ROCKY ROAD RECIPE
I must confess I wondered where Rocky Road came from, and the origin of this chocolate slice. So I looked it up and this is what I found:
The origin of the dessert is debated, but the earliest mention of it dates back to 1853 in Australia, where rocky road was supposedly created as a way to sell confectionery that had spoiled during the long trip from Europe, which were mixed with locally-grown nuts and cheap chocolate to disguise the flavour. According to this origin story, the name comes from the rocky road that travelers had to take to reach the gold fields. Additionally, many American companies claim to have invented it in the 19th century. (Wikipaedia)
Now I know that Madame Wiki is not a reliable source, however, I like this version, so I’m going to trust the source in this instance. And on searching further I can’t find anything that contradicts this, so hooray for Oz!
Now in Australia, Rocky Road is traditionally made using marshmallows, glace cherries, peanuts, coconut and milk chocolate.
However, we have so many gorgeous ingredients to choose from, that I felt this delightful recipe needed zhuzhing. So in hand I went with tangy tart dried cherries and dried cranberries. To that, I added shredded coconut, not that dried desiccated kind, but the moist flaky variety. Some crunchy roasted peanuts. And finally, lashings of smooth Belgian dark chocolate.
Seriously folks this is not a dessert for the faint-hearted! It does come with a warning label… make it at your own peril! It’s that good.
Love chocolate but not the sugar? Try our raspberry chocolate bark recipe. Prefer Caramel? How about our Millionaire’s Shortbread with a smooth layer of vegan caramel?
