This has been a wild time and I honestly had to look back to see when the last time was that I wrote a post. I have baked a bit and even cooked a successful meal or two (phew!), but I haven’t had a real chance to make something spectacular. Adjusting to married life is a blast, but it is also quite busy and it seems like I am always learning something new. Recently, my husband rescued a puppy that is now staying at my parents house and the whole family has been majorly involved with the little guy. We named him Zaccheus (Zacch for short) and he is a joy. Honestly, he is only making us want our home even sooner so he can stay with us all the time.
Wanting to keep Zaccheus and Karma with us constantly, and wanting a bigger kitchen have us wishing we could put up a house overnight. Sadly, it doesn’t quite work like that. Luckily, my wonderful parents are more than happy to let us use their kitchen. While we are spending time with the most precious pups ever, I also take advantage of the kitchen and make treats to share.
My reading style, when I get time to read, has been pretty all over the place, but I found myself making a return to the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. I love the recipes in the books as much as the mysteries! As always, there was one that I just absolutely had to bake right now. Since my parents invited us over for a Sunday grilled dinner, I knew it would be the perfect time to try Rocky Road Bars.
It was nice out that day, but a bit too chilly to sit around a fire pit, so this oven upgrade on s’mores was absolutely perfect! I did, however, modify the recipe a bit to make it larger. After you make it a few times, you will notice that there is almost infinite room for modification since there aren’t really “chemical reactions” that you need to worry about in the recipe. You can swap out or add almost anything you think would taste good. I happen to love recipes like that!
These went really fast and mom even mentioned them at work. I decided to make these easy and delicious bars one more time and I added M&M’s. I sent some to work with mom and they got a standing ovation from her co-workers! They have been received so well that I plan to make a double batch of these for the ladies night we have at my second job.
A small lesson I learned from the second time I made them- don’t forget to grease the foil you line your pan with! Lining it with foil is not enough- GREASE THAT FOIL! I promise that you will thank me later for this reminder.
Another bonus is that these don’t need refrigeration- just seal them in an airtight container. I love this because our tiny kitchen has a small fridge too, and sometimes, it can be a pain to make something for an event the night before and then have to find room in our fridge for it. This will be perfect on your countertop and it won’t last long! It travels amazingly well and it’s quick to make. This is a perfect recipe for the summer BBQ’s and picnic’s that will be coming up soon.
If you do add to this recipe, please let me know which additions you can’t live without!
Find the original Hannah Swensen recipe HERE: https://hannah-swensen-mystery.fandom.com/wiki/Rocky_Road_Bar_Cookies, or in the book Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke.
Rocky Road Bars (adapted from Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke)
NOTE: The original recipe makes a 9×13 so I made some increases to make a full cookie sheet. Check out the original recipe here: https://hannah-swensen-mystery.fandom.com/wiki/Rocky_Road_Bar_Cookies
- 1 sheet pan, foil lined and GREASED
- (roughly) 32 graham crackers (or 16 double sheet ones)
- 2-3 c. mini marshmallows
- 1 1/2 c. cashew pieces
- 1 bag (1 1/2 – 2 c.) chocolate chips
- 3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- any additions you like, such as Reece’s Pieces, M&M’s, or any other nut or candy bar pieces.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Line your cookie sheet with foil making sure that the foil goes up on the edges of the pan. Make sure you give it a good spray with a nonstick cooking spray before continuing.
Line the sheet completely with graham crackers. Some overlap is completely fine and you may have to break some of the crackers up to fill in the edges. Dump on the marshmallows and spread them evenly over the graham crackers. Do the same with the cashews and then the chocolate chips and/or other additions you might have. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together on medium heat, stirring constantly. It takes a little bit for the butter to fully incorporate with the brown sugar once it’s all melted. Once it starts to bubble a bit around the edges, stir for about another minute until the butter and brown sugar are completely combined and the mixture is bubbling. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the sauce over the graham cracker mix on the cookie sheet as evenly as you can and bake it for about 15 minutes, until the marshmallows are browning.
Allow to cool and cut or break into bars.
They can be store at room temperature in an airtight container.
