Rocky Road with the Thermomix® is all about order: chop the nuts, chop the caramel, melt the chocolate, then combine everything. If you melt the chocolate too early, the nuts will stick together. If you chop too late, you won’t get an even distribution. The 50°C for melting is the upper limit: any hotter and the chocolate turns grainy instead of glossy.
We have been making Rocky Road for Halloween parties, as gifts, and as a sweet school snack for years. The combination of crunchy nuts, soft caramel sweets, and airy marshmallows in dark chocolate works because each ingredient keeps its own texture. The Thermomix® chops the nuts quickly and evenly, the chocolate melts gently at a low temperature, and the reverse direction setting when mixing prevents the marshmallows from getting crushed.
Rocky Road with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 5 ✓
- 100 g macadamia nuts
- 300 g soft caramel sweets e.g. Werther's Original Soft Caramels
- 500 g dark chocolate
- 100 g peanuts
- 60 g mini marshmallows
Instructions 0 / 7
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1
Chop the macadamia nuts.
Chop the macadamia nuts for 2 seconds / speed 5 and set aside.
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2
Chop the caramels.
Place the caramel sweets in the mixing bowl, chop for 3 seconds / speed 6 and set aside.
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3
Melt the chocolate.
Break the chocolate into pieces, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 8 seconds / speed 6, push down with the spatula, then melt for 5 minutes / 50°C / speed 2.
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4
Prepare the baking tray.
Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper.
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5
Mix the ingredients.
Set aside about 1/5 of the chopped caramel and mini marshmallows, then add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix for 4 seconds / reverse direction / speed 4.
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6
Spread and set.
Pour the mixture onto the baking tray and spread it out evenly by tipping the tray gently, then scatter the remaining caramel pieces and marshmallows on top and leave to set.
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7
Cut into pieces.
Once set, cut into pieces.
Tip: Let your imagination run wild. Use whatever combination you like best!
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the order matters
The macadamia nuts go in first. 2 seconds at speed 5 is enough: any longer and they turn to flour, any shorter and you get whole nuts in between. Take them out straight away and set aside. The same applies to the caramel sweets: 3 seconds at speed 6, then out. If you leave both ingredients in the mixing bowl and melt the chocolate afterwards, you end up with a sticky mess. The warm chocolate will glue the nuts together and the caramel pieces lose their shape.
The chocolate melts at 50°C. That temperature is deliberately low: at 60°C or above, chocolate turns grainy and loses its shine. 5 minutes at speed 2 is enough to fully melt 500 g of dark chocolate. Chop it first for 8 seconds at speed 6, which speeds up the melting and gives a more even texture.
Reverse direction when mixing is essential
After melting, add the chopped nuts, caramel, peanuts, and marshmallows to the mixing bowl. But only part of the marshmallows and caramel: roughly one fifth stays out for the topping. Then 4 seconds, reverse direction, speed 4. The reverse direction matters: normal rotation would crush the soft marshmallows and break down the caramel too much. Reverse direction distributes everything gently without destroying the texture.
Pour the finished mixture onto a baking-paper-lined tray. Tip it gently so everything spreads out evenly. Scatter the reserved caramel pieces and marshmallows on top. This not only looks better but also gives different textures when you bite in: soft toppings on the outside, crunchy nuts on the inside.
Setting takes at least 2 hours
The mixture needs time to set. At room temperature that is at least 2 hours. If you need it faster, put the tray in the fridge, but not the freezer. Temperatures that are too cold make the chocolate brittle and the caramel rock-hard. Once set, cut into pieces with a sharp knife. The size is up to you. We usually make bite-sized squares of about 3×3 cm.
What you can change
The base stays the same: melt the chocolate, chop the nuts and caramel, then mix together. But you have room to vary the specific ingredients. Instead of macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, or pecans work well. Instead of peanuts, you can use almonds. As for the chocolate: dark is the classic choice, but milk or white chocolate works too, though the Rocky Road will be noticeably sweeter.
Dried fruits such as cranberries, cherries, or apricots add a tart note. Candied ginger gives a sweet, spicy kick. For a real punch, stir a pinch of chilli flakes into the melted chocolate.
Storing and gifting
Rocky Road keeps in a sealed tin at room temperature for about 2 weeks. In the fridge it becomes too hard and loses the soft caramel texture. For gifting, small greaseproof paper bags or clear cellophane bags work perfectly. The colourful marshmallows and caramel topping look great through the packaging.
For Halloween parties you can serve the pieces directly on a platter. Or make them as a sweet school snack: 2 to 3 pieces per person is plenty.
Goes well with: Vanilla ice cream.
More Thermomix® recipes for Halloween and parties: Spider Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies.
