the flour, concentrating the flavours. The sugar will continue to dissolve and you get a stronger and deeper flavour.
I do not recommend skipping the chill time. If you’re short of time, pop the cookie dough balls into the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. This will chill them enough for them to spread less in the oven.
The key to making perfectly round cookies each time is to scoot the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. You can use a round cookie cutter that’s slightly larger than the cookie or a bowl. Place the cookie cutter on top of the cookie and shake it around the cookie sheet over the cookie to push the uneven edges back into the cookie. This gives you a perfectly round cookie each time!
I recommend using mini marshmallows in this recipe. You can also use larger marshmallows that have been snipped into pieces with scissors. I don’t recommend using mallow bites because they won’t melt and become all stretchy. For a vegetarian option, try finding gelatin free marshmallows. If you don’t want to use any marshmallows you don’t need to! Just bake them as is.
For fudgy cookies, do not overbake. Stick to about 10 minutes baking time for ultra fudgy cookies. If you make your cookies smaller, the cookies will bake faster so keep that in mind.
Make sure that you measure the flour properly. Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Key Ingredients
Full ingredients and recipe are in the recipe card below. Read through this section for all the ingredients substitution and baking tips!
Melted butter: Use good quality real butter for the best results. It needs to be completely melted and cooled only slightly. It is ok if it’s still warm.
Brown sugar: Use packed old fashioned brown sugar for the best results. Brown sugar is what is going to make the cookies perfectly chewy and give it a delicious deep flavour.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Natural cocoa powder: Natural cocoa powder will give the cookies a rich chocolate flavour. I don’t recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder because it isn’t acidic and won’t give you the best texture in the case of these cupcakes. Natural cocoa powder reacts with the baking soda in this recipe to give them a bit of lift.
Baking soda: I use baking soda for giving these cookies the slightest bit of lift. Do not substitute with baking powder.
Marshmallows: I use mini marshmallows for this recipe. You can also use larger marshmallows cut into pieces. I don't recommend using mallow bits (see faq section above).
Chopped chocolate: Use a mixture of good quality milk and dark chocolate for the most complex chocolate flavour. You can use chocolate chips instead if you prefer but I love the shards of chopped chocolate. You can use just dark (semisweet) or milk chocolate if you prefer.
Roasted almonds: Lightly roasted almonds give the best flavour. Chop them up roughly into pieces and you’re all set! You can substitute any other roasted nut you prefer instead of the almonds. Pecans and peanuts will work great!
Process
- Combine melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla and whisk (by hand or with a mixer) until thickens and falls off the whisk in ribbons.
- Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into the bowl. Fold just until you stop seeing any ribbons of dry flour.
- Add ½ cup chopped chocolate (milk and dark), ¾ cup marshmallows, and ⅓ cup chopped almonds into the dough and fold.
- Let the dough set in the freezer for 5 minutes so that it firms up enough to scoop.
- Scoop or roll the dough into 14 equal balls (I use a large cookie scoop) and place onto a baking sheet. Top each dough ball with the rest of the chopped chocolate and almonds.
- Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or overnight. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Arrange cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with at least 3” in between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly set on the edges. If you like fudgy cookies, bake them for shorter and if you prefer crispier cookies, bake for longer.
- Top the cookies with the rest of the marshmallows as soon as they come out of the oven. Push in any uneven edges with a spoon or shake a larger round cookie cutter (or bowl) over the cookie to even out the edges.
- Let the rocky road cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. You can carefully broil the marshmallows with a kitchen torch to toast them gently. Do not torch them on parchment paper because it will burn. Sprinkle with flaky salt (optional).
Check out my other one bowl cookie recipes:
- Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies – Soft & Chewy
Happy baking! xx
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📖 Recipe
Rocky Road Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup melted butter slightly cooled
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour 210g
- ½ cup natural cocoa powder 50g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 cup milk and dark chocolate chopped
- ½ cup almonds roasted and chopped
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt optional
Instructions
- Combine melted butter, sugars, and salt in a large bowl, whisk until smooth.1 cup melted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add egg and vanilla and whisk (by hand or with a mixer) until thickens and falls off the whisk in ribbons.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda into the bowl. Fold just until you stop seeing any ribbons of dry flour.1 ¾ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Add ½ cup chopped chocolate (milk and dark), ¾ cup marshmallows, and ⅓ cup chopped almonds into the dough and fold.1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 cup milk and dark chocolate, ½ cup almonds
- Let the dough set in the freezer for 5 minutes so that it firms up enough to scoop.
- Scoop or roll the dough into 14 equal balls and place onto a baking sheet. Top each dough ball with the rest of the chopped chocolate and almonds.
- Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes or overnight. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Arrange cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with at least 3” in between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly set on the edges. If you like fudgy cookies, bake them for shorter and if you prefer crispier cookies, bake for longer.
- Top the cookies with the rest of the marshmallows as soon as they come out of the oven. Push in any uneven edges with a spoon or shake a larger round cookie cutter (or bowl) over the cookie to even out the edges.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. You can carefully broil the marshmallows with a kitchen torch to toast them gently. Do not torch them on parchment paper because it will burn. Sprinkle with flaky salt (optional).½ teaspoon flaky salt
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