Easy Gourmet Rocky Road Candy holds smoked almonds, candied orange peel, and marshmallows in a smooth chocolate-peanut butter base. A gift for the gourmand!
Each holiday season I make a batch of Rocky Road and each time it’s a little bit different. The candy can be endlessly varied with almost most any snacky thing you have on hand. This year’s rendition could be my favorite yet. It stands out from previous versions with bourbon-soaked cookies and smoked almonds. However, if you’re not partaking of spirits, use apple juice in the place of bourbon. It will impart just the right amount of fruitiness without the alcohol.
Choose your cookie.
Digestive biscuits are a good choice for the cookies in this recipe because they are lightly sweet and have neutral flavor. But you could also use vanilla wafers. They are soaked with bourbon, so that’s the flavor you’ll taste most! You could also use graham crackers if you prefer.
There’s little work to be done here, really. Heat the chocolate and almond butter together and then mix in all the ingredients. Pour the candy in a lined loaf pan and refrigerate until solid.
Cut them into bars.
I packaged a few candies in bar form, because the cross-sections looked so pretty! There are all kinds of interesting pieces to look at ranging from crunchy to chewy.
Or make them bite-sized!
The candy can also be cut into squares and placed in cupcake liners. This makes serving easy, and party guests won’t have to deal with melted chocolate on their fingers.
Smoked almonds are lovely on their own, but when paired with dark chocolate they really shine! I love using candied orange peel in Christmas candy, but any candied citrus or fruit would work in its place.
This candy packages nicely in clear gusseted bags. I attached Dresden trim stars for a little holiday bling, and you can find similar trims here.
Smoked Almond Rocky Road Candy
Equipment
- 9 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark chocolate wafers or bars finely chopped
- 1 cup shelf-stable almond butter
- 1 cup digestive biscuit or nilla wafers coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons bourbon or apple juice
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup smoked almonds or roasted, salted almonds
- 1/2 cup candied orange peel plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch loaf pan, and then line with parchment so that the paper overhangs two sides of the pan.
- Combine the chocolate and almond butter together in a large microwave safe bowl. Cook at 30 second intervals at 100% power, stirring well between heating until the mixture can be stirred smooth. Be careful not to overheat. You may also heat the chocolate and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
- Sprinkle the digestive biscuits with the bourbon and toss to coat. Add the biscuits to the chocolate mixture, along with the marshmallows, almonds, and orange peel. Fold together using a large rubber spatula.
- Pour into the prepared 9-inch loaf pan. Top with a few additional pieces of candied orange peel. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Lift the candy from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Cut the candy into bars or squares.
- Store the candy in an air-tight container at room temperature. Package in cellophane bags for gift-giving or add them to giveaway cookie platters and candy trays.
