Easy Rocky Road Fudge
This Easy Rocky Road Fudge is loaded with peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate…and it can be made in about 15 minutes!
Disclosure: I was a guest of the National Peanut Board at their annual Peanut Harvest Tour. The opinions and recipe in this post are my own.
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A couple of weeks ago, I found myself standing in the oldest dance hall in Texas. Don’t worry…I didn’t try to dance. As Laura will tell you, I’ve got 2 left feet. (That doesn’t stop me from doing the Hot Dog Dance every morning with Robbie, though!) Gruene Hall was built back in 1878, and it’s hosted an impressive array of musicians over the years. The list includes Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and George Straight among many others. (Gruene Hall was also the setting for John Travolta’s movie Michael.) Sure enough, the night I was there, a band was playing some really cool country music.
So what was I doing down in the Texas Hill Country at a dance hall? Well, touring a peanut farm, of course! I was with the National Peanut Board, and our group consisted of bloggers, dietitians and peanut lovers from around the country. Salted peanuts are hands-down one of my favorite snacks, but I actually had no idea how peanuts were grown until that trip. Did you know that Texas is the #2 peanut producing state behind Georgia? (Other top peanut states include Alabama, Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia.)
So what does a peanut plant look like? Peanut plants are about 18″ tall, and they produce yellow flowers. However, unlike other plants, peanuts flower above ground but grow fruit (peanuts) below ground. After about 6 weeks, the yellow petals fall away, and the peanut plant produces “pegs.” These pegs grow down into the soil where they then mature into peanuts that look just like the peanuts in shells that you might buy at a baseball game. Fun side fact: peanuts are a nitrogen-fixing plant. This means that peanuts are not only naturally sustainable, but farmers are able to rotate in crops of peanuts to improve the health of their soil.
60% of peanuts grown in the United States are used to make peanut butter. Another 20% go to snacking while 15% go into the candy industry. The remaining 5% stay in shell or go to other various uses. Fun facts to know and share next time you’re talking with your friends!
On the nutrition side, peanuts are an inexpensive source of protein. At just 15¢ per 8g, peanuts are a great protein source, and they’re also packed with folate, vitamin E, magnesium and niacin. Plus, peanuts are just delicious! Oh, and to answer your question, Kelsie, it takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-oz. jar of peanut butter.
Curing Peanut Allergies
Speaking of delicious, this Easy Rocky Road Fudge recipe is a holiday favorite around here! However, before getting into the recipe, I want to mention peanut allergies for a moment. Peanut allergies are a serious thing. In fact, one of Laura’s coworkers has a son who is incredibly allergic to peanuts. Overall, 1% of Americans have a peanut allergy. However, a recent study found that Americans believe that 24% of the population has peanut allergies.
A ground-breaking study conducted out of King’s College in London found that introducing peanuts to infants who are at a high-risk for developing peanut allergies can actually prevent that allergy from developing. How crazy is that? Of course, I recommend reading the full article in the New England Journal of Medicine and talking with your child’s doctor when it comes to introducing infants to peanuts, but those results are certainly promising!
Shifting gears a bit, let’s talk about this delicious Easy Rocky Road Fudge! I have a small confession to make. My phone is full of pictures of fudge. Well, pictures of Robbie and pictures of fudge. I often pull my phone out to grab photos of Robbie whenever he’s doing something especially cute…or especially ridiculous. But apparently I also like pulling out my phone to take pictures of fudge. I was cleaning pics off my phone recently, and I came across no less than 9 pictures of different kinds of fudge. 9 pictures!
Whenever we’re out and about and come across a candy store, I always love to stop and stare drool. And I like taking pictures of fun fudge flavors to recreate back home. Thus the 9 pictures of fudge on my phone right now. I stumbled across this rocky road fudge at a candy store some months back, and I knew I needed it. ASAP. I mean it’s chocolate + peanuts + marshmallows. How can you not love that combo!?
Easy Rocky Road Fudge
This Easy Rocky Road Fudge is perfect for the holidays! Not only is it tasty to have around the house, but it makes for a great gift for teachers, neighbors, friends, Santa, etc. This rocky road fudge took all of about 15 minutes to make. 15 minutes! Toss the pan in the fridge for a couple of hours, and you’re left with this delicious treat!
I will note that this rocky road fudge tastes best when cold, though. So if you’re planning on serving this for dessert or at a holiday party, just keep the fudge refrigerated until it’s time to serve. It will still taste great at room temperature, but this fudge just tastes magical chilled! Enjoy, my friends!
Love peanuts and peanut butter in desserts? Check out some of these other fun recipes!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Baked Chocolate Peanut Butter Donuts
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Freak Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Easy Rocky Road Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups mini-marshmallows divided
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1¼ cups salted peanuts
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff
Instructions
- Line an 8” square baking pan with foil or parchment paper.
- Spread 1 cup of mini-marshmallows evenly across bottom of pan; set pan aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, add chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped peanuts, remaining 2 cups of mini-marshmallows and vanilla extract.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking pan, using a spatula to help spread mixture evenly.
- Heat marshmallow fluff in a microwavable bowl until soft (~15-20 seconds).
- Using a table knife, swirl the marshmallow fluff into the melted chocolate mixture.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.
- Remove from pan; discard parchment/foil. Slice into 36 pieces.
This is so interesting! I would’ve thought it takes more than 540 peanuts to make 12 ounces of pb. And I never knew peanuts grow underground! I always pictured peanuts dangling off of a tree or something. . .I have a lot to learn about farming I think :). Salted peanuts are one of my favorite snacks too, but I’d rather use them in this fudge. You can’t go wrong with rocky road! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Laura and Robbie!
