Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars + a review of Dessert Mash-Ups

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Everyone knows that I like to get into the kitchen and bake.   While I like cooking, baking has always been my passion.   I love creating new desserts or combining several desserts into one like in my Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes, Cake Batter Bites, and Banana Bread French Toast Cupcakes.  So when I heard that fellow blogger Dorothy Kern, who blogs at Crazy for Crust, wrote a cookbook about 2-in-1 desserts I couldn’t wait to read it.

Chocolate, Marshmallows, Walnuts, and Cookies make up Rocky Road Fudge Cookie Bars

The cookbook is called Dessert Mash-Ups and it includes 52 recipes for two-in-one desserts straight from Dorothy’s kitchen.   I’ve read Dorothy’s blog for a while and we’ve been in some of the same group on Facebook so I knew the recipes were going to be irresistible.  In picking up the cookbook the first thing that struck me were the photos.   She has a mouth-watering photo for every single recipe.   All of the ingredients in her recipes are easy to find and there aren’t too many ingredients in any one recipe.   The instructions are simple and easy to follow.

Dessert Mash-Ups by Dorothy Kern

My first thoughts about the book was that it is perfect for me since I love to bake desserts.   There is absolutely no calorie counting in this book either.   No skinny substitutions or low fat milk here, it’s 100% dessert bliss.   A few of the recipes I couldn’t wait to try were the Sugar Cookie Dough Cups, Lemon Meringue Pie Fudge, and the Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars.   All of them looked incredible and I couldn’t wait to taste them.

Rocky Road Fudge Cookie Bars

The first recipe I made was actually the lemon meringue pie fudge.   I loved that it had a delicate pie crust topped with the lemon meringue fudge and finished off with marshmallow fluff on top.   It was super sweet but pretty darn awesome.   The second recipe I tried, and the one I’m sharing today, was the Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars.   I know it says they are cookie fudge bars, but I found them to be more brownie like on the bottom which was out of this world.

You start by making a chocolate cookie or brownie layer on the bottom.   Then it’s topped off with fudge that has walnuts and marshmallows in it.  I was a little worried that the chocolate fudge wouldn’t set up, but it hardened into a decadent chocolate bar.  In fact my husband took one bite and I swear his eyes rolled back in his head.   His words were something along the lines of, “These are freaking awesome.”   He’s right.  If you love chocolate, you are going to want to make these immediately.  It’s like having Rocky Road fudge on a chocolate brownie and it’s an incredible combination.  It’s also really easy to make and I think these will be making an appearance on my Christmas dinner table this year.

Rocky Road Fudge Bars

 

 

Chocolate, Marshmallows, Walnuts, and Cookies make up Rocky Road Fudge Cookie Bars

Rocky Road Cookie Fudge Bars + a review of Dessert Mash-Ups

Yield: 36 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes

A decadent cookie crust topped off with Rocky Road Fudge

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 (11.5 oz.) bag semisweet or milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or almonds
  • 1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray or line with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the vanilla and egg, and mix until smooth. Mix in the cocoa and baking soda, then add the salt and flour, and beat until well blended. Press into the prepared pan. (The batter ill be sticky; it helps to spray your hands with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to you.)
  3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the top just loses its sheen.
  4. As soon as the bars come out of the oven (or a few minutes before), melt the chocolate chips in a large microwave safe bowl on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate melts and is smooth. Let it sit for about 2 minutes, then stir in the chopped nuts and mini marshmallows. Stir to coat completely.
  5. Pour the marshmallow mixture on top of the hot cookie bars and spread carefully. Let set at room temperature before slicing. You can refrigerate the bars to speed hardening, but be sure to allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing to avoid cracking in the chocolate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature; bars are best within 4 days.

Notes

Recipe is from: Dessert Mash-Ups by Dorothy Kern


Make your holiday party a success with Rocky Road Fudge Cookie Bars

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