The first time I ate ‘Rocky Road’ was when I bought a bar of something called ‘Congleton Crunch’ in a cafe in Macclesfield about twenty years ago. Although Macclesfield has a reputation for being a rather upmarket place, it was sickly sweet and made with cheap plastically flavoured chocolate. Nonetheless, the idea of it still appealed to me and I craved opportunity to taste it again. Then I discovered Nigella had a recipe for it using real chocolate and it is to this recipe (& to the magnificent lady herself) that I owe the utmost homage and thanks, for it is the one on which I have based all my Rocky Road recipes ever since. Nigella’s recipe, found in her book Nigella Express is wonderful and you might ask, why would I even attempt to change it? Well, I suppose it’s because I’m a mother of six children who all like their Rocky Road different ways. I have an adult child who thinks dark chocolate is too bitter and a ten year old who thinks nothing is better! And then there is the one who wants to add raisins, but then I suppose that would technically make them tiffin bars, rather than rocky road!? Oh well…

The recipe that follows is the rocky road I make most often and which gets gobbled by all!

But first I wanted to show you how well used my Nigella recipe is – as the photograph below demonstrates! See how I have written “Consumption of these is a vital life sign!” Strong words!

 

My Dark and Milk Chocolate Rocky Road

It is essential that you use good quality chocolate to make this. Make sure your dark chocolate has 70% cocoa solids and that your milk chocolate has a minimum of 37% cocoa solids. I use Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate (either their cooking or eating chocolate bars) because it gives the best results in terms of texture & flavour and is readily available. And simply because it is beautiful chocolate, which is ethically produced and makes me feel virtuous when I buy it! Find them at https://www.greenandblacks.co.uk/ or at Sainsbury’s or Tesco’s, Booth’s, Acado, Waitrose & Asda.

 

The Ingredients

  • For the Rocky Road Bars
  • 125g butter
  • 100g best quality 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate
  • 200g best quality milk chocolate (minimum 37% cocoa solids)
  • 3 x 15ml tablespoons golden syrup
  • 100g Rich Tea biscuits
  • 50g white mini marshmallows
  • * * * * * * * * * * *
  • For the extra chocolate topping.
  • 60g butter
  • 70g best quality 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate
  • 140g best quality milk chocolate (minimum 37% cocoa solids)

Using a heavy based saucepan, gently melt 125g of the butter, 100g of the dark chocolate, 200g of the milk chocolate and the golden syrup, watching your mixture like a hawk so that the chocolate doesn’t burn.

Bash the biscuits inside a plastic food bag or wrapped inside a clean tea towel, until you have both crumbs and pieces of biscuit.

Stir the biscuit crumbs and pieces into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan.

Fold in the marshmallows.

 

Pour the mixture into an approximately 20cm square glass or ceramic dish and smooth out as best you can.

Take the remaining 60g butter, 70g dark chocolate and 140g milk chocolate and melt very gently in a bowl over a simmering pan of water until glossy.

Pour on top of your rocky road mixture and smooth out evenly.

Put into the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to eat it, cut straight from the fridge into smallish squares or rectangles. If you find it is too hard to cut straight from the fridge, then leave it for about ten minutes out of the fridge to soften very slightly. It’s completely up to you but I think this is best on the colder, harder side, so I would recommend keeping it in the fridge in between scoffing sessions!