If you’re a fan of the iconic ice cream flavor, you’re going to LOVE these Rocky Road Cookies. They have a chewy chocolatey based and are studded with chopped almonds and gooey marshmallows for added texture and taste.
This is the same cookie dough base as my popular Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips (these are my go-to cookie when baking a treat for a chocolate lover!), with the added fun of nutty and sweet mix-ins!
Rocky Road Cookies Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s everything you need:
- Butter. Unsalted is my preference, but if you only have salted on hand, use that and omit the added salt!
- Granulated sugar.
- Egg.
- Vanilla extract.
- All-purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder. I use dark.
- Baking soda.
- Salt. Table salt for inside the dough and if you’d like, you can also add flaky sea salt on top!
- Mini marshmallows.
- Almonds. I usually have whole almonds in my pantry, so I just chop them myself, but you could also buy almond slivers. If you prefer walnuts or peanuts, they work here, too!
How to Make Chocolate Cookies with Marshmallows and Almonds
How to Make an Easy Chocolate Cookie Dough
First, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until it’s smooth and airy. For best results, make sure your butter is softened.
If you don’t have time to allow your butter come to room temperature naturally, check out How to Quickly Soften Butter.
Then, add your egg and vanilla extract and use the hand mixer again on medium until just combined. Next, mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Use a rubber spatula to ensure any dry ingredients that stick to the sides of the bowl are integrated into the cookie dough. Then, use the spatula to fold in the marshmallows and chopped almonds.
I recommend keeping a handful of each out of the dough so you can push some into the top of each cookie once the dough is formed.
How to Perfectly Bake Cookies
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper of a reusable baking mat and make sure your oven is pre-heated to 350°F. Use a large cookie scoop of 2 heaping tablespoons of dough to form your cookies.
Leave at least an inch of space on all sides between each cookie, allowing room for the cookies to spread.
Push the excess marshmallows and almonds into the top of the shaped cookies. Don’t overdo it with the marshmallows—2 on each cookie is plenty!
Bake on the top rack for 12-14 minutes. You will need two large baking trays if you are baking all 12 cookies at once.
How to Properly Store Chocolate Rocky Road Cookies
At room temperature, these chewy cookies will last for 5-7 days when they are covered or stored in an airtight container. In the refrigerator, they’ll last up to three weeks.
Quick tip: Storing your cookies with a piece of bread will keep them softer and chewier. Moisture from the bread.
Once baked, you can freeze the cookies for up to a year, but consider freezing the unbaked cookie dough instead (more on that below!).
Green tip: Of the billions of tons of food wasted annually, 50% of food waste happens at home. Reduce your contribution to food waste by properly storing baked goods!
Freezing Cookie Dough for Later
If you want this delicious dough on hand for when that cookie craving hits, I highly recommend only baking the number of cookies you want and freezing the rest of the dough.
Shape all of the dough into cookie-sized balls, but only bake as many as you want. Store the rest in a freezer safe storage bag (consider reusable storage bags for a more sustainable option!) for up to 12 months!
When you’re ready to bake them, you can do so straight from the freezer. Watch them closely when you bake them—you’ll probably want to add a couple extra minutes to the baking time.
You’ll also notice the frozen dough will not spread much if at all. You may want to use a spatula to flatten the cookies out when they are fresh out of the oven and still hot.
Easy Chewy Rocky Road Cookies
PIN Print RATEEquipment
- Cookie Scoop (optional)
- Reusable Baking Mat (optional)
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened unsalted butter (½ cup butter = 1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (plus optional extra flaky sea salt for garnish)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup almonds, chopped
- optional flaky sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.
- To a large mixing bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Use a hand mixer on high to cream together until light and smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and use your hand mixer on low to combine.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda and mix to combine, careful not to overbeat. Use a spatula to scrape any flour off the sides of the bowl and integrate it into your dough.
- Set aside a handful of the marshmallows and chopped almonds to press into the top of the dough once the cookies are formed. Add the rest to your dough and use a rubber spatula to fold to combine.
- Use a cookie scoop or clean hands to shape 2 heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball and place it on your lined baking sheet. Leave a couple of inches in between each cookie for the dough to spread. Press a couple of the reserved marshmallows and chopped almonds into the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are crispy to touch. If any marshmallow spills over the sides of the cookies, use the curved part of a spoon to push the it back in towards the cookie. Option to add extra flaky sea salt on top. Cool and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- You can freeze excess cookie dough before baking it to give you fresh baked cookies every time when the craving hits! Just bake them as normal straight out of the freezer.
- Chocolate lover? Me too! You’ll love the collection of my best chocolate recipes!
