These healthy rocky road bars are made with nuts, dried fruit and delicious dark chocolate. There's no marshmallows, biscuits or butter included. It's also dairy-free, gluten-free and with a prep time of 5 minutes, these vegan rocky road bars will soon become one of your favorite treats!
This rocky road recipe is a healthy twist on the traditional rocky road bars you might know. They only consist of 4 simple ingredients. They would make an amazing vegan Halloween treat but taste delicious all year round!
For more no-bake treats see Chocolate Dates, Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, Chocolate Salted Caramel Bars.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a healthier version of the traditional rocky road recipe you might know. There's no marshmallows, no biscuits, no golden syrup, no butter or margarine involved.
- It's super fudgy and crunchy at the same time!
- It only involves 5 minutes of prep time.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- (Vegan) Dark Chocolate: I chose dark chocolate (70%) because it goes really well with the nuts and dried fruits. However, feel free to use any chocolate of choice! You could also use chocolate chips!
- Coconut Oil: A little bit of coconut oil is used to help melt the chocolate. We used organic virgin coconut oil. Could be replaced by vegan butter or cocoa butter. In case you want to omit the coconut oil all together, melt your chocolate over a simmering pot of water (water bath) or in the microwave.
- Blanched & Roasted Hazelnuts: It's important to use blanched hazelnuts to avoid a bitter taste. If you can find blanched ones that were roasted- even better! If you can't find any peeled and roasted hazelnuts in a grocery store near you, you could peel them yourself. Roast the nuts for about 10 minutes at 360 °F (180°C). Afterward, wrap them in a clean towel and by rubbing the nuts you will be able to remove their skins. Alternatively, they could be replaced with macadamia nuts, roasted cashews, roasted almonds or peanuts.
- Candied Orange Peel: They add some additional sweetness and taste amazing in combination with the dark chocolate. Can be replaced by other dried fruit such as dried cranberries, goji berries, raisins or dates.
How to Make Healthy Rocky Road
These rocky road bars come together in no time. It's a super simple recipe that consists of only 4 ingredients.
STEP 1: Melt chocolate and coconut oil. Start by heating a small pan over VERY low heat. Add dark chocolate and coconut oil and start melting the chocolate while constantly stirring with a whisk or spoon. Alternatively, you could melt the chocolate in a water bath or the microwave.
STEP 2: Add other ingredients. Once the chocolate is melted, add the nuts and candied orange pieces to the saucepan.
Mix well with a spoon or spatula until everything is well combined.
STEP 3: Refrigerate. Line a small, square baking tin with parchment paper. Then spoon the chocolate mixture mix into your prepared baking dish. Let cool completely, then put it in the fridge for about 1 hour or until the chocolate is set.
Top Tip
- Roasted Nuts: No matter which nuts you choose, I highly recommend using roasted ones. They are much more flavorful and just delicious!
Other Filling Ideas
- Mini Marshmallows: Fluffy marshmallow pieces are a popular filling but also result in a slightly different texture and taste. Opt for vegan marshmallows to keep this rocky road vegan.
- Dried Fruit: any dried fruits such as raisins, dried cranberries, chopped-up dates, goji berries or dried cherries all would make a delicious add-in
- Other Nuts: such as roasted macadamia nuts, roasted almonds, cashews or peanut could be used instead of the hazelnuts.
- Turkish Delight: also a popular rocky road fudge filling idea. Cut them into smaller pieces before adding them to the melted chocolate!
- Seeds: To achieve a nut-free version, you could try adding pumpkin or sunflower seeds instad of nuts.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds some delicious natural vanilla flavors, feel free to add ½ tsp.
- Desiccated coconut/ coconut flakes
- Popcorn
Storage
- To store: Store any leftover rocky road bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: This vegan fudge can be frozen for up to 1 month. Place it in an airtight container leave to thaw in the fridge overnight.
FAQs
In the UK and Australia, rocky road usually refers to a no-bake chocolate fudge bar. It is made by mixing melted chocolate with other ingredients such as marshmallows, nuts, digestive biscuits or dried fruits. In the US, rocky road usually refers to an ice cream flavor that consists of chocolate ice cream filled with marshmallows and nuts.
It's healthier than more traditional rocky road recipes because it's made without marshmallows, biscuits or butter. Instead, we use nuts and dried fruit as a filling. It still does contain a lot of chocolate though so I woudn't necessarily consider it a "health food".
Yes, it can be made with any chocolate of choice- even white chocolate
Usually peanuts. almonds or walnuts but we chose to use blanched, roasted hazelnuts. Feel free to use your nuts of choice.
Of course, simply replace nuts with an ingredient of your choice (see filling ideas above).
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Rocky Road
Ingredients
- 12.5 oz (350 g) dark (vegan) chocolate *or any chocolate of choice
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup (100 g) candied orange peel *see notes
- ½ cup (80 g) blanched & roasted hazelnuts (store-bought) *or other nuts, see notes
Instructions
- Cut chocolate into small pieces.
- Heat chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan over very low heat (or over a pot of simmering water, or in the microwave).
- Once melted, add in orange peel and hazelnuts.
- If your dark chocolate is not very sweet, you might want to add another 1-2 tablespoon of maple syrup.
- Transfer the mass into a small tin (6x6 inch/ 15x15cm) lined with a baking sheet and put it in the fridge until set (about 1 hour).
Video
Notes
- Orange Peel: Feel free to replace the orange peel with your dried fruit of choice such as dried cranberries, raisins, dried cherries, goji berries...
- Roasted Nuts: Instead of hazelnuts you could use toasted almonds, macadamia nuts or cashews. No matter which nuts you choose, I highly recommend using roasted ones.
- Vegan: Simply use your vegan chocolate of choice.
- Oil-Free: Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water and let simmer until the chocolate is melted. Or put it into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. That way you won't need any additional oil.
- Nut-Free: You could replace the nuts with pumpkin or sesame seeds.
- Other Filling Ideas: (vegan) mini marshmallows, other nuts, turkish delight, pumpkin seeds
- Storage: Store your rocky road in an airtight container in a cool place. I usually store mine in the fridge. Can be stored in the fridge for about a week- in the freezer for about a month.
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