You’ll love my Easy Christmas Rocky Road made from scratch. This easy no-bake recipe takes only minutes to prepare, but it looks and tastes amazing. It’s perfect for Christmas or holiday gift-giving.
‘Tis the season for rocky road ❤️ And I mean rocky road with ALL the trimmings. Creamy milk chocolate and dark chocolate loaded with roasted macadamias, crispy pistachios, chewy cranberries, mini marshmallows, AND Turkish delight.
It’s the rocky road of ALL ROCKY ROADS.
This beautiful and easy Christmas Rocky Road is perfect for the festive season and will delight sweet-tooths of all ages.
Why you will love this recipe
- Crunchy and chewy: My Christmas Rocky Road is chewy, crispy, crunchy and tastes AMAZING!
- Quick and easy: This simple rocky road is quick and easy to make – you don’t need an electric mixer and you don’t have to turn the oven on.
- Make-ahead: You can easily make it ahead of time for easy holiday entertaining or delightful Christmas gifts.
- Holiday favourite: It’s sure to become your holiday treat – it’s a tradition in our house!
Simple and delicious! I make this recipe every year. This is the perfect template to be able to customize for individual preferences and makes such a fun gift at the holidays.
– Alyssa
Recipe testing
It is no secret that I love all things rocky road. And I think you do too. Over the years, we’ve made Nutella Rocky Road and White Chocolate Rocky Road and even Rocky Road Fudge. And most recently, Pavlova Rocky Road 😱
But Christmas calls for something special, and this Rocky Road is over-the-top in the best kind of way. We’ve taken all the good things in the life and combined them to make one festive no bake treat.
First, we swapped the more traditional peanut, for roasty, salty macadamias and crispy pistachios. In addition to chewy marshmallows, we also added a handful of cranberries, and sticky pieces of Turkish delight. Then we covered it ALL in a delightful mix of both milk and dark chocolate.
It’s a chewy, crunchy, sticky sweet treat. You can make it ahead of time for Christmas gifts and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. Perfect for the busy holiday season.
Ingredients
You only need six ingredients to make my easy rocky road recipe. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you will need, including any substitutions you can make:
- Chocolate: I recommend using a good quality block of chocolate for this recipe, rather than chocolate chips or chocolate melts. I like to use a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate (70% cocoa), but you can use whatever chocolate you prefer.
- Macadamia nuts: Use roasted and salted macadamias for a special treat. Otherwise, you can use peanuts or cashews – whatever nut you prefer. Using roasted nuts helps really bring out the flavour and balance the sweetness. But if you only have raw nuts on hand, you can use those as well.
- Turkish delight: To make this Christmas Rocky Road just a little more special (and Christmassy), I like to add some chopped Turkish delight. You can use chocolate covered Turkish delight or uncoated. Or you can swap in your favourite red lolly or candy.
- Mini marshmallows: Mini marshmallows work really well in this recipe, however if you only have big ones on hand, you can use those too!
- Pistachio nuts: Nothing says Christmas like pistachios and cranberries. You can use raw or toasted pistachios here. You can even use salted pistachios if you like a bit of sweet and salty.
- Cranberries: Dried cranberries work best – even the reduced sugar cranberries will work fine here. Alternatively, you can use whatever dried fruit you prefer. See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Christmas Rocky Road
This Christmas Rocky Road slice is super quick and easy to make. Here’s how you make it in four simple steps.
Step 1: Place chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl. Heat in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Add macadamia nuts, Turkish delight, mini marshmallows, pistachios and cranberries. Stir until all the mix-in’s are completely coated in chocolate.
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Step 3: Pour chocolate mixture into prepare pan and smooth the top.
Step 4: Add a few extra mix-in’s on top of the rocky road. Then chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
What chocolate should I use?
The better quality chocolate you can use, the better your rocky road will be.
I prefer to use a block of good quality chocolate, rather than melts or chocolate chips. My advice is to choose chocolate that’s nice enough to eat on its own (not the cheap and nasty kind).
And no, it doesn’t have to be baking chocolate. A regular block of your favourite chocolate will work too!
To ensure your Christmas Rocky Road is well-balanced and not too sweet, I like to use a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate.
