The best rocky road cookies recipe using natural sugar and gluten free flour! My family loves these chocolate cookies that melt in your mouth with gooey marshmallows and melted chocolate!
These creative gluten-free chocolate rocky road cookies transform a dessert platter into a cookie wonderland! It is like eating your favorite rocky road ice cream and cake in the form of a cookie. Bake them with my Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies for the holiday cookie tray.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill the dough
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 7 minutes per batch at 350 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: about 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 36 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 103kcal per cookie, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: vegan butter, coconut sugar, vanilla, gluten-free flour, Dutch process cocoa powder, coconut milk powder, baking soda, pink salt, water, egg, dairy-free dark chocolate morsels, mini marshmallows and walnuts or pecans
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich chocolate with gooey marshmallows and nutty crunch
- ✋ Difficulty: Mix, chill, roll, press, bake
Quick Answer
Beat ½ cup vegan butter, ¾ cup coconut sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla, then add 1 large egg. On low speed add 1 cup gluten-free flour, ½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder, ¼ cup coconut milk powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ¼ teaspoon pink salt, then 2 tablespoons water. Fold in 1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate morsels, 1 cup mini marshmallows and ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, cover and chill 1 hour. Scoop 1-inch balls onto a lined sheet, press flat, top with extra chocolate and marshmallows and bake at 350 degrees F for 7 minutes. Cool 2 to 5 minutes. It makes 36 cookies.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why These Rocky Road Cookies Stay Soft
- Why You'll Love These Rocky Road Cookies
- What Ingredients You Need
- Storing and Freezing Rocky Road Cookies
- How to Make Rocky Road Cookies
- Baking Tips for Success
- More Holiday Cookies and Treats
- Rocky Road Cookies FAQs
- More Christmas Cookies
- Rocky Road Cookies
I highly suggest enjoying them this holiday season along with my other holiday cookies. These cookies have little added sugar, so they need to be pressed down to make them flat before baking.
Why These Rocky Road Cookies Stay Soft
Click to see why it works
- Chill the dough. One hour in the refrigerator solidifies the butter, makes the centers soft and makes the cookies more flavorful.
- Press them flat. With little added sugar, the dough will not spread on its own.
- Coconut milk powder makes them creamy without dairy and slightly chewy.
- Dutch process cocoa gives a richer chocolate flavor.
- A short bake. Just 7 minutes keeps the marshmallows gooey.
Why You'll Love These Rocky Road Cookies
- Gluten-free and dairy-free with vegan butter and dairy-free chocolate.
- Natural sugar. Sweetened with coconut sugar.
- Gooey and melty with marshmallows and dark chocolate in every bite.
- Makes 36, enough for a cookie tray and a cookie exchange.
- Freezer friendly as dough balls or baked cookies.
What Ingredients You Need
- 1 stick of butter - use vegan butter for a dairy-free cookie.
- Coconut sugar - natural sugar and great for Diabetics as it is not processed and does not cause spikes in sugar levels. Coconut sugar has a GI between 55 and 84, which is a lower glycemic index than table sugar.
- Vanilla
- Gluten-free flour - Pamela brand or Bob's Red Mill 1-1 baking flour in the blue bag (not red).
- Unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder - best for a richer rocky road flavor.
- Coconut milk powder - makes the cookies creamy without dairy and slightly chewy.
- Baking soda, pink salt, water and a large egg.
- Dairy-free dark chocolate morsels, mini marshmallows and walnuts or pecans - chopped nuts add beautiful crunch.
See recipe card for quantities.
Storing and Freezing Rocky Road Cookies
Once baked, these gluten-free chocolate rocky road cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the dough. I suggest making the dough into balls and freezing them on a sheet pan, then transferring them into a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw slightly before baking. You can also bake the cookies and freeze them in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Get all the air out of the bag to avoid freezer burn.
If you cannot bake the dough right away, it will last three days in the refrigerator. If the dough is in a large container and not formed into balls first, it may need to sit out on the counter to soften until it is manageable to scoop and roll.
Yes, marshmallows are dairy-free and gluten-free, making these chocolate cookies safe for food allergies. If you have a nut allergy you can skip the nuts.
How to Make Rocky Road Cookies
1Make the dough. With an electric mixer blend together the butter (I use vegan butter), sugar and vanilla, then add the egg. On low speed add the flour, cocoa powder, coconut milk powder, baking soda and salt. Add the water and mix on high about 15 seconds until no coconut milk powder chunks show, scraping the bowl.
2Fold in and chill. With a spatula mix in the vegan dark chocolate morsels, nuts and marshmallows. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3Roll and press. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet. With a 1 inch cookie scoop, scoop 12 mounds onto the sheet, roll each into a ball and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Press extra marshmallows and chocolate on top.
4Bake. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for 2-5 minutes until they are easy to handle, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough to make about 36 cookies.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Baking Tips for Success
- Press them down. These cookies have little added sugar, so press them flat before baking.
- Chill before rolling. Covered, chilled dough makes the cookies soft in the center and more flavorful.
- Scrape the bowl so the butter does not stick to the bottom.
- Top before baking with extra marshmallows and chocolate for that rocky road look.
- Skip the nuts for a nut free cookie.
More Holiday Cookies and Treats
More holiday cookies: Vegan Sugar Cookies, Gluten-Free Cutout Sugar Cookies, Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies and Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies.
More marshmallow and chocolate treats: No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Marshmallow Treats, Healthy Ghostly Chocolate Marshmallow Treats, Popcorn Marshmallow Treats and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites.
Baking with the kids? See my Cookie Making Party for Kids, and for the candy tray add Healthier Dairy-Free Fudge.
Rocky Road Cookies FAQs
Yes. Marshmallows are dairy-free and gluten-free. Skip the nuts if you have a nut allergy.
Yes. Freeze the dough balls on a sheet pan, then store them in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw slightly before baking.
The dough lasts three days in the refrigerator, ideally already rolled into balls in an airtight container.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Chilling for 1 hour solidifies the butter, keeps the centers soft and makes the cookies more flavorful.
These cookies have little added sugar, so they will not spread much on their own. Pressing them flat helps them bake evenly.
More Christmas Cookies
Fill the cookie tray with Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies, Vegan Sugar Cookies, Gluten-Free Cutout Sugar Cookies and Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies. I hope you enjoy this rocky road cookies recipe! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Rocky Road Cookies
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Equipment
- Electric Mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick) vegan, dairy-free
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder Dutch process has richer chocolate flavor than cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut milk powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate morsels
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup walnuts or pecans chopped
Instructions
- Beat together with an electric mixer, butter sugar and vanilla. Add in the egg and blend until creamy, scraping the sides and bottom to make sure all the ingredients are combined.
- On low speed, slowly add in the flour, cocoa powder, coconut milk powder, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine. Add the water and then turn the mix up to high for about 15 seconds until the coconut milk powder is blended in and no visible chunks show.
- Fold in the chocolate morsels, marshmallows and nuts. Cover and set in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This solidifies the ingredients and butter and makes the cookies more flavorful.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.
- Using a 1 inch cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto the pan until you have 12 drops. Roll each drop of dough into a round ball. Using the back of a glass cup or with your fingers, press each ball down. Top each cookie with extra chocolate chips morsels and 1-2 marshmallows and press them into the dough.
- Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 2-5 minutes or until the cookies are able to be handled. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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