I know! I was shocked to find out how many peanuts are in a jar, too, Kelsie. Crazy! I wonder whose job it is to sit there and count those peanuts out for each jar? 🙂 I volunteer for that job! (One for you…one for me…one for you…one for me…) I agree with you about salted peanuts, and I always like to keep a jar around during the holidays for snacking. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Holidays, my friend!
I live in San Antonio, and Wilson County is about 25 miles down the road from us. Floresville, Tx (county seat of Wilson County) has an annual Peanut Festival the second weekend in October, complete with royalty, parade, the “goober” games, and other assorted activities. It’s a week filled with tons of fun! Y’all should make it down here for Peanut Festival.
Hey Terry! You know what? I was in Floresville on that trip. What a small world! (You might recognize that photo of the giant peanut.) We stopped by Floresville to visit Mrs. Annie’s Peanut Patch. She makes one heck of a tasty peanut brittle! I would love to make a return visit next year for the Peanut Festival. I spent some time in southern Louisiana, and I’m quite familiar with festivals and how much fun they are! 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a comment. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I can see that it takes a lot of peanuts to yield a little. I often make almond butter and I guess it’s kinda similar – I yield roughly half butter to the amount of almonds. Interesting! I grew up on rocky road cookies that were marshmallow based, but haven’t had in fudge form before! These look like a perfect sweet tooth treat, David! So perfect for the holidays. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving 🙂
I’ve been wanting to make my own nut butter for a while, Dawn! If for no other reason than just to try it out. You know me…I like to learn how to make things. 🙂 This fudge is a fun combo of flavors, and it’s so darned easy to make. Perfect for holiday entertaining! Happy Holidays, my friend!
David, I hope you and the family have a fantastic Thanksgiving! It was fascinating reading all about peanuts and I remember that study from Kings College about introducing peanuts to infants early on being mentioned on the radio here. (I have the radio on all day whilst I’m working). Anyway I hope you guys are enjoying lots of this tasty rocky road fudge today. If so. I want some! Have fun! 😀
Interesting! I’m glad to hear that the King’s College peanut study was on the radio over there. To be honest, I hadn’t heard about that one until the recent trip. It’s pretty interesting how that study works…seems so counter-intuitive to me. That study holds a lot of potential for the future! We did indeed have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It was nice to relax with friends and family for a bit. I hope you and Lynne had a great weekend, and Happy Holidays! 🙂
How amazing to see how peanuts are grown. I don’t think I have seen a peanut plant before – so interesting. I also had no idea Texas produces so many peanuts. I love peanuts and often add some peanut butter to my porridge in the morning. The combination of peanuts, chocolate & marshmallows sounds seriously delicious, David!
I agree with you, Miriam…peanuts are a fascinating crop. I was surprised to find out how they help ‘repair’ fields since they are so nitrogen rich, too. Peanut butter in your morning porridge, eh? That sounds delicious! I’m going to try that one of these mornings! 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
David, thanks so much for bringing up the peanut allergy issue. My wife is highly allergic to all nut products, so we’re a “nut-free” house (except for me).
Now, with that said, this former Texan, raised about 10 miles from Gruene Hall (pronounced green when I lived there), loves peanuts. When I used to travel I’d always indulge. So, your fudge looks fantastic.
Now about Gruene Hall, I can’t tell you how many times (when I was young) I stumbled out of there on a Saturday night. And, I can’t believe you didn’t at least do the Cotton-Eyed Joe…Thanks for the memories, I think…
You were raised 10 minutes from Gruene Hall!? What a small world! (It’s still pronounced green, by the way.) I loved my visit to Gruene, and I just wished Laura could have been there with me! Somehow I managed to make it into Gruene Hall without doing the Cotton-Eyed Joe. Guess I’ll just have to go back again…haha. 🙂
And, yes, I agree with you about the issue of peanut allergies. I didn’t realize your wife is allergic. I’m hopeful that the long-term study out of King’s College could lead to some real progress on this topic. We shall see!
Loved reading this post, David! So cool to read about the ‘pegs’ and how they grow down into the soil. This fudge looks heavenly and being ready in 15 minutes – it’s definitely dangerous. I would so whip this up during a sugar craving and probably eat way to much of it! Can’t wait to try it!
I know! I didn’t realize that peanuts start above ground but then grow down into the soil. Kinda cool, huh? I love snacking on peanuts, so it was really fun to learn how they grow. And this fudge? So good! And, yes, so dangerous, too. That’s why you should always make it when you have friends coming over. Haha! Thanks, Kelly!
I think the first time I saw a peanut plant was on your IG stories! Too cool! I had heard about that peanut allergy study before – kinda like the theory behind the flu shot …kinda… And I didn’t know Texas was second in line! What a funtastic post, my friend!
And – what a funtastic fudge recipe! This would make some seriously good gifts – especially seeings it takes only 15 minutes!
You know, that’s a good point about the flu shot, Shashi. I never made that connection, but it’s totally the same logic. Kinda cool! And even more cool? This fudge. It’s so easy to make, and we’ve totally made a couple batches of this one already. Delicious! Thanks so much, my friend!
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try.
Thanks so much, Silpa! This fudge is definitely a new favorite around here! 🙂
I really had no idea what a peanut plant actually looked like. Awesome!! The fudge recipe looks so delicious and full of those yummy peanuts!
I know! I’m kinda embarrassed that I had no clue what peanut plants looked like. But now I know! And so cool how they flower above ground, but then grow down into the ground. And as far as this fudge? Yummy for sure! It’s a new favorite in our house. Thank you so much, Karly!!