My Chocolate Rocky Road Cookies are beyond yum - in fact, they’re downright fun! The deeply chocolate-y base has a soft, slightly chewy texture that’s similar to a brownie. Yes, it’s decadent all on its own but the real fun begins when you add in a handful or two (or, if you are like me, you go for three) of your favorite pantry staples and snacks like mini marshmallows, pretzels, chocolate chips and more (see the list below for more fun suggestions). The goal is to mix enough “fun” into the batter so that, once scooped and baked, each bite looks and tastes like a party-in-a-cookie. I think you’ll agree that it’s the tastiest ending to any celebration, any day of the week.
I was tempted to call these cookies “Brownie Bites” as I employ the same mixing technique I use when making a batch of brownies. I begin with melting the butter on the stovetop in a medium saucepan and whisking in the sugar and cocoa powder. Make sure you are using natural cocoa – not Dutch (or alkalized) cocoa. Set the pan aside to cool down the mixture a bit (you don’t want to cook the egg or melt any of your mix-ins) before finishing up the batter, scooping and baking. It’s that easy – one pan and no power tools.
They are, in fact, brownie bites or cookies, but I don’t think that title does this fun-filled cookie justice. Let us all know in the comments what you used for your cookie’s mix-ins.
Kitchen Notes
Baking Tips - A Review
If you are new here or even if you are a Baking Together veteran, it might be a good time to revisit some of my essential baking tips; read Abby’s Six Steps to Better Baking. As I mentioned in the inaugural column, this list is a fun, if cheeky, summary of some of the key baking principles I’ve learned over the years that will help you meet with success. Each step is equally weighty, and it’s important to think about each one every time you are heating the oven and cracking open that bag of flour.
Mix-Ins
When it comes to the mix-ins, you are welcome to go on a choose-your-own adventure. Check out our list below, but you may have some of your own ideas, too. That’s part of the fun! That said, my favorite is the classic rocky road combo - marshmallows, chocolate chips and pretzels.
The yield will change depending on how many mix-ins you use and how much of each you use. I use 1 1/2 cups of mix-ins and my batch yields sixteen, 3-inch cookies. Yum.
Using the 1 to 1 ½ cup measure as your goal amount, keep your measuring really casual - a handful of this & a couple of half-handfuls of other tasty things will work just fine. Just don’t go higher than 1 ½ cups or the mix-ins might overwhelm the cookie dough. Here are a few suggestions to start you on your way.
- Hearty potato chips (I like Lays Wavy, lightly crushed)
- Lightly salted peanuts or cashews (coarsely chopped)
- Almonds, pecans or walnuts (toasted and coarsely chopped)
- Salted tiny pretzels (coarsely chopped if using larger ones)
- Dried cherries or chopped dried apricots
- Teddy Grahams (any flavor and coarsely chopped)
- Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (any flavor)
- Mini marshmallows (snipped if using the standard size)
Make Ahead
If you are using potato chips or pretzels as part of your mix-ins, you’ll want to serve the cookies within a day or two to maintain their snappy, crispy-crunch. Stow them covered and at room temperature. That said, my family is still happily munching on a batch I made 3 days ago so I’ll leave it up to you to decide when you enjoy them the most.
The Scooper
I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scooper. No scooper? Using a tablespoon measure, scoop up two level tablespoons of dough and gently roll between your palms to form a ball.
