Rocky Road Chocolate Bark
It’s likely that for most people, rocky road was an ice cream flavor that was introduced early and loved often. We are the exception to the rule. Never once did we have rocky road ice cream growing up. Maybe it was due to our family’s love of soft serve vs. “regular” ice cream, or maybe because we overwhelmingly preferred vanilla ice cream to chocolate. Whatever the case, rocky road never made it onto our radar until we were in our late 20’s. This is shaping up like a Greek tragedy, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it has a happy ending! Almost four years ago, we made our first trek to visit our Chief Culinary Consultant. One of the first things we noticed was that if you looked out the living room window of his apartment, directly across the street, lit up in all of its neon-sign glory, was Marble Slab. Ice cream heaven within walking distance?! This was downright magical. We made the most of that walk across the street many, many, many times. Summer, spring, fall or winter, it didn’t matter. We ran across one cold night in the middle of January during halftime of a Steelers playoff game. They went on to win that game, and then the Bowl a few weeks later. We think it was the ice cream magic. Our Chief Culinary Consultant’s favorite concoction there was the rocky road. He almost died when we said we'd never had it, so he insisted we try it. It was a mixture of incredibly rich chocolate ice cream, tons of mini marshmallows, chunks of walnuts and chocolate chips. We were in love. We can’t even tell you how many waffle bowls of rocky road ice cream we demolished over the course of a few years, but the number is sizable. As is the number of white shirts that now bear chocolate ice cream stains (oops).
The thing is, the memorable deliciousness that is rocky road should not be confined to ice cream alone. It has so much potential.
You’ve probably figured out by now that we have a serious thing for chocolate bark. It started many, many years ago when we began making a simple peppermint bark for the holidays and has blossomed into “what other flavor combinations can we turn into chocolate bark?!” we've done pistachio and cranberry, toffee pretzel, salted caramel cashew, and even one with leftover Halloween candy. Even though we've eaten it all year round, rocky road definitely makes us think of summer. Maybe it’s the combination of marshmallows and chocolate, which we naturally associate with s’mores. Something made a light bulb go off this week, connecting rocky road and chocolate bark. Isn’t it beautiful how food ideas can come together?!
Now, since our first foray into rocky road included walnuts, we naturally assumed that was the norm for rocky road. Then all of a sudden, we started seeing the ice cream at the store and almost all of it had almonds in it. Which was right?! Our foodie head hurt. One speedy trip to Wikipedia and it was all sorted out… apparently William Dreyer (one-half of the original partnership behind what is now Edy’s ice cream) used his wife’s sewing scissors to cut up walnuts and marshmallows and added them to his chocolate ice cream. Later, the walnuts would be replaced by almonds.
So, there you have it! Walnuts or almonds, it’s up to you! Or maybe you prefer peanuts? Throw those in! The only rule we have, which we feel strongly about when making any kind of bark, is to use a house standby chocolate you can find/afford. With such a pronounced amount of chocolate, you want the good stuff!
One year ago: Jalapeño Popper Dip
Two years ago: How to Make Reliable From-scratch Popcorn
Three years ago: The Signature Salad
Four years ago: Black-and-White Banana Loaf
Rocky Road Chocolate Bark
Yield: 8 servings (About 1 pound of bark) From-scratch chocolate bark stuffed full of your favorites!- 16 ounces (453.59 g) good-quality milk or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup (75 g) miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup (117 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or in 30-second intervals in the microwave on 50% power, stirring after each). Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Add the marshmallows and walnuts and stir to combine.
- Spread the chocolate mixture onto the prepared pan in an even layer, covering about a 7x7-inch space. It doesn't have to be reliable, but that's a good guideline.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until set.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bark into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Note: we recommend Ghiradelli or Lindt chocolate. Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 8 servings (About 1 pound of bark)
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Total: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ( 453.59 g ) good-quality milk or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup ( 75 g ) miniature marshmallows
- 1 cup ( 117 g ) coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate over a double boiler (or in 30-second intervals in the microwave on 50% power, stirring after each). Once the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Add the marshmallows and walnuts and stir to combine.
- Spread the chocolate mixture onto the prepared pan in an even layer, covering about a 7x7-inch space. It doesn't have to be reliable, but that's a good guideline.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until set.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bark into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
