These rocky road cookies are soft and chewy dairy free chocolate cookies loaded with peanuts, chopped chocolate and mini marshmallows. They are just like a classic rocky road but loaded into a decadent cookie!
These are not your average chocolate cookie. These rocky road cookies are loaded with chunks of dark chocolate, marshmallows and peanuts. They are soft, a little fudgy, and the nuts give them a satisfying crunch.
I highly recommend grabbing one while they are still a little warm then you get pools of melty chocolate that is just incredible.
This is a super simple recipe that doesn’t require any chilling of the dough meaning you only need about 30 minutes to make a batch!
Recipe Inspiration
The first time I heard of rocky road cookies I was when I was watching Gilmore Girls. It stuck in my brain and I instantly knew I needed to create them at home, dairy free of course.
Maybe these are common in the US, but in Australia, I’d never heard of them before, but the idea of combining the delicious combination of ingredients from a classic rocky road into a cookie just sounded so amazing.
And the result? One of the most delicious cookies I’ve ever made.
Key Ingredients
These rocky road cookies start as a basic dairy free chocolate cookie with all the usual ingredients, and then we add in the mix-ins just like a classic rocky road!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy free butter – I always use Nuttelex buttery as a dairy free butter substitute but any vegan butter will work. You will want to use it cold, straight from the fridge for this recipe.
- Brown sugar + white sugar – the combination creates a rich, soft and chewy cookie that still spreads a little.
- Egg – binds the cookie together so it doesn’t fall apart and aids in the key chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract – to enhance the chocolate flavour.
- Cocoa powder – for a rich chocolatey flavour use a good quality cocoa powder. I’ve used Cadbury Bournville cocoa powder my entire life because it’s made from the same beans Cadbury uses to make their chocolate so you know it’s going to taste good. For those in the US, this is a Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Bicarbonate of soda – known as baking powder in the US, keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Marshmallows – mini marshmallows are the best for this recipe but if you only have the regular sized ones, you can chop them up before mixing through the cookie dough.
- Peanuts – I use raw, unsalted peanuts. You could use chopped almonds or any other nut you like instead. Hazelnuts or macadamia’s would be amazing.
- Dark chocolate – use a good quality 70% dark chocolate block chopped up into chunks. By using chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips you’ll end up with melty pools of chocolate which is so delicious.
You’ll Also Love: Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream together the dairy free butter and the white and brown sugars using an electric mixer. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat together until nice and creamy.
Step 2: Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine with the wet, doing so in batches so as not to spray flour all over your kitchen.
Step 3: Add in the peanuts, marshmallows and chopped chocolate and mix through using a spatula until combined.
Step 4: Using a cookie scoop if you have one, roll balls of cookie dough and place into a prepared baking tray, ensuring there is enough room between them to spread.
Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray for a few minutes to allow them to firm up before transferring to a cooling rack.
Step 6: Enjoy while still a little warm or cool completely and store!
👉Tip! For perfect looking cookies, as soon as the cookies have been removed from the oven, use a spoon or a large round cookie cutter that fits over the cookie, to gently shape the cookie back into a circle. This only works if the cookies are still soft so needs to be done immediately before they start to cool.
How to store cookies
Stored properly, these cookies will stay fresh and delicious for days! Keep in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry location.
Freezing Instructions
Scoop the dough into balls, and place them on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.
To bake, grab the dough balls out of the freezer and place on a baking sheet and bake – no need to thaw first. You’ll just need to cook them for a few minutes longer from frozen.
You can also freeze cooked and cooled cookies in an airtight container or zip lock bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or zap in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Recipe FAQs
You can, however I don’t recommend it. Chocolate chips are made with extra things added to prevent them from melting at high heats meaning they hold their shape during baking.
Chopped chocolate on the other hand will melt and create pools of chocolate that seep into your cookie and provide a much more delicious cookie.
Yes! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours before baking. If chilling, let the dough come to room temperature before rolling into balls otherwise your cookies won’t spread in the oven properly.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free cookie recipes:
Dairy Free Snickerdoodles
Jam Drops (Thumbprint Cookies)
Chai Sugar Cookies
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Rocky Road Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder 30 grams
- 1 ½ cup plain flour/all purpose flour 225 grams
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dairy free butter 125 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar 60 grams
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini marshmallows 30 grams
- ½ cup peanuts 60 grams
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate 80 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the dairy free butter, brown sugar and white sugar and cream together using an electric hand mixer. Once combined, add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time beating between each addition until a dough forms.
- Add the mini marshmallows, peanuts and chopped chocolate to the bowl and use a spatula to combine.
- Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of the cookie dough and roll into a balls. Place them evenly apart on the baking tray making sure there is enough space between each to allow for spreading in the oven.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies have set around the edges but are still soft in the centre. Let cool on the baking tray for a few minutes to allow them to firm up before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published in April 2022 and has been updated in 2026 with new photos, more helpful information, and a slight change to improve the recipe and combat an overspreading issue.
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