Valentine's Day Rocky Road

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This Valentine's Day rocky road is just like the classic no-bake traybake but with a romantic pink twist. It can be customised to your liking and is great for sharing with your partner, friends or family.

stack of valentines rocky road squares on a plate

If you've been looking for a vibrant, fun Valentine's Day dessert that both kids and adults can enjoy, my Valentine rocky road is just the thing! The mix of creamy white chocolate, crunchy biscuits, gooey marshmallows, and colourful sweets is SO delicious, and with its gorgeous pink colour, it's almost too pretty to eat!

I made this for the first time last year and it was so popular with my taste-testers that I had to make another batch this year. It's super easy because there's no baking required, and you can add as many or as little mix-ins as you want/have. I just know you're going to love this one!

Grab your ingredients

Jammie Dodgers: I used strawberry Jammie Dodgers because they have a bright pink colour, which I thought was very fitting for a romantic rocky road. If these aren't available near you, you can use classic Jammie Dodgers or any other type of biscuits that you like. Some of my other favourites for rocky road are shortbread and digestive biscuits.
Mini marshmallows: 100g, in any colour that you like. I used a mix of pink and white.
Pink or purple or heart-shaped sweets: These add more colour and a fun variety of textures. You can use things like jelly beans, chewy sweets, or heart-shaped gummies. The more creative you can get, the better! I used a mixture of Swizzel's Love Hearts, Rowntree's Berry Hearts, Drumstick Squashies and Starburst Minis. Be mindful that some will be more difficult to cut than others when you're slicing the traybake.
White chocolate: This is what will hold our sweets and biscuits together. Because white chocolate is very finicky, I didn't add any golden syrup or butter, which rocky road usually contains.
Gel food colouring: This is optional, but if you're going for that romantic vibe, a small amount of pink (or red) gel colouring will make it a bit more eye-catching. I recommend using gel over liquid colours because you'll only need a few drops to get a strong colour.
Neutral oil: You'll need just a tiny drop of vegetable or sunflower oil if you're making pink chocolate. This will prevent the white chocolate from seizing and make the finished traybake easier to cut.
Sprinkles: Optional, for the topping. I used heart-shaped sprinkles and mini red and pink balls, along with more Swizzel's Love Heart sweets.

Kitchen stuff

8x8-inch tin: This size will give you 16 thick slices. If you don't have a tin this size, a 9x9-inch tin will work fine too if you don't mind slightly thinner slices. You can also use my cake pan converter to adjust the recipe to fit your tin, or make individual servings in cupcake cases.
Baking paper: Leave some hanging over the sides of the tin, which will allow you to lift the whole slab out easily after it's set.
Mixing bowl: A large one, to mix all of the ingredients together.
Heatproof bowl: For melting the chocolate in the microwave. Alternatively, you can do this in a saucepan over low heat on the stove.
Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon or strong spatula for mixing and a sharp knife for cutting.

stack of 2 pieces of valentine rocky road traybake

How to make Valentine's Day Rocky Road

Step 1: Start by lining an 8x8-inch tin with baking paper, ready for your mixture to go into. As I mentioned earlier, I recommend leaving some hanging over each edge for easy removal later.

Step 2: Chop 1 pack (140g) of strawberry Jammie Dodgers into medium-sized chunks then put them into a large bowl with 100g of mini marshmallows.

Step 3: Take 4 handfuls of your favourite pink and/or Valentine-themed sweets and put them into the bowl. Mix well to combine them with the biscuit chunks and marshmallows.

Step 4: Melt 500g of white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or over the stove on low. Once it's melted, add a small amount of pink gel food colouring and about ¼ teaspoon of oil. Mix well until you get a smooth, even colour with no streaks.

Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate into your bowl and mix everything together until all of the biscuits, sweets and marshmallows are evenly covered.

pouring melted chocolate into the bowl with dry ingredients

Step 6: Press the mixture into your tin, working quickly before the chocolate starts to set. Then top with more sweets and Valentine's Day sprinkles.

topping the rocky road traybake with valentines sweets and sprinkles

Step 7: Pop the whole thing in the fridge for 3 hours to set then remove it from the tin, cut it into slices and enjoy!

Rocky road tips

If you're having trouble cutting clean slices, dip your knife into boiling water and then dry it immediately before using. The heat will help your knife glide through the chocolate and prevent cracking. This was especially helpful for cutting through the mini Starburst sweets that I used.
White chocolate will seize up quickly if you add food colouring without adding a small amount of oil too. Don't skip this!
When working with white chocolate, don't add golden syrup or butter like you usually would with rocky road, as this will make the chocolate seize. If you want a richer, softer base, use my classic recipe below.

Classic rocky road base

If you prefer to have a classic chocolate rocky road base instead of a pink one, you can use my base recipe below. Make sure to omit the food colouring!

Melt 100g butter, 3 tablespoons of golden syrup and 300g semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not milk chocolate, as it will seize) together over low heat. Stir gently until there are no lumps left. This will create a creamy, smooth, easy-to-cut base which will contrast nicely with the vibrant sweets and biscuits.

Alternatively, you can just switch the white chocolate for an equal amount of melted milk or dark chocolate. Take care when cutting.

FAQs & Troubleshooting

How long does Valentine's rocky road last?

If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it'll keep well for up to a week. Trust me though, it'll be hard not to eat it all in a few days!

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes, for up to 3 months. You can either wrap the whole slab tightly in clingfilm or you can freeze individual slices in an airtight container. When you're ready to defrost it, transfer it to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.

Why did my chocolate get hard?

This will happen if you add too much food colouring without any/enough oil. The oil is what will keep the white chocolate smooth and runny. White chocolate also starts to harden faster than milk or dark chocolate, so it's important to work quickly.

overhead image of valentines day rocky road

More Valentine's Day desserts:

I hope you like my Valentine rocky road recipe! If you make it at home, please let me know how it goes and share in the comments what kind of sweets you added! Enjoy!