Rocky Road Cookies
Chewy, fudgy Rocky Road cookies loaded with chocolate chips, dry-roasted peanuts and topped with miniature marshmallows.
Servings: 35 cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoonsunsalted butterat room temperature see note 1
- 1-1/2 cupslight brown sugarfirmly packed
- 2 largeeggs
- 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 1 teaspooncornstarch
- 1 teaspoonbaking soda
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1/2 cupDutch process cocoa powdernot plain cocoa powder
- 1 cupcake floursee note 2
- 1-1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 2 cupsmilk chocolate chipsor semi-sweet
- 1 cupdry roasted and lightly salted peanutsor other nut you enjoy
- Miniature marshmallowsnot full-sized ones for topping
- Flaky sea saltoptional for topping
Instructions
Instructions
- Place the 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (room-temperature — softened but not melted) and 1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until very creamy and fully combined, about 3–4 minutes (mixture should be thick, similar to peanut butter). Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat just until combined.
- Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder. Beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are just incorporated, scraping the bowl with a spatula to ensure even mixing.
- Add 1 cup cake flour and 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in 2 cups milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet) and 1 cup dry roasted lightly salted peanuts with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes up to 2 hours. (If you refrigerate longer than 2 hours, let the dough sit at room temperature about 30 minutes before scooping so it’s scoopable.)
- After chilling, portion the dough into balls just over 2 tablespoons each (about 40 g). You should get roughly 35 dough balls. Roll each into a tall, slightly rounded ball rather than flat disks.
- Place the dough balls on a parchment- or silicone-lined sheet pan or plate and return them to the refrigerator or freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
- While the dough balls chill, preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C).
- Arrange up to six chilled dough balls on an extra-large sheet pan lined with a silicone liner or parchment, spacing them at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. (Bake in batches as needed.)
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and press three miniature marshmallows into the top of each cookie. Return the pan to the oven and bake 2–4 more minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are no longer glossy/very gooey. The centers should be slightly underbaked for a fudgy, chewy texture.
- If desired, immediately press a few extra chocolate chips and/or peanuts into the warm cookie tops and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling and firm up. Repeat baking with remaining dough.
Equipment
- Stand mixerfitted with whisk attachment
- Large sheet pan (15″ x 21″)
- Parchment Paper
- Silicone baking mator parchment paper
- Cooling Rack
Notes
Recipe Notes
Note 1:
If you touch the butter and are left with greasy fingers and a deep indent, the butter is too soft. Pop it in the fridge for a bit before using. If butter is cool to the touch and makes a slight indent when pressed with a finger, it is the perfect temperature! Softened or melted butter won’t cream properly.
Note 2:
Cake flour is usually found in the baking supplies aisle in the grocery store near other types of flour. I don’t recommend a different flour substitute or making homemade cake flour—it doesn’t work the same in this recipe.
Note 3
:
I highly recommend using the exact ingredients called for in this recipe to achieve the best results for these cookies. So wait for a grocery store run if you don’t have the right cocoa powder or flour; the wait will be worth it so you don’t end up with lackluster cookies or cookies that don’t bake properly.
Note 4
: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour and scoop, you will pack in way too much flour, which affects the texture of the cookies. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it’s overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top. (
Video visual here
)
Storage
: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re best fresh but last up to a week, though texture and flavor fade after 3–4 days. For longer storage, freeze the dough: drop dough balls on a sheet pan, freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
Note 1:
If you touch the butter and are left with greasy fingers and a deep indent, the butter is too soft. Pop it in the fridge for a bit before using. If butter is cool to the touch and makes a slight indent when pressed with a finger, it is the perfect temperature! Softened or melted butter won’t cream properly.
Note 2:
Cake flour is usually found in the baking supplies aisle in the grocery store near other types of flour. I don’t recommend a different flour substitute or making homemade cake flour—it doesn’t work the same in this recipe.
Note 3
:
I highly recommend using the exact ingredients called for in this recipe to achieve the best results for these cookies. So wait for a grocery store run if you don’t have the right cocoa powder or flour; the wait will be worth it so you don’t end up with lackluster cookies or cookies that don’t bake properly.
Note 4
: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour and scoop, you will pack in way too much flour, which affects the texture of the cookies. Instead, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it’s overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top. (
Video visual here
)
Storage
: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re best fresh but last up to a week, though texture and flavor fade after 3–4 days. For longer storage, freeze the dough: drop dough balls on a sheet pan, freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.