Sweet & Salty Rocky Road Bars (No-Bake)

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These no-bake sweet and salty rocky road bars are a classic dessert that everyone should know how to make! Packed full of popcorn, mini marshmallows, salted pretzels and digestive biscuits, this is the perfect mix of sweet and salty flavours.

stack of no bake sweet and salty rocky road bars on a plate

If you like the sweet and salty combo then you're going to adore these no-bake rocky road bars! They're the perfect mix of chewy and crunchy, and you'll only need 7 simple ingredients to make them.

Rocky road is a classic dessert that I think everyone should know how to make. So I thought it was only right that I share my crowd-pleasing recipe with you. It's so good that you'll become hooked on it as soon as you try it!

You can take it along to office meetings, bake sales and parties, or you can even just enjoy it as a sweet snack with your mid-morning cuppa. Whatever the occasion, you're sure to love it!

In the post below, you'll find detailed notes, tips and step-by-step instructions. I know not everyone is experienced in the kitchen so I hope those of you who read it find it helpful. If you prefer to skip straight on to the condensed version of the recipe, you can find it in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients

Semi-sweet chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate is the best type to use for sweet and salty rocky road. Whatever you do, don't use milk chocolate because it'll likely cause your mixture to split! Any dark chocolate that's around 50% cocoa solids will work just fine.
Butter: This helps to soften the chocolate, making it easier to cut into the finished product. Otherwise, you'd just be cutting into a solid block of chocolate and it'd be quite difficult to get neat bars.
Golden syrup: This is added to help the butter and chocolate combine properly, preventing splitting and seizing.
Digestive biscuits: These biscuits are quite neutral tasting so they can be replaced with any other type of biscuit that you like. Some of my favourite alternatives are shortbread, rich teas and Biscoff biscuits.
Pretzels: Pretzels add a nice salty kick which tastes absolutely delicious paired with the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Marshmallows: Try to get mini marshmallows if you can because cutting regular-sized marshmallows can be a bit tedious.
Popcorn: I use sweet and salty popcorn in my no-bake rocky road bars and I think it works perfectly.

Equipment notes

8x8-inch tin: Make sure your tin is at least a few inches deep, otherwise the mixture will overflow. You can also use a larger tin such as 8x10 or 9x11 if you don't mind thinner slices.
Baking paper: To stop the rocky road from sticking to the tin. I usually use quite a lot of baking paper so there's leftover pieces hanging over the edges- this makes it super easy to just lift the whole thing out later on.
Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon, a sharp knife, plus something to press the mixture firmly into the tin, such as a tablespoon, a rubber spatula or a round-bottomed cup.
Large bowl: To make the rocky road mixture in.
Saucepan: The first step in the recipe is to melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter together. You can do this in a saucepan over the stove or in short bursts in the microwave (make sure to use a heatproof bowl).
Rolling pin: This is not essential but it makes it easier to crush the digestive biscuits and pretzels up. You can do it by hand too.

two bars of sweet and salty road on top of one another

How to make no-bake sweet and salty rocky road

Step 1: Start by lining an 8x8x3-inch tin with baking paper, leaving a little hanging over the edges for easy removal later on. Set it aside for now.

Step 2: Add 300g of chocolate to a saucepan along with 100g of unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons of golden syrup. Place over low heat on the stove and stir gently until it's fully melted. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

butter chocolate and golden syrup melted in a saucepan

Step 3: Next, add 200g of digestive biscuits and 50g of salted pretzels to a large bowl. Crush them into medium-sized chunks using your hands or the end of a rolling pin.

Step 4: Add 100g of mini marshmallows and 30g of sweet and salty popcorn to the bowl and mix everything to combine.

pouring chocolate into bowl with the rest of the ingredients in it

Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl and mix well until everything is evenly coated. Spoon it into your lined tin and press it down firmly into place.

Step 6: Refrigerate your rocky road for 3 hours, until the chocolate has set fully. Then just remove it from the tin, cut it into bars and enjoy! I cut mine into 16 bars but you can make yours larger or smaller if you prefer.

Rocky road tips

Press the mixture into the tin as firmly as you can. Using a rubber spatula can help with this as it won't stick to the mixture like a wooden spoon will.
Use semi-sweet chocolate to prevent splitting. If you want to use milk chocolate, use my milk chocolate rocky road recipe instead.
Get creative with your mix-ins! You can replace the popcorn and pretzels with anything else you like, such as glace cherries, honeycomb or mixed nuts.

FAQ

How long will sweet and salty rocky road last?

These bars will last for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge or for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. It's great for prepping in advance!

How can I cut rocky road neatly?

To make neater slices, use a warm knife. You can do this by running your knife under hot water and then drying it thoroughly before each cut.

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes, no-bake rocky road bars are great for freezing. Simply pop them into airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. If you want to stack them up in the container, you can separate them with pieces of baking paper to stop them from sticking together. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and do not refreeze.

no bake rocky road bars on a white surface

More rocky road recipes:

I hope you have fun making these sweet and salty no-bake rocky road bars! If you find this post helpful, please share it with a friend using the share buttons on this page. Enjoy!