Rocky Road Cookies ~ Get ready for multi-textured cookie. Working your way from the outside in you will find a crisp chewy exterior around a fudge-like brownie texture and at that center of it all is a gooey marshmallow filling.
Rocky Road Cookies
I have a bad reputation for not giving up, especially when it comes to life changing matters, like—can I make a rocky road cookie without the marshmallows melting into the dough? This was my third attempt and even though I dropped the first cookie sheet from burning my thumbs and shouted enough profanity to shame Andrew Dice Clay, I persevered.
So if you have been keeping up with my rocky road struggle then you know the timeline. For those who haven’t here’s the first attempt-fail; they looked bad and tasted gross. Second attempt, I froze the marshmallows as suggested-fail again. Although the cookies tasted good, the frozen marshmallows melted into the dough. So I decided to exact my revenge, by suspending the rocky road elements into a delicious Rocky Road Bark. Someone did suggest making rocky road thumbprints, by piping marshmallow fluff on top. But I already kind of did that with these Smores Thumbprint.
This third and final attempt involved stuffing the cookie with marshmallows. Now this was my instinct from the onset, but I pushed it aside because I had already done a few stuffed cookies. Bad decision. And that seems to be a recurring theme when I push aside my instincts. So after two failed attempts I ended up back where I initially started and also found success with a little help from a few reader suggestions by sticking to the frozen marshmallows and kicking up the heat and lowering the bake time.
Thank you, guys, so much for helping me to finally put the rocky road cookies to rest.
A few notes:
- Don’t forget the cookies will have fudge-like interior not a chewy texture all the way through.
- If you can’t or don’t want to use the coffee grounds, bypass it. I like the added layer of flavor, but Matt preferred the test batch without it.
- You can substitute the corn syrup with molasses, but keep in mind molasses imparts its own flavor. A better alternative would be a mild tasting honey. This portion of the recipe adds the moisture and chewiness to the cookie. Same goes for the applesauce in terms of moisture.
- Going off the cookie subject into photography, the step-by-step is in black and white because I shot the frames under flourescent lights and they had an awful yellow cast that could not be edited out-so sorry about that, but you guys get it.
Rocky Road Cookies
Makes 24-28 four inch cookies Preparation: Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two bakesheets with parchment paper
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of butter, melted (not hot)
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ cup of dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoons of light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of coffee grounds, dark roast
- 1 ½ cups of flour
- ½ cup of cocoa powder, all natural (not Dutch processed)
- 1 ½ cups marshamallow, frozen
- 1 cup of salted almonds, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Combine the warm butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, egg and light corn syrup in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium high for about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add baking soda, salt and coffee grounds to mixture. Mix on medium high speed for about 1 minute. Turn off mixer.
- Combine the flour and cocoa powder, mix to combine. Add dry (flour and cocoa) mixture to wet mixture and use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Dough will be sticky.
- Using a 1 inch ice cream or tablespoon, scoop out mixture and press marshmallow into center. Fold dough around marshmallow until completely covered, then roll it in crushed almonds. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment lined bakesheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 4-5 minutes, or until outside of cookies are fully baked. Let cookies cool on bakesheet for 3-4 minutes then move to cookies to a cooling rack.
Um, yes please! These cookies look amazing, I definitely need to try them out. Yum! 🙂
Wow, thanks for working so hard on these cookies! they look amazing!! It was well worth the effort. 🙂
I’m having my own issues with getting cornflakes to stay crunchy in batter. I tried candying them and baking them into cupcakes, then baking the cupcakes and pressing the candied flakes into the tops of the cake and putting frosting over that. Then just on top of the frosting. They always absorb moisture and end up tasting weird.
If you have any experiences like this, do you have any advice for me? 🙂 thanks in advance.
I’ve had the vanishing marshmallows before in brownies. Great job conquering them! I’m totally making these soon.
I am bookmarking this right now! I was just looking for a recipe to use my mini marshmallows and tada! you have one. thanks!
I’m so glad you didn’t give up. I can’t wait to try this.
I love that you persevered and found a way to make it work!
That’s crazy! I swear, I had to be out of town today for some computer training, and on the drive home, I was planning this out in my head, only mine had peanuts – marshmallow in the middle, possibly dunked in peanut butter, then the brownie(ish)layer, then the peanuts. LOL I guess great minds really do think alike! 😉
Naomi replied: — September 27th, 2011 @ 11:04 pm
Chris-It’s baking mind meld. It happens to me all the time. I’ll have something planned then I’ll see somewhere.
Your idea sounds awesome. You still need to bake it! 🙂
Boy, I think I would have given up after the second time. I’m glad you didn’t, these look delicious!
Thank god you wouldn’t give up because these sound awesome. I am not a huge fan of marshmallows, but I wouldn’t mind a bite of this (small doses is the key for me).
These really look gorgeous, Naomi…gorgeous!
Mmm! Sounds melt-in-your-mouth good!
These look so delicious, I’ve never seen anything like them – might have to give them a try.
http://peanutbutterjane.blogspot.com/
My favorite ice cream ever is rocky road. Was as a child and it still is. These cookies look mighty good!
This is not for my taste, but for my daughter-she will flip for these cookies!
I find that when baking with marshmallows, they harden as the cookies cool. Did you find the marshmallows were still soft and chewy when the cookies were cool?
Naomi replied: — October 4th, 2011 @ 10:29 pm
Lanee- The marshmallows stay soft. They did not harden.
I’m glad it finally worked out. Its good for human kind – Rocky road cookies
Hi
Did you use the full size marshmallows or the mini size marshmallows.
I baked these tonight and they were great! mine took an extra 1.5 minutes to pop up but could be my crazy oven. I tried making Rocky Road Pudding cookies a couple of months ago and was totally outdone with the marshmallows…thanks for this recipe! 🙂