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Home » Recipes » Desserts » Bars & Brownies » Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Brownies (Vegan)

Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Brownies (Vegan)

from 4 reader reviews

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Ooey, gooey, chocolatey, and nutty, with vegan marshmallows; these easy vegan rocky road brownies are sure to please your sweet tooth and impress your crew.

uncut and out of pan, rocky road brownies on cooling rack

Have you ever just wanted a treat? Like a decadent, delicious, not-really-good-for-you treat? Yeah…me too! A few months ago I went on a bit of a brownie binge. I made it my personal quest to find the most delicious, moist, chocolatey, decadent brownie ever!

squares of rocky road brownies

And when I realized I couldn’t go out and just “find” one, I knew I had to make one!

For the very best and most delicious vegan brownies ever, check out this Easy Vegan Brownies post! You’ll find all the best vegan brownies from Veggie Fun Kitchen.

Pin now to save for later:

rocky road brownies on cooling rack with pinterest text overlay

These brownies use as a base my Brownie Cake recipe (with Fudge Frosting), but instead of icing, we sprinkle all the rocky road toppings on top. What are rocky road toppings? How about nuts, chocolate chips, and of course marshmallows!

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients needed to make rocky road brownies:

The “wet” ingredients:

wet ingredients for brownies including coconut oil, white vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond milk
  • plant milk of choice – I used almond
  • white vinegar
  • vanilla extract
  • oil – I used melted coconut oil. I’ve also used avocado oil.

The “dry” ingredients:

dry ingredients for brownies including salt all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cornstarch
  • flour
  • white sugar – use organic for vegan
  • cocoa powder
  • baking powder
  • cornstarch
  • salt

And for the “rocky road” part:

ingredients for the rocky road brownie special incrediennts including vegan chocolate chips and walnuts

Are marshmallows vegan?

Well, no – most marshmallows are not vegan. They contain gelatin which is basically all the bits – the skin, tendons, bones and such – boiled down in water.

Luckily for us, there are indeed some vegan marshmallows if you know what to look for.

I understand that Trader Joe’s marshmallows are vegan. My very most favorite brand though is Dandies Marshmallows!

Making the rocky road brownies:

Preparing the brownie pan with parchment paper:

Start out with preparing your 9×9 pan. You will want to use parchment paper to line the pan, and to help you lift out the brownies after they are cooked for ease of cutting.

a 9×9 pan is really the best size for these brownies. They will not get quite done in the middle if you use an 8×8.

parchment paper in brownie pan
The edges of the parchment paper should hang over the pan. Spray the bottom of the pan so it sticks.

If you want a good explanation of just how to measure, cut, and use the parchment paper, check out my Fudgiest Chocolate Brownies post and scroll down about half way.

The wet ingredients:

These brownies are not “one-bowl” brownies, because in order for them to mix enough but without over mixing, you really need to thoroughly prepare the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Only after they are each well combined can you mix them together.

plant milk with vinegar in it starting to sour
(Add the vinegar to your plant milk to turn it sour like buttermilk.)

One trick that makes these brownies extra delicious and moist is to make “buttermilk” by adding vinegar to the plant milk and letting it sit for a few minutes to “sour”.

While the plant milk is souring, you can prepare the dry ingredients. Then add in the oil and vanilla and stir well before adding to the dry ingredients.

The dry ingredients:

A trick I like to use in vegan baking is to use cornstarch. I think it helps with moisture and also helps keep the baked good together in one piece. In non-vegan baking we would use eggs for this.

Make sure you get most of the lumps out of the cocoa powder. If it’s extra lumpy, you will need to shift with a sifter, or, I sometimes put the dry ingredients in a mesh strainer and push them through. This is totally optional though but will make for a better brownie without random lumps of cocoa powder.

dry ingredients for brownie mixed in bowl and in wire mesh strainer

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together:

After your dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, make a well in the center and add in the wet ingredients all at once.

Then fold in 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup chips. Please note: you only use one half cup each in the batter. The rest will be sprinkled on top along with the marshmallows after it is (mostly) cooked.

brownie batter on wooden spoon showing thickness of batter
(The brownie batter will be quite thick.)

