Loaded with goodies such as nuts, shortbread, coconut & cherries these easy No-Bake Rocky Road Krispie Treats are a chocolate lover’s dream come true. Dig in.
These Rocky Road Rice Krispie Treats need little in the way of introduction. Quite simply they are a combination of two childhood classics: Rice Krispie Treats and Rocky Road Bars. As expected, they are:
- Sweet
- Chocolatey
- Extravagant
These little squares are the ultimate fantasy for anybody with a hankering for the sweet, indulgent and, some might say, over-the-top, little pleasures in life.
I could rest my case right here. But I’m not going to do that. I have a little more to say.
Confession: I have an inability to create a recipe without first researching my facts to ensure I’m spot on before I label something. I blame this little habit of mine on my former life as an Economist.
So when I started to think about creating these Rocky Road Krispie Treats, I decided to just confirm what exactly Rocky Road was since it wasn’t exactly high on the café menu when I grew up.
Ingredients for Rocky Road Krispie Treats
Unsurprisingly, the world over, Rocky Road typically consists of marshmallow and chocolate. But here’s where it gets interesting. Rocky Road also contains a multitude of scrumptious extras, which vary depending whereabouts in the world you happen to live. Roughly speaking, the difference can be broken down into 3 geographical areas:
- America
- Australia
- United Kingdom
The bonus goodies most commonly present in Rocky Road in each of these locations are:
- America: almonds or walnuts
- Australia: coconut, cherries, peanuts and Turkish Delight (oh boy)
- United Kingdom: biscuits
Having discovered this little snippet of information, I felt a bit foxed. I couldn’t decide which version to go with. In the end, I decided to take my favourite parts of each one and create the ultimate stack of Rocky Road Rice Krispie Treats. These International squares come laden with
- Almonds (Hello America)
- Coconut, cherries and peanuts (Hello Australia)
- Shortbread biscuits (Hello United Kingdom)
Having made the decision to go crazy and add a fair few extras (5 to be precise), I really wasn’t sure if I may have overdone things. Heck, I wasn’t even sure it would all hold together.
But it’s good news all around. These loaded chocolate krispie treats do stick together just like regular Krispie Treats. Even the topping of mini marshmallows politely stays put.
Tastewise, the nuts and the coconut add a savoury edge to the blend, which tempers the sweetness of the other ingredients beautifully. The shortbread adds a delicious crunch to the mix and those dried cherries add a nifty little burst of zingy, fruity freshness.
These chocolate krispie treats are simple to make and incredibly fun. They’ve even passed the ultimate test in my house – my husband’s taste buds. My man is not a massive chocolate fan. He leans more towards caramel and fruity flavours. And have I mentioned that he can be extremely critical? Some people have been known to call him picky. This means that whenever I want his opinion on something chocolatey, it really has to impress to get his seal of approval.
Unlike the rest of my household, Mr Picky wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement when I revealed these Rocky Road Krispie Treats. However, one bite and he revised his assessment. Like me, he thought the nuts went superbly well with the rest of the ingredients. And Mr P was delighted to discover that although these squares are sweet, they are not excessively so. Huge hit. Big win.
And now I rest my case.
If you are majorly into Rice Krispie Treats have you seen my other recipes?
