Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Brownies (Vegan)

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.

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!

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:

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:

• 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:

• flour
• white sugar – use organic for vegan
• cocoa powder
• baking powder
• cornstarch
• salt

And for the “rocky road” part:

• chocolate chips (vegan)
• miniature marshmallows (vegan)
• walnuts or pecans

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ready for the recipe?