Rocky Road Brownie Pie

Is this Rocky Road Brownie concoction a pie or a cake? Or just a massive brownie with a crapload of fantastic chocolate candy on top?

I don’t think I’m asking the right questions.

The real questions are: Why haven’t I made this before? And… How was I able to live my life without this dessert in it before now?

Here’s how this all went down:
- I baked the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie batter in a tart pan (so maybe this is a tart, and not a pie or a cake?). I knew I had to do something to the top of the brownie… I had to adorn it in some way. Something epic.
- The choice was obvious to me: I made the totally-easy-but-stunningly-crowd-pleasing Rocky Road Chunks, and then plopped it on top of the cooled brownie.
This dessert is greater than the sum of its parts, and I MUST clarify: the parts are pretty summalicious on their own. This isn’t a case of taking “good” desserts and combining them to make something “quite good, indeed”. This is a case of taking a brownie recipe worthy of being printed on its own freaking apron and kitchen towel (conveniently available for purchase!) and marrying it to a chocolate candy that people actually stop and ask “what is this?” (in a good way… quite good, indeed). The Rocky Road Brownie Pie/Cake/Tart is your next favorite dessert.

Believe me.

Adapted from my World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie and Rocky Road Chunks recipes…

BROWNIE BASE:

4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better the brownie)

3/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla (use the real stuff)

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Optional: 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Optional: 1 cup lightly toasted nuts &/or chocolate chips

ROCKY ROAD CANDY:

8 oz. (or about 1 1/4 cups) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped finely or in chips

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped into chunks (optional)

2 oz. (or about 1/2 cup) white chocolate, chopped into chunks or in chips
1. MAKE BROWNIE BASE: Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9″ removeable-bottom tart pan.
2. Melt chocolate & butter in microwave for 2:15 minutes and stir.
3. Stir in sugar, then vanilla, then eggs, then salt, espresso powder (optional) & flour.
4. Stir in nuts &/or chocolate chips if you so desire.
5. Pour enough batter into the tart pan to almost reach the top/sides of the pan, and bake for 20 minutes (until center is just set). Allow to cool on a wire rack.
6. MAKE ROCKY ROAD CANDY: In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt semi-sweet chocolate (stirring occasionally) until smooth. Remove pot from water and allow to cool for 10 – 15 minutes. Stir in marshmallows, walnuts and white chocolate chunks/chips until well blended. Spread over top of cooled brownie base, and allow chocolate to set before slicing. (Sprinkle extra nuts and marshmallows overtop if you’d like.)
Tips:
- You will have extra brownie batter. This is an excellent problem to have. Suggestion? Make the W.G.F. Brownie Cookies with the rest of the batter. Or pour onto a foil-lined baking pan (maybe a little 8″ one, or a jelly roll pan) and bake until just set. Oh, yes. Little brownies for you.
- You will have extra Rocky Road candy. This is another excellent problem to have. Problem solved: just spoon the rest out in little chunks onto a parchment-lined baking tray; allow to set (in the fridge if you’re impatient) and binge on them. No one will know you had extra when you serve the Rocky Road Pie, so it will be your secret.
- OH MY GOD- I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING: What if you took the extra batter and made Rocky Road surprises? Grease lined muffin cups… plop a bit of brownie batter in the bottom, then a scoop of Rocky Road candy, then a bit of brownie batter to cover? Bake about 15 minutes, until just set but still wiggly. (Not recipe tested, but I just might have to soon. If you do it first please tell me how it is..)
- Want brownie baking tips? Click here to get to the original recipe.
- Be careful not to overbake the brownie base… better that it’s a bit too soft than all dried out and you know… dry.
- Want Rocky Road Candy baking tips? Click here.
- This recipe freezes really well- especially if you just freeze the brownie base and then make the Rocky Road crap the day you want to serve it.
- Enjoy! (Again and again.) (And again.)
Click Here to PRINT This Recipe Now!
Related Recipes & Posts:
February 2nd, 2013 | More Sweets Please | 2 Comments | Tags: Cakes, Chocolate, Pies, World's Best

2 Responses and Counting...

Donna 02.02.2013

For my birthday I made a double quantity choc brownie in a VE R Y large tin then topped with mini mallows, cherries, mini rolo, maltesers cut in half and then melted toblerone. It was awesome! Not an everyday treat though, I couldn’t afford that in calories or expense. Great site. Thanks.:-)
More Sweets Please

You have just described something that will get you into heaven, Donna. NICE! (And I love how you made yourself something on your b-day. Why chance it with a crappy store-bought cake when you can make your OWN favorite thing, right?!)