Description
This festive Christmas Rocky Road is a delightful holiday dessert combining rich semi-sweet chocolate, creamy almond butter, crunchy roasted almonds, tart dried cranberries, and fluffy mini marshmallows, all enhanced with warm holiday spices and topped with vibrant pomegranate seeds. Perfect as a sweet treat or gift during the holiday season.
Ingredients
Scale
Rocky Road Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond butter
- 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- ⅓ cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
- ½ large pomegranate, seeds removed
Spices and Flavorings
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/16 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep and Melt: Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. For a double batch, prepare a 9x9 or 8x8 inch square pan. In a medium pot over low heat, gently melt together the semi-sweet chocolate chips, unsweetened almond butter, butter (or vegan butter), vanilla extract, salt, ground ginger, ground allspice, and ground cinnamon. Stir frequently to prevent burning and ensure a smooth mixture.
- Mix-ins: Stir in the roughly chopped roasted almonds and dried cranberries into the melted chocolate mixture. Remove the pot from heat and allow it to cool for 3 to 5 minutes, ensuring that it's not hot enough to melt the marshmallows. Then fold in the mini marshmallows gently, coating them evenly.
- Pomegranate Seeds and Chill: Transfer the mixture to the prepared parchment-lined pan, spreading and pressing it gently with a spatula to fill the corners evenly. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds generously over the top. Refrigerate the pan until the rocky road is firm, approximately 2 hours.
- Serve: Once set, remove from the refrigerator, lift out the rocky road using the parchment paper, and cut into 27 pieces for serving.
Notes
- Measurement of 1/16 teaspoon corresponds to half of a ⅛ teaspoon and is essentially a pinch, used for the holiday spices.
- Store leftover Christmas Rocky Road in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at cool room temperature for 2-3 days. Pomegranate seeds will spoil faster than the candy itself.
- To make the recipe vegan, substitute butter with vegan butter or coconut oil and use vegan marshmallows like Dandies, which are also gluten-free.
- Use gluten-free marshmallow brands such as Jet Puffed or Campfire for a gluten-free version suitable for people with Celiac disease.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 45 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
