This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
Rocky road fudge is a creamy and luscious fudge loaded with crunchy walnuts and sweet, pillowy marshmallows. A delightful twist on a decadent classic!
Featured in this recipe
Rocky road fudge is a staple in our house! We love to make this as a family during the holiday season. Fluffy marshmallows surrounded by rich, sweet chocolate with just the right amount of walnut crunch. This homemade fudge is an old favorite family recipe that will be carried on through generations.
Not only is rocky road fudge recipe a popular recipe, but it also is known to have several ways to make it. Get ready to make a beloved treat this holiday season. This fudge will melt in your mouth and have a sweet and salty combination in every bite!
Ingredient List
No need to use the microwave for this fancy fudge! It all comes together on the stove top and with a glass bowl! In a prepared pan, you will add the combined ingredients to and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. It is that simple and always one of the best tasting fudge recipes!
- Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows are best and easier to keep the fudge bite-sized.
- Milk chocolate bars – Break up the chocolate bars and add them into a microwave-safe bowl. The hot butter will melt this chocolate slowly while you are stirring. Dark chocolate will work as well.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – The blend of the two chocolates gives this fudge that rich, unique flavor.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter that will be cut into pieces and cooked on the stove top in a medium saucepan.
- Sugar – This will help combine the chocolate flavoring and sweeten the fudge.
- Evaporated milk – Helps give the fudge a creamy texture. If you are hoping for an extra creamy texture, use sweetened condensed milk instead.
- Vanilla extract – Just a teaspoon or two of vanilla to enhance this recipe!
- Walnut halves – You can purchase walnut halves or chop them in half on your own. Be careful not to break them up.
Rocky Road Fudge with Peanut Butter
An easy way to add peanut butter to this recipe is to replace a half cup of the butter used in this recipe with a half cup of peanut butter. It’s an easy swap and it definitely kicks the taste up a notch if you are a peanut butter lover!
Add Ins to the Best Rocky Road Fudge
We typically make this fudge as written below, but we have heard of others making variations to their rocky road fudge by adding one of the following along with the walnuts and marshmallows:
- 1 cup Butterscotch chips
- 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1-2 cups pistachios, chopped almonds, or salty peanuts.
Tips for Making Easy Rocky Road Fudge
We have a little secret about our easy fudge recipe! It is all in the frozen marshmallows. You will love this little trick when cutting up your fudge. Read more to find out other helpful tips that will make your fudge just that much better!
- Freeze the marshmallows: This is our favorite tip! It keeps the marshmallows from melting and makes for a prettier presentation when you cut the fudge into pieces.
- Use cold butter: You don’t need to soften the butter in this recipe, in fact, we think it works out better when the butter takes a little longer to melt with the chocolate.
- Use a BIG saucepan: When heating the milk and sugar together, you will want a BIG saucepan or pot. When the sugar mixture starts to boil, it will expand quite a bit. You don’t want that mixture boiling up and over the pot and onto your stove, so keep it at medium heat. It will be very difficult to clean up!
- Candy thermometers: Using a candy thermometer can help to make sure that your ingredients do not overheat.
- Cool before cutting: We usually like to refrigerate at least a couple hours, this makes the fudge much easier to cut.
“This was so tasty! The kids loved helping me put it together, so easy!”
-Beth
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically any kind of “rocky road” candy, ice cream, or fudge contains chocolate, marshmallows, and some kind of nut. You can use walnuts, peanuts, pecans, or even cashews.
Yes! Most fudge is GF without having to make any changes.
Yes, but it is not ideal. You are better off keeping it at room temperature or freezing it because the refrigerating has a tendency to dry it out. If you must refrigerate, do your best to keep it covered well and in an airtight container, much like you would if you were keeping it at room temperature.
Absolutely! In fact, fudge freezes quite well. Follow the steps below on how to store fudge so the fudge pieces don’t freeze together, and then just keep in an airtight container in the freezer. It will stay good for up to three months. When thawing the fudge to eat, just set out at room temperature. When the sheen of moisture is gone from the fudge pieces, it is ready to eat.
Fudge can stay good for up to two weeks at room temperature. Just make sure you are keeping it in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. It doesn’t hurt to put a layer of plastic wrap over the wrapped fudge within the airtight container as well. I tend to overdo it when it comes to storing fudge because once fudge gets dry there’s not a whole lot you can do to save it.
How to Store Homemade Fudge (the right way)
No matter how you are storing your fudge, the best way to wrap and store it is to cut it into individual pieces and then wrap each piece in wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. I like using wax paper because it sticks less, but plastic wrap or even foil works just fine. After wrapping each piece, keep the fudge in an airtight container to further keep from drying out.
More Tasty Fudge Recipes
If you are as wild about fudge as we are, you are going to LOVE our other popular fudge recipes:
Rocky Road Fudge
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 20 ounces Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (almost 3 large bars)
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter cut into small cubes
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups walnut halves (do not break up)
Instructions
- Spread 4 cups mini marshmallows onto a large baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, break chocolate bars into smaller pieces and place in a large bowl. Add chocolate chips and butter pieces. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine sugar and evaporated milk. Heat over medium-high heat and stir with a whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add 2 ½ cups mini marshmallows and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Continue to to cook at a light but steady boil for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and immediately pour over chocolate and butter.
- With a wooden spoon, stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted and mixture is well blended. Continue to stir until candy loses some of its shine.
- Stir in frozen marshmallows, vanilla, and walnut halves.
- Pour into a buttered 9×13 inch pan. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 90 minutes before cutting. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
I made this for my family for St Patrick’s day. And they loved it. My son dosen’t like anything. But he liked this fudge. Thank you so much 💓
So glad they were a hit with your son! Thanks for the nice comment 🙂
My family cant do nuts, is there a substitute or no nuts recipe. Maybe raisins or cransins
You can omit the nuts from this recipe!
Will the frozen marshmallows not melt when you pour the chocolate mixture or do you wait for it to cool down?
Since they are frozen, they don’t melt when you pour the chocolate on them!
This was just the tip I came here for. Thanks!
Best ever. Thank you
Rocky Road is my favorite and this fudge is the best!!
This was so tasty! The kids loved helping me put it together, so easy!
Okay, what a delicious treat! I won’t be able to stop eating them!
Homemade rocky road fudge is the best! I made this with my kids over the weekend and they loved it!
This is my favorite fudge!! Yummy and super easy to make!
I would like to make this fudge and mail from Montana to Texas. Do you think the fudge will make it alright without it getting tough or becoming oily? Thinking about wrapping the individual pieces in wax paper & then plastic wrap, pack in an airtight plastic container or tin? Thank you, love your recipes!
I think it would probably do better if you wrapped the fudge in a solid block in wax paper and plastic wrap rather than as individual pieces before mailing it. This fudge should really be kept in the fridge, but with the cooler temperatures we are having right now, and if it is wrapped well as one block it should be fine. Have the person you are mailing it to keep it refrigerated. Good luck and thank you for visiting our site!