These are the cookies for rocky road lovers. If you enjoy the combination of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts, you will love every bite of these decadent cookies.
These cookies are big, delicious, bakery-worthy treats. Use our tips and tricks below for getting perfect cookies every time. Looking for the ultimate rocky road experience? Try these cookies alongside our loaded Rocky Road Ice Cream.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Flavor: A double dose of chocolate plus roasted nuts and marshmallows. Brown sugar and a touch of vanilla round out the flavors.
Texture: Crisp edges, soft centers, crunchy nuts, gooey marshmallows, and creamy chocolate chips.
Size: This recipe makes 8-9 large bakery-size cookies.
No chill time: As long as you don’t over-soften your butter (it should not be warm; still cool to the touch) you can bake these cookies without chilling the dough first.
Recipe overview
Chocolate cookie dough: Our favorite chocolate-based cookie dough. Sweetened with a combination of brown sugar and white sugar, flavored with cocoa powder and vanilla. These cookies bake up with crisp edges and soft centers.
Mix-ins: Here’s where these turn into rocky road cookies! A combination of chocolate chips and chopped nuts gets mixed into the dough. Once the dough is portioned a full-size marshmallow gets placed inside each dough ball before baking.
Garnish: After baking add a few more chopped nuts and chocolate chips on top of the cookies.
Baking tips
- Butter should be softened to cool room temperature. It should be soft but still cool to the touch. If the butter is over-softened (or beginning to melt) the cookies will spread too much in the oven.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents them from spreading too much. Bonus: it also makes cleanup a breeze!
- Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop for evenly sized cookies. I used a 3-tablespoon scoop for this recipe.
- To place the marshmallow in the center of each dough ball, flatten the dough ball in your palm, place the marshmallow in the center and bring the dough up and around the marshmallow. Leave a small amount of marshmallow peaking out the top.
- If your dough feels too soft and sticky to work (a little stickiness is normal) you can place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
How to get perfectly round cookies
These cookies bake up with a slightly uneven shape due to the marshmallows melting. As soon as they come out of the oven do one of the following to form them into a perfect circle:
Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.
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Rocky Road Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, slightly softened, but still cool
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, make sure it's fresh and soft
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup chopped roasted salted almonds or peanuts
- 8-9 large marshmallows
- ¼ cup (approximately) additional chocolate chips and nuts, for topping the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars for a minute or two, until light and creamy. Add the the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until combined. Add ⅔ cup chocolate chips and ⅓ cup chopped nuts. Stir until combined.
- Scoop the dough into 3-tablespoon (2oz) portions. Flatten a dough ball in your palm, place a marshmallow in the center and bring the dough up and around the marshmallow. Leave a small amount of marshmallow peaking out the top. Note: The dough will be a bit sticky, if it is really soft and you're having trouble working with it, place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Place the dough balls a couple inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will have spread and the marshmallow will be soft. The cookies should still look soft and slightly underbaked, they will firm up as they cool. As soon as you remove them from the oven, place the baking sheets on wire racks and immediately proceed with shaping and garnishing the cookies.
- To get perfectly round cookies: Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet. Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.
- Garnish: Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped nuts on top of the cookies. The sticky marshmallows and the heat from the cookies will help the garnishes stick. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Gina
My favorite ice cream in cookie form? Yes, please! These were such a hit and did not last long in my house!