However, you can use all milk chocolate or all dark chocolate if you prefer or melted white chocolate. Or you might even want to try my White Chocolate Rocky Road.
Make it your own
I absolutely love this Christmas Rocky Road as is, but here are a few ways you can mix it up and make it your own.
- Chocolate: I prefer to use a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate (semi-sweet). But you can really use whatever chocolate you like, e.g. all milk, all dark or even white chocolate.
- Nuts: Macadamia nuts and pistachios work really well in this recipe, but you can use other nuts like almonds, hazelnuts or cashews if you prefer. Or if you’d rather a nut-free version, add 1 cup of additional mix-in’s, e.g. more marshmallows, cranberries or Turkish delight. Coconut, chocolate chips or other dried fruit will also work well. Fresh orange zest is a lovely addition too.
- Marshmallows: Try swapping the mini marshmallows for big ones!
- Turkish delight: I like to use chocolate coated Turkish delight, but regular Turkish delight will work just fine too. Alternatively, you could swap this for another soft jelly lolly or even glaced cherries. Candy canes also work well for a mint twist or spearmint leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely! You can use a double boiler to melt chocolate instead of the microwave. Simply sit a heatproof bowl on top of a saucepan on low heat that has a few inches of simmering water in it. Ensure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir gently by hand to melt the chocolate.
Yes! Just add 1 cup of additional mix-in’s, e.g. more marshmallows, cranberries or Turkish delight or another mix-in of your choosing.
Slice your rocky road at room temperature. Use a sharp knife. You can even dip your knife in hot water between each slice. I find bringing the rocky road back to room temperature before slicing works well.
Keep your Rocky Road in the fridge in an airtight container. It’ll keep well for 1-2 weeks.
Yes you can! Merry Christmas!
More Christmas recipes to try
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Let’s Bake
Easy Christmas Rocky Road
A truly special Christmas Rocky Road perfect for holiday gift-giving.
Ingredients
- 400 grams (2 and 2/3 cups) good quality dark chocolate (50-70% cocoa)
- 200 grams (1 and 1/3 cup) good quality milk chocolate
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) roasted salted macadamias, plus extra to decorate
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) Turkish delight, plus extra to decorate
- 60 grams (1 cup) mini marshmallows
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) pistachios, plus extra to decorate
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) dried cranberries, plus extra to decorate
Instructions
- Grease and line an 8-inch square pan with baking or parchment paper, ensuring two sides overhang.
- Place dark and milk chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
- Roughly chop macadamia nuts and Turkish delight. Then add macadamias, Turkish delight, marshmallows, pistachios, and cranberries to the melted chocolate. Gently stir until all the mix-ins are coated in chocolate.
- Pour chocolate rocky road mixture into prepared pan and spread out into one even layer. Decorate the top with extra pistachios, macadamias, cranberries and Turkish Delight while the chocolate is still wet.
- Place in the fridge for at least one hour or until set. Cut into small pieces to serve.
Notes
Nuts: You can use other nuts like almonds, hazelnuts or cashews. Or if you’d rather a nut-free version, add 1 cup of additional mix-in’s, e.g. more marshmallows, cranberries or Turkish delight. Coconut, chocolate chips or other dried fruit will also work well.
Turkish delight: I like to use chocolate coated Turkish delight, but regular Turkish delight will work just fine too. Alternatively, you could swap this for another soft jelly lolly or glaced cherries.
Marshmallows: You can use large marshmallows instead of mini ones if you prefer.
Storage: Keep Rocky Road in an airtight container in the fridge. I prefer to bring it back to room temperature to serve.
Nutrition Information
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Angela Hurrell says
I want to make your Easy Fruit Cake but would like to add nuts also. Which do you recommend and how much for that recipe? Also, if I use S.R. flour how much should I use? Some recipes suggest some BP even with S.R. flour? good idea or not? Also the cake recipe I usually use with unsweetened apple juice I omit sugar. We prefer it not too sweet!
