Rocky Road Fudge Bars

These rocky road fudge bars are a three-layer project that’s absolutely worth the effort. A chocolate brownie base, a cream cheese filling studded with chocolate chips and walnuts, a blanket of melted marshmallows, and a swirled chocolate-cream cheese frosting on top. Every layer adds a different texture and flavor.

The brownie base is a straightforward one-bowl batter: melted butter and unsweetened chocolate mixed with sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, and nuts. It bakes up dense and fudgy, which is exactly what you want as the foundation for all those toppings.

The cream cheese filling goes on raw over the unbaked brownie batter. As both layers bake together, the cream cheese sets into a tangy, cheesecake-like layer while the brownie firms up underneath. Chocolate chips sprinkled between the layers sink into both and create pockets of melted chocolate throughout.

The marshmallow step is fast and dramatic. Two cups of mini marshmallows go on top of the hot, just-baked bars and return to the oven for 2 minutes, just enough to puff and partially melt into a gooey, sticky layer. The chocolate frosting (melted butter, chocolate, cream cheese, milk, and powdered sugar) gets poured over the warm marshmallows and swirled with a spoon for that classic rocky road look.

Chef Tips

• Use the toothpick test at 25 minutes. The cream cheese layer makes the center look wet longer than a regular brownie
• Add the marshmallows immediately after pulling from the oven so the residual heat starts softening them before they go back in
• Swirl the frosting quickly while both the bars and frosting are warm. Cold frosting on cooled marshmallows won’t swirl
• Store in the refrigerator. The cream cheese layers need to stay cold

Variations

• Peanut butter rocky road: Swirl ¼ cup of peanut butter into the cream cheese filling before baking for a Reese’s-inspired twist
• Dark chocolate version: Use dark chocolate instead of unsweetened for both the brownie and frosting for a deeper, less sweet bar