Rocky Road Fudge!  No candy thermometer or special equipment is needed to make this amazing fudge.  All you need is a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of stirring.  The hardest part is waiting for the fudge to set up in the fridge….but it’s worth the wait when you pull a piece of chilled fudge out of your fridge on a hot summer day (plus you can lick the pan while you wait!).  You need this fudge in your life, it’s SO good!!

Here’s how it’s made!

No Candy Thermometer?

My least favorite part of making candy is standing over a hot stove stirring a pan of bubbling sugar – half afraid I will burn the candy, half afraid I will burn myself.  This candy has all of the delciousness of traditional fudge, without any of the fear.  The base of this fudge is made by slowly melting chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter together in a small saucepan.  In fact, your goal is to not boil the mixture.  I’ll explain!

Start by putting a bag of chocolate chips and some creamy peanut butter together in a small saucepan.

Melt the mixture over very low heat.

Be very careful not to let this mixture boil or the chocolate will sieze and burn.  In fact, you will want to pull the mixture off the stove when it looks like this:

And stir the mixture, letting the residual heat finish melting the chocolate mixture for you.  Here is the same mixture after about 30 more seconds of stirring off heat.

PS If you ever wonder why my pictures sometimes have a little green reflection in them, it’s because I live in Seattle and am surrounded by trees.  A sunny day in the kitchen means everything is going to be showered in the green coming in through the windows. There’s a reason we’re known as the Evergreen State!

The Mix-ins

I just want to talk a minute about the ingredients that go inside this fudge….

Peanut Butter

Measuring peanut butter and other sticky ingredients like honey are one of my least favorite parts of cooking, but this push measuring cup has been life changing! 

The Peanuts

Just straight forward salted peanuts are great in this recips.  Store brand works great!

The Salt

I like to add a little pinch of salt after the chocolate and peanut butter have melted together.  Salt makes everyting taste better, even sweet foods.  My favorite store brand of sea salt is Maldon.

You can spend a lot more on a specialty sea salt, but it won’t get you much better flavor than this salt will.

Finishing the Fudge

Let the mixture cool for about 5 mintues and add some marshmallows and peanuts to the melted chocolate.

Mix until combined.  Line a 9 x 9″ pan with aluminum foil.

Spray with nonstick cooking spray and pour mixture inside.  Cover and let chill in the fridge for a few hours until set.

Store leftovers (if there are any!), chilled in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!!

Rocky Road Fudge

1 (12 ounce) package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup salted peanuts
3 cups mini marshmallows

Melt the chocolate and peanut butter over a very low heat, stirring constantly. Do not let boil or the chocolate will sieze. Remove mixture from the heat before it is completely melted and stir, letting the residual heat gently melt the chocolate chips. Let cool slightly about 5 minutes so the marshmallows won’t melt in the hot mixture. Stir in the marshmallows, peanuts, and a pinch of sea salt. Stir until well combined. Pour into a 9 x 9″ pan lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let cool in the refrigerator until solid. Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled. Enjoy!