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A rainbow rocky road slice featuring mini marshmallows, dark chocolate, peanut butter, crunchy peanuts, and rainbow candy, all layered on a Rice Krispie base.
What is Rocky Road Slice?
Rocky road is a popular dessert in Australia, as well as in the United Kingdom and the United States, but each country’s version is a little bit different. Australian rocky road combines fruit, nuts, chocolate, and coconut, while the British version often contains a mixture of biscuits, marshmallows, chocolate, and dried fruit. In America, “rocky road” is generally more of a fudge-style chocolate confection, rather than a sliced dessert baked in a tin. It’s also a popular ice cream flavor in the U.S., most often featuring a chocolate base with nuts and marshmallows, or a thick marshmallow swirl.
For this recipe, I’ve combined elements of all three of these into a sort of rocky road mash-up. I’ve also added a crisp, cereal-chocolate-and-golden-syrup layer, not unlike the kind found in a traditional British or Australian “slice” recipe. And then I’ve gone one step further and made made the recipe rainbow-themed. Because why not, really? (For a similar recipe made with Reeses and peanuts, try my peanut butter rocky road slice, too!)
Featuring mini marshmallows, dark chocolate, peanut butter, crunchy peanuts, and rainbow candy layered on a crisp cereal base, these crispy, creamy, chocolatey rocky road bars are simply too good to resist.
How to Make This Rainbow Rocky Road Recipe
Although each layer takes a little bit of time, this rainbow rocky road recipe is surprisingly easy to make.
First, line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, placing a strip in each direction to form an X. (Don’t skip this step—it will make it so much easier to remove the finished slice from the pan!)
To make the base, melt golden syrup (or light corn syrup), butter, and vanilla in a pan, then stir in the crisp rice cereal and press the sticky mixture into a parchment-lined square tin. Then, melt the dark chocolate and peanut butter, stir in the peanuts, marshmallows, and half of the mini M&Ms, and pour everything over the crisp layer, then sprinkle with mini M&Ms.To finish, melt a few tablespoons of milk chocolate in the microwave and pipe it over the rocky road, then top with rainbow nonpareils.
After an hour or two in the fridge, use a sharp knife to slice the slab into squares, and enjoy!
Rocky Road Slice Ingredients
I like to make rocky road candy with teeny tiny dehydrated mini marshmallows (like these), and I’ve done the same here. Not only are they super cute, but they’re much easier to incorporate into the melted chocolate, because they don’t melt as quickly as standard mini marshmallows. But, regular mini marshmallows will work too—just allow the chocolate to cool for a few minutes, or the marshmallows will melt.
I used dark chocolate and creamy peanut butter, but feel free to experiment. You can try milk chocolate for the rocky road, or opt for crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy for extra texture.
Be creative with your decorations, too! Add extra M&Ms, fun sprinkles, extra peanuts, rainbow baking chips, other types of candy, or anything else you’d like.
Serving Rainbow Slice
This rainbow rocky road slice adds a splash of fun to birthday parties, school events, bake sales, or Pride celebrations. The vibrantly colored layers look great on a dessert table, and their handheld nature makes it easy to grab a treat on the way to the parade.
After chilling, slice the rocky road slab into squares and arrange on a serving platter, alongside other rainbow desserts like my rainbow Rice Krispie treats or buttercream rainbow cookies. (For even more rainbow recipe inspiration, feel free to visit my roundup of rainbow recipes to celebrate Pride.)
These chocolate-y rainbow treats not only taste great, but they’ll bring a cheerful, whimsical vibe to any celebration. Just be aware of the temperature—if it’s an especially hot day or if you’re celebrating outside, you might have to pop the tray in the fridge periodically to prevent the chocolate from melting!
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Like Rice Krispie treats, these rainbow rocky road slices taste best on the day they are made. Layer leftover treats between sheets of parchment and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If your kitchen runs especially warm, you can also store your leftover rocky road slice in the fridge.
Other rainbow recipes you might enjoy:
Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats
Buttercream Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow Whoopie Pies
Slice and Bake Rainbow Heart Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Rainbow Rocky Road Slice
A rainbow rocky road slice featuring mini marshmallows, dark chocolate, peanut butter, crunchy peanuts, and rainbow candy, all layered on a Rice Krispie base.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Brownies and Traybakes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crisp Layer:
90 grams golden syrup (1/4 cup), or light corn syrup
15 grams unsalted butter (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
90 grams Rice Krispies cereal (3 cups)
Rocky Road Layer:
170 grams chopped dark chocolate (1 cup)
100 grams peanut butter (1/3 cup)
90 grams dry roasted peanuts (3/4 cup)
30 grams dehydrated mini marshmallows (1/2 cup)
95 grams mini M&Ms (1/3 cup), divided into two equal portions
Decoration:
2–3 tablespoons chopped milk chocolate, to drizzle
Rainbow nonpareils or rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Spray an 8×8-inch square baking tin with cooking spray, line with parchment, and set aside until ready to use.
Crisp Layer:
In a large pan, combine golden syrup and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then remove pan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Add Rice Krispies into the syrup mixture, stirring until well-combined. Pour into prepared tin.
Using an oiled spatula, gently press mixture into the tin, creating a smooth, even cereal layer. Set aside while you prepare the rocky road.
Rocky Road Layer:
In a large pan, melt chopped chocolate and peanut butter over low heat, stirring gently to combine.
Stir in the peanuts, followed by the marshmallows, and half of the mini M&Ms. Pour rocky road over the crisp layer, making sure it is evenly distributed and completely covering the crisp layer. If necessary, use a spatula or spoon to push rocky road mixture into the corners of the tin.
Sprinkle rocky road with remaining mini M&Ms.
Decoration:
In the microwave or over a bain marie, melt 2-3 tablespoons of chopped milk chocolate. Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag and pipe evenly over the top of the rocky road. Sprinkle with rainbow nonpareils.
Place tin in the refrigerator and chill until firm, then slice into squares.
Store rainbow rocky road bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If your kitchen is very warm, you can also store your bars in the fridge.)