Would appreciate your advice please. Angela Zimbabwean retiree
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Angela, thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely add nuts to my Easy Fruit Cake recipe. I think 1/3 cup or so would work fine! I would recommend using plain flour and baking powder as listed if you can. They can differ from brand to brand but most SR flours contain between 1.5-2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup, so it would probably be slightly more baking powder than listed in the recipe if you swapped the plain flour for SR flour. As for the sugar, that’s also hard to recommend without trying myself. Sugar not only adds sweetness but moisture, flavour and colour. In saying that, I’m sure you could reduce the sugar by 25% without altering the end result too much. I hope you enjoy it!
Alayne says
Hi do you pour the whole batter into the 8×8 tin or just half of it?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi! I pour all of it into the 8-inch pan.
Anne says
Love this recipe although expensive. I also add chopped Clinkers lollies. It’s a must every Christmas as gifts for friends. I had to make 3 last year as someone was always sneaking chunks. This year I planned to make only one but now have to make another to take to family on Christmas Day. Thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Anne! Thank you for your kind feedback.
Alyssa says
Simple and delicious!!! I make this recipe every year. This is the perfect template to be able to customize for individual preferences and makes such a fun gift at the holidays. My favorite variation has mini marshmallows, dried cherries, and roasted pistachios. Thanks for another great recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh dried cherries sounds so good! So glad you love this one Alyssa!
Dale says
How long does this last out of the refrigerator? I’m wondering if I can mail it out for Christmas gifts.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dale, it’s hard to say because it will depend on the type of chocolate you use and the climate etc. Darker chocolate tends to fair better at room temperature, while milk chocolate will melt faster.
Blitzo says
HI Jessica, thanks for this good recipe, made this recipe yesterday and most of my families said it was the best Rocky Road they have ever taste.. I used white chocolate buttons and Turkish delight without the chocolate coating.
Jessica Holmes says
Yaaay! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
David says
I’m still playing round with the ratios. When I made this it was a lot of chocolate and less other things. The cranberries, macadamias taste great. I’ll make it again but I’ll add Extra Turkish delight and cranberries. I Might add some ginger too.
I used a combo of milk and dark chocolate- milk chocolate had a much lower melting point – important f you live in sub-tropics like I do because the greater the ratio of milk choccy it will get quite soft n summer out n the bench.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the feedback David!
Karen says
Absolutely delicious!!! Made this for Christmas party. Wow!! Everybody absolutely loved it. So the recipe was very much in demand. Some of the comments were Best rocky road I have ever tasted. Warning!! Very addicting!!
Jessica Holmes says
Wow! I absolutely love hearing that Karen!
Sarah says
Could i use milk choc only? I don’t like dark so much …
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely!
Ellen says
Incredible Rocky Road. I made it for my dad for Father’s Day and he loved it! The Turkish Delight and pistachios make it look awesome too.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that Ellen! What a sweet idea for Father’s Day!
Tiare says
The best rocky road recipe. It was a hit with my boyfriend and will mix it up next time with hazelnuts and omit the cranberries. Made this for Easter it’ will be our new tradition!
Jessica Holmes says
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed it Tiare!
Natalie says
Hi quick question how long will these keep when made thinking about gifting
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Natalie, if you store these in the fridge, they should be fine for a week or so!
Dawne says
These look delish!! I want to make but wondering, What is Turkish delight?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dawne, Turkish delight is a chewy confection that’s usually flavoured with rosewater. You could swap it for another chewy lolly or candy or leave it out if you prefer.
Dawne says
Great! Thank you, can’t wait to try
Sam says
Hi Jessica, this looks amazing can’t wait to make it. Just wanted to check whether the chocolate needs to be tempered?x
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sam, no it doesn’t. Just melted is more than fine!
Dianne says
I made this recipe during the week and several of my friends said it was the best Rocky Road they have ever had.. I used white chocolate buttons and Turkish delight without the chocolate coating. Instead.. Sooo good. I will have to double the recipe next time..?
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love hearing that! Thanks for the lovely feedback Dianne!
Josh says
This is my favourite rocky road!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that! Thanks Josh!
Eileen McIlhatton says
Hi thanks for sharing this recipe I look forward to trying it out for family. My husband works in a major A & E dept and some new staff are allergic to nuts could you recommend something else to use instead of nuts please thanks Eileen
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Eileen, excited you are going to try this one! You could really use anything you like. You could either add more of the other mix-in’s (like extra marshmallows), or add something like storebought cookies (like Digestive biscuits), or dried fruit.