My mother-in-law was coming into town for the Fourth, so I wanted to make a quick knock-your-socks-off dessert that would travel well from the brick house to the beach house, didn’t need refrigeration, and would hang out well in this insane humidity. That really meant bars rather than cupcakes (frosting in this heat no way no how) or cookies (aka sponges). Up in the top of my pantry were slightly-stale mini-marshmallows leftover from winter’s hot cocoa, and some nuts, and then hidden behind some baking pans on a lower cabinet was MOST of an over-sized (pound+) Belgian 72% dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s (not sure if I hid it from visiting kids or from myself), so visions of Rocky Road began dancing in my head.

I started with a basic 9″x9″ brownie recipe — I used the one from my Hershey’s 100th Anniversary book, but I think it’s the same one that’s on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa box. Dump some marshmallows, nuts, and chocolate on top — back under the broiler for a few closely-watched minutes — and you’ve got OMG Oooey Gooey Rocky Road Brownies!

Rocky Road Brownies,
adapted from Best Brownies in the Hershey’s 100th Anniversary Cookbook

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare 9″ x 9″ square pan by spraying with baking spray, lining with a criss-cross parchment sling, and spraying the sling with baking spray (see photo above) [I used a new-to-me product that is parchment on one side and foil on the other — so I skipped the first spray].

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and vanilla (I used a wooden spoon and my 8-cup Pyrex measuring “cup”). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the dry ingredients, stir until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20 – 25 minutes. The brownies are done when they start to pull away from the sides and look a little dry on the sides. If in doubt, pull a little early

Pull the brownies out and turn the oven to BROIL. Sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the hot brownies, followed by the almonds, then the chocolate pieces. Put the brownies back in — on the center rack — under the broiler. CAVEAT: The parchment paper box explicitly says not to put it under the broiler. So I prop the oven open with a wooden spoon to keep it from igniting. Pull the brownies just as the marshmallows start to brown.

Let cool to room temp before cutting. Use the sling to lift the brownies out of the pan and your largest chef’s knife to cut into 16 rich brownies.