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
- Rudolph Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
- Millionaire’s Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
Rocky Road Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 50 g/ 2 oz Butter
- 180 g/ 6.5 oz Marshmallows
- 90 g/ 3 oz Rice Krispies
- 3 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon Dessicated coconut
- 3 tablespoon Milk chocolate chips
- 80 g/ 3oz All butter shortbread (shop bought or homemade)
- 50 g/ 2 oz Dried cherries
- 25 g/ 1oz Unsalted peanuts
- 25 g/ 1oz Blanched almonds
- 75 g/ 3oz Mini marshmallows
Instructions
Preparation – see notes
- Grease and line a deep 20cm x 20cm tin with baking parchment
- Sieve the cocoa into a small bowl
- Roughly chop the nuts & shortbread and put into a separate small bowl along with the coconut
- Chop the cherries in half and put into another bowl along with the chocolate chips and the Rice Krispies
- Split the mini marshmallows into 2 bowls – one containing 25g, the other containing 50g
Begin to bake
- Start by putting the butter and large marshmallows into a large, heavy based saucepan, put onto a moderate heat and alow everything to melt, stirring frequently to prevent burning
- Once the marshmallows have melted and are thoroughly combined with the butter tip in the sieved cocoa and stir with a wooden spoon, until mixed in (if any lumps remain give a quick beat with a mini hand whisk)
- Working quickly as the mix will begin to set, tip in the nuts and coconut. Stir briefly
- Add the Rice Krispies, cherries, shortbread and chocolate chips. Stir until well mixed
- Add the 25g bowl of mini marshmallows and stir through
- Tip the mix into the baking tin and press it firmly down, so that it spreads into all of the corners and you get a compact, level surface. (I find I can spread the mixture well if I use the cellophane wrapper from the marshmallows)
- Once level scatter the reaming 50g mini marshmallows onto the top and press them down with your hands to help them stick
- Set aside for 30-45 minutes until completely cold then cut into 16 squares
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Erica Schwarz
These are so clever and DELICIOUS! such interesting ingredients, and they come together for an amazing treat.
Jane Saunders
Don’t they just – thanks for letting me know how you found them.
Jennifer A Stewart
I love the information on the variations. I would have never thought to use biscuits instead of the nuts. I have only had mine with walnuts and almonds but thinking about redoing my entire recipe!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Jen – you could of course try several different combinations – I won’t judge
Michele Hall
I like the combo you’ve come up with! And the cute way you displayed the bars on the pink polka dot papers make me think this will be perfect for a baby shower Im hosting in a few weeks! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Michele. Yes, they definitely have a feminine edge to them with the pink marshmallows too – go for it.
Sandi (@fearless_dining)
What a fun idea for a treat. I would have to hold myself back from eating all of the marshmallows first.
Jane Saunders
Thanks Sandi. I did not eat
many marshmallows during the baking or the photoshoot…..Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
I love how rocky road varies between countries, but your method of taking a bit from each is perfect!
This is a totally awesome idea too, they look delish!
Jane Saunders
Yeah, it’s really good to discover a few variations out there. I’m so glad I have an anal side to my personality as it leads me to discover such things.
Lynn | The Road to Honey
Is it really ever possible to overdo things? Then again. . .I am the queen of overdone. . .so you know I dig these and all their glorious worldliness. Speaking of which. . .I had no idea that Rocky Road wore so many different hats. That is truly fascinating. I just love the thought of these little beauties having so many different stamps in their passport. A very well traveled treat indeed. P.S.. Seems the hubby likes the American taste. Come on over!!!
Jane Saunders
And I love your creations, but I would definitely call them works of art, so don’t ever reign in your extravagant tendancies. Anyway, re these, I’m just packing my case and will be with you in maybe 12 hours to try out the authentic American version.
Tracy
Oh neat! I had no idea Rocky Road varied on region! Great info and whoa this looks totally extravagant! Yum!!
Jane Saunders
Finding out trivial bits info like this is definitely one of the plus points of blogging.
Tamara
Definitely over the top Jane! So much goodness in each bite 🙂 I love the tidbits of information on the geographical areas and their “scrumptious additions!” Mmmm… I might have to try it.
Jane Saunders
Haha. All the best sweet treats are 🙂
Miranda
I love the pink marshmallows on top! They add such a fun pop of color!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Miranda. I love biting into those little fellas too 🙂
Kim @ The Baking ChocolaTess
I am a Rocky Road lover, so drooling right now! Pinning and visiting from Saucy Saturdays! 🙂
Jane Saunders
haha. Make yourself some quickly so you can quit the drooling and get stuck in!