Remember that awful feeling, when you were a little kid, of being at the mercy of grownups when it came to candy?  We weren’t allowed to eat it except on special occasions, we couldn’t buy it for ourselves, and we couldn’t reach it even if we knew where it was hidden.  But guess what, one of the great perks of adulthood is being in charge of what and when we eat, and a simple candy making session can go a long way towards setting right all those years of injustice.

This has to be the coolest of candies.  It’s a fantasy hodge podge of snowy white chocolate, nuts,  mini marshmallows and a crazy colorful mix of jellied candies and dried fruit.  Rocky road is a classic for giving as gifts during the holidays, but I think this candy also has a kind of summery feel to it with the white chocolate and all the colors.  And aren’t we always looking for a great no-bake dessert for the sweltering months?  Anyway you’ll want to get in some practice making it before the holidays roll around,  so I think now is a good time to start.

This is exactly like chocolate bark, which is officially the world’s easiest cooking project.  You just melt, stir and spread.  That’s it.  In this case, instead of spreading the bark on a baking sheet and breaking it into shards when it hardens, you spread it in a pan, so the resulting candy is thicker and can be sliced up in squares or bars.

White Chocolate Rocky Road
1 lb good quality white chocolate (I used a combination of a 12 oz bag of Nestle’s chips and a 4 oz Ghirardelli bar)
2 cups total of a combination of:
pistachios (you can use almonds, macadamia, peanuts or walnuts as well)
dried cherries
dried Turkish style apricots
mini colored marshmallows
jelly candies (like Turkish Delight, fruit gems, gummies, etc)

•  Line a square 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper.  Cut the paper big enough so the edges overhang the pan; this will allow you to lift the chocolate out of the pan after it has hardened, and make it much easier to slice neatly.
• Gather your nuts and candy additions.  Chop larger things like the apricots and the larger gummy candies.  You can leave the cherries, pistachios and mini marshmallows whole.  
• Put the chocolate in a clean, dry microwave safe bowl.  If you are using bar chocolate, break it up in small pieces so it will melt quickly and evenly.
• Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds.  Remove and stir.  Microwave for another 15 seconds.  Remove and stir again.  If the chocolate is not completely melted after stirring it for a moment, microwave it just a tiny bit more.  The final small lumps of chocolate will melt as you stir.
• Mix in your nuts, fruit, marshmallows, and jelly candies.  Make sure to break up the sticky gummy candy as you add it so it doesn’t clump together.
• Spread the mixture in your baking pan and smooth out evenly.  Let sit at room temperature for about 3 to 4 hours, until hardened.  You can also refrigerate it, but let it sit out a bit before slicing so it will be easier to cut.
• Lift the hardened candy out of the pan using the ‘sling’ of parchment paper.  Slice your candy into small squares or bars with a sharp knife.

Notes:  You shouldn’t have any trouble melting the chocolate, just make sure that your bowl is dry, because even a little bit of water can cause your chocolate to ‘seize’ up.  And don’t over heat the chocolate; use the microwave in short bursts, and stir well in between.  It shouldn’t take longer than 60 to 90 seconds total.
You can get these ingredients anywhere, but Trader Joe’s is a one stop shop for good prices on everything you need from the chocolate to the nuts, dried fruit, and jellied candy.  You could even make a semi- healthy version of this with lots of nuts and exotic dried fruits.

This is very festive, and very rich.  Cut your rocky road in small pieces, and keep in the fridge in hot weather (the kids will never find it there.)
Have fun!

Other candy recipes to try—


Toasted Almond Bark with Sea Salt 
Cherry Hazelnut Bark 
Peppermint Bark   
Microwave Fudge 
White Chocolate Pecan Butter Cups   
Better Than Fruitcake Bark 
The Classic Chocolate Truffle 
Vanilla Bean Marshmallows 
Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
White Toasted Almond Truffles   
Coffee and Cardamom Truffles 
Robin’s Egg Truffles
The Classic Chocolate Truffle 
Hot Chili Pepper Truffles   


One year ago today—
Filet Mignon Chili with Masa Biscuits