This pistachio and cranberry rocky road is the ultimate sweet treat for the festive season! It's super fun to make and there's no baking required, meaning it's perfect for beginners!
If you're looking for a quick and easy no-bake dessert with sweet and salty flavours, this cranberry and pistachio rocky road is going to be your new fave! You can make it with just 7 ingredients and aside from the 10 minutes of prep time, the fridge does most of the work for you.
It received very good feedback from my friends and family last Christmas so I thought it was about time I shared the recipe with you!
Grab your ingredients
Ready to get started? Here's what you'll need for this recipe:
- Dark chocolate: Use chocolate that contains around 50-60% cocoa, which will give your rocky road just the right amount of sweetness while maintaining a silky smooth texture. If you want to use milk chocolate, the quantities of the other ingredients will be different so I recommend using my milk chocolate rocky road recipe for the base.
- Butter: Butter adds richness to this dessert and helps give it that *melt in your mouth* texture. Salted or unsalted is fine.
- Golden syrup: This thick syrup helps the chocolate and butter come together and makes the rocky road easier to cut/bite into. If you can't find golden syrup, it can be replaced with an equal amount of honey, agave nectar or maple syrup.
- Digestive biscuits: A must for any good traybake! You can substitute these with any other neutral-flavoured biscuits such as Rich Tea biscuits or shortbread. Make sure not to crush the biscuits too finely or they'll absorb more of the chocolate and make the mixture harder to spread into the tin.
- Marshmallows: 80g of mini marshmallows.
- Dried cranberries: You'll need 100g of dried cranberries. I don't recommend using fresh ones as they're quite bitter and the moisture from them will ruin the texture.
- Pistachios: These not only add a delicious crunch to this rocky road but they also give a gorgeous pop of festive colour! I like to use salted pistachios for that tasty sweet and salty vibe.
And these kitchen tools
- 8x8-inch tin: This size of tin will give you nice chunky slices and the slab can serve up to 16. You can use a slightly bigger tin such as an 8x10-inch if you don't mind your slices being a bit thinner. For larger tins, use my cake pan converter to adjust the ingredient quantities to fit.
- Baking paper: This makes it super easy to remove the traybake from the tin after it's set. Leave a little bit of the baking paper hanging over each edge of the tin for 'handles'.
- Mixing bowl: A large one, to combine all of the ingredients.
- Saucepan: To melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together. You can also do this in the microwave in a heatproof bowl if you prefer- make sure to take it out and stir it every 30 seconds to prevent burning.
- Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon for mixing and a sharp knife for cutting the rocky road into squares.
How to Make Pistachio and Cranberry Rocky Road
Step 1: Line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper, ready for the mixture to go into.
Step 2: Break 300g of dark chocolate into segments, then add it to a saucepan along with 100g of butter and 3 tablespoons of golden syrup. Place the pan over low heat and stir gently until everything has melted.
Step 3: Add 180g of digestive biscuits to a large mixing bowl then crush them into medium-sized chunks. Then add 80g of mini marshmallows, 100g of dried cranberries and 80g of salted pistachios. Give it all a quick mix to combine.
Step 4: Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is evenly coated. Transfer this mixture to your lined tin and press it firmly into place.
Step 5: Pop your rocky road into the fridge for 3 hours to set.
Step 6: Remove it from the tin, cut it into squares and enjoy! I like to cut mine into 16 squares but feel free to make yours as big or as small as you like.
Rocky road tips
- This recipe doesn't work well with milk chocolate, so be sure to use dark chocolate that contains around 50-60% cocoa solids.
- If you're struggling to cut into the rocky road after it's set, try using a warm knife. Just run your knife under boiling water then dry it thoroughly between each slice.
- Make this recipe vegan by using plant-based butter, veggie marshmallows and dairy-free dark chocolate. The rest of the ingredients are usually already vegan, including digestive biscuits.
- Pop small slices into cellophane bags to make a gorgeous homemade gift.
FAQs
This will last for at least 2 weeks in the fridge, making it perfect for preparing in advance. Store it in an airtight container to keep it tasting as fresh for as possible.
Yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can put slices into an airtight container or wrap the whole slab tightly in clingfilm or tinfoil. To defrost it, just let it sit in the fridge overnight or on a plate at room temperature for an hour or two. Do not refreeze.
You sure can! You can try swapping out some of the pistachios for almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or any other nuts that you like. Just make sure to chop any larger nuts into smaller pieces.
More no-bake festive treats
- Malteser Christmas pudding
- Rocky road fudge
- Ritz cracker Christmas crack
- Christmas smores bark
- Oreo pinecones
I hope you like my pistachio and cranberry rocky road recipe. If you make it at home, let me know what you think by leaving a rating and/or comment below. Enjoy!
Cranberry & Pistachio Rocky Road
Ingredients
- 300 g Dark chocolate 50-60% cocoa (10.5oz)
- 100 g Unsalted butter (7 tablespoons)
- 3 Tablespoons Golden syrup (or runny honey)
- 180 g Digestive biscuits (13 biscuits)
- 80 g Mini marshmallows (1+½ cups)
- 80 g Salted pistachios shelled weight (½ cup)
- 100 g Dried cranberries (¾ cup)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper.
- Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan over low heat then set aside.
- Crush the digestive biscuits into medium-sized chunks then add them to a large bowl along with the mini marshmallows, pistachios and cranberries. Mix to combine.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl and mix well until everything is evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to your lined tin and press it down firmly into place.
- Refrigerate your rocky road for 3 hours then cut into squares and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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