Rocky Road Fudge

Name: Rocky Road Fudge
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 2 cups Miniature Marshmallows; 3 cups Chocolate Chips; ½ cup Peanut Butter; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 ¼ cups Peanuts

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Dessert recipe with United States flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 61 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with wax paper or foil, and coat with non-stick spray.
Pour ½ cup of the miniature marshmallows into the bottom of the lined baking dish.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave the chocolate mixture in 20-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla extract and stir well, until smooth.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped almonds or peanuts, and set aside.
Fold 1 ½ cups of the miniature marshmallows and the remaining chopped nuts into the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Immediately top with the reserved chopped nuts and the mallow bits or additional miniature marshmallows, if using.
Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.
Remove the fudge and wax paper from the pan. Carefully peel all of wax paper from the fudge.
Cut the fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

Why this works on a weeknight

Rocky Road Fudge lands at about 37 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sweet Finishes collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Rocky Road Fudge actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍮 Sweet Finishes Dessert United States Chocolate Snack Sweet Baking