Baking the brownies:

Smooth into the prepared pan and bake in a 350° oven. You’ll be putting the brownies back in the oven after baking for a few more minutes so the toppings can get melt together and get good and gooey. Do not put the toppings on the brownies until they are mostly baked.

baking the rocky road brownies before adding toppings

Bake the brownies for about 25 minutes. You don’t want to over-bake. You will know your brownies are ready when the top is not longer jiggly in the middle and firm (but not hard) on the sides. Don’t let the brownies bake so long that they are hard on the sides.

Take the brownies out of the oven and immediately sprinkle on the rocky road toppings. These would be the rest of the chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and marshmallows. Return to the oven and allow to bake for five more minutes before removing from the oven.

hand putting marshmallows on top of uncooked rocky road brownies

Cooing the brownies:

Place on a rack and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then very carefully, using the parchment paper to assist, life the baked brownies out all at once and place on a cooling rack to rest.

uncut rocky road brownies on cooling rack

How long should the brownies cool before cutting?

Ha! Well if you are like me and have no patience, it won’t be very long and you will be left with a goopy yet delicious mess.

rocky road brownie on a fork with more pieces in background

If you have any patience whatsoever, please wait for a couple of hours or at least until the melted chocolate chips aren’t runny! Then you can place the brownies (with parchment) on a cutting surface and carefully and (mostly) cleanly cut the brownies.

squares of rocky road brownies

Ready for the recipe?

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Want to share the love? It would be great if you could leave five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ stars and even a comment. Did you know that this will help Google to find this recipe when others are looking for something similar? Thanks, Cindy

squares of rocky road brownies

Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Brownies (Vegan)

Rich chocolate flavor with an ooey gooey rocky road topping, these vegan brownies are so delicious!
from 4 reader reviews
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy vegan brownies, rocky road brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
cooling time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 12
Calories: 450kcal
Author: Cindy Rainey

Equipment

  • 9×9 pan
  • parchment paper

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup almond milk or plant milk of choice
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup oil see notes

Dry Ingredients

  • cups all purpose flour
  • cups granulated (white) sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Add-Ins

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegan) – more for topping
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped very fine- more for topping

Topping

  • 1 ¼ cups miniature marshmallows (vegan)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (vegan)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Prepare 9×9 baking pan by spritzing with cooking spray and then cutting parchment paper to fit the pan plus two inches over the edge on two sides.
    parchment paper in brownie pan

The Wet Ingredients

  • Add vinegar to plant milk and let sit for about five minutes or until it starts to sour. It will begin to coagulate a little. Add in vanilla and set aside.
  • If using coconut oil, melt and set aside. If using other oil, measure out and set aside.

The Dry Ingredients

  • Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch to a medium/large sized mixing bowl.
  • Stir well so that all cocoa powder is broken up. Sift if necessary. I used a fine mesh strainer to sift. (See post above for photos and instructions.)

Mixing Dry and Wet Together Along with Add-Ins

  • Add soured milk mixture and oil to dry ingredients all at once. Mix by hand until all dry ingredients have been moistened. Do not overmix.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips and fine-chopped walnuts
  • Turn out into prepared pan and smooth the top.

Baking

  • Set 9×9 pan on a larger baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for 25 -28 minutes.
  • You will know the brownies are done when they are slightly firm to the touch in the middle. Do not overcook or they will be hard. They are undercooked if they are jiggly in the middle. Remove from oven.
  • Sprinkle on the toppings: the chocolate chips, marshmallos, and chopped walnuts. Return to oven for five more minutes.
    rocky road brownies out of the oven with toppings.
  • Allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then carefully lift out the entire cooked browie, using the sides on the parchment paper to assist and place on cooling rack.
  • Continue cooling for at least an hour before cutting. They are messy…

Notes

  • Use a light-flavored oil such as canola oil or (refined) melted coconut oil.
  • Allow to cool completely before cutting. It’s hard to be patient and I rarely am.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg

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By on July 25th, 2020

About Cindy Rainey

Veggie Fun Kitchen by Cindy Rainey
Welcome to Veggie Fun Kitchen where you will learn to recreate family favorites the plant-based/vegan way! Let me know if I can help. I'm here for you.

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