Rocky Road Bars

Heavenly Hash – YUM!

Rocky Road – MORE YUM!

Wait a minute - what's the difference?

Hmmm, let me Google this...

And the answer is – not so easy to find.

First of all, instead of the usual 1,765,436 Google results, I only got 42,900.

Now I ask you, how can I possibly find out what I need to know with just 42,900 results?

Well, I'll have to make do. After reviewing the top 4 or 5 results (hey, I'm busy! The other 42,895 will have to wait until later), here's what I discovered:

No one can agree on the exact difference between Heavenly Hash ice cream, and Rocky Road ice cream, which is where these terms usually appear: in the freezer case.

Basically, both are chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and almonds. The difference seems to be 1) Heavenly Hash also includes some type of chocolate add-in, and 2) Rocky Road is chunkier: whole nuts, whole globs of marshmallow, where Heavenly Hash is more diced nuts and a marshmallow swirl and chocolate flecks.

Hey, I wouldn't turn up my spoon at either one.

So, class, what do I name these vanilla shortbread bars topped with chocolate ganache, toasted pecans, and mini marshmallows?

Rocky Road. Though for perfect authenticity, I realize I should have used toasted whole almonds. And made the shortbread chocolate, not vanilla.

There's always next time...

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or line with parchment and grease the parchment.

Beat together the following:

16 tablespoons (227g) salted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt*
3/4 cup (149g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups (276g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

*If you use unsalted butter, increase the salt in the recipe to 1 teaspoon.

The dough will seem very dry, and won't seem to want to become cohesive at first. Just keep beating, and it'll eventually come together.

Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with your fingers or a mini rolling pin (pastry roller). The dough will feel stiff, but just keep pressing on it until you've covered the bottom of the pan.

Prick the dough all over with a fork; this will keep it from bubbling up as it bakes.

Bake the crust for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's golden brown around the edges and a slightly lighter golden brown on the top. Remove it from the oven, and loosen the edges with a heat-resistant plastic knife or a table knife. Make the topping while the shortbread begins to cool.

Place 3 cups (510g) chopped semisweet or dark chocolate or chocolate chips and 3/4 cup (170g) heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan. Heat in the microwave, or over low heat on a burner, until the cream is steaming and barely beginning to form bubbles.

Remove from the heat, and stir. The chocolate will gradually form a lump in the center of the bowl, then will start to expand as it absorbs the cream. Eventually the chocolate and cream will become one; keep stirring until it's very smooth. If all the chocolate doesn't seem melted, reheat very briefly, and keep stirring.

Pour the hot chocolate atop the crust.

Spread to the edges, or pretty close – it'll continue to ooze a bit to cover that last 1/4" or so of crust.

Sprinkle with 3 cups (149g, or half a 10.5-ounce package) mini marshmallows, and 1 cup (113g) toasted diced pecans.

How do you toast pecans, you ask?

Spread them in a single layer in a shallow pan, and bake in a preheated 300°F oven (along with the crust, if there's room) for 10 to 12 minutes or so, or until they smell toasty, and have started to darken a bit in color.

Cover the pan, and place the bars in the refrigerator for about 15 to 20 minutes, to set the chocolate a bit. Using a sharp knife or baker's bench knife, cut 2" bars.

Transfer to a serving plate, if desired; or serve right from the pan.

Read, bake, and review (please) our recipe for Rocky Road Bars.