Why does it always secretly bug me when people prepare a given item of food three ways? I dunno. I've got irrational problems with lots of things, but I definitely do not have a problem with Nigella's rocky road recipe, which I have prepared three ways: with a caribou, with owls, and with some kind of snowbird. I don't blame you if you think that my recent Christmas recipes are too over-the-top to put together, but this one is easy, fast, and irresistible. Making it even easier: I got Jeff to toss this together while I was mixing cookie dough. Plus you can customize it as much as you want to create a showstopper of a dessert/snack that will dominate your Christmas party's buffet table with its cuteness.
I mean, come on:
INGREDIENTS
- 9 oz dark chocolate <-- most of a bag of chocolate chips
- 5 oz milk chocolate <-- about half a bag
- 1 stick plus 5 T butter
- 4 T corn syrup
- 7 oz crunchy shortbread-type cookies, such as Pepperidge Farm's Chess Men
- 6 oz nuts of choice <-- I bought some cashews, but Nigella recommends Brazil nuts
- 6 oz whole red glace' cherries <-- do not want
- 1 C mini marshmallows <-- give or take
- 1 T powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Chop both sorts of chocolate small, or use chocolate chips, and then put into a heavy-based pan to melt with the butter and syrup over gentle heat.
Put the cookies into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin to get big- and small-sized crumbs; you want some pieces to crunch and some sandy rubble. As I recall, Jeff simply bashed the P. Farm cookies right in their own little white bag.
Take the pan off the heat and add the crushed cookies, nuts, cherries, and mini-marshmallows. Turn carefully to coat everything with syrupy chocolate.
Tip into a foil tray (we used a large, rectangular Rubbermaid container lined with foil), smoothing the top as best you can, although it will look bumpy.
Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then take the set block of rocky road out of the foil tray ready to cut. Push the powdered sugar through a small sieve to dust the top. Then, if you like, add a sprinkling of edible glitter for some festive sparkle. With the long side in front of you, cut into six slices down and four across, so that you have 24 almost-squares.
You can freeze this up to one month and thaw it overnight in a cool place. It's a bit squidgy (to use a Nigella term that I love) at room temperature, hard but gnaw-able (my own term) frozen, and just right refrigerated, if you ask Jeff and me, but do not knock yourself out trying to keep it cool.
On a personal note, Jeff and I met for the first time exactly two years ago right now at a small bakery in downtown Champaign. We went to a movie, and I gave him some cookies and a whole lot of kisses.
I love you, Jeff. You changed my life.
Yum! Looks incredibly delish! Looove the pictures as well, beautifully done :)
Posted by: Magdalena | December 27, 2010 at 03:07 PM