Fudgy Rocky Road Bars

When I was in high school, it was cool to cruise the mall. It had a movie theater, an arcade, and a Baskin Robbins store across from a circular fountain ringed with seating. I often made my way there with a friend on Friday nights. We would treat ourselves to ice cream at the end of the evening

Despite the choice of 31 flavors, my friend always ordered a single scoop of vanilla. I, on the other hand, was slowly working my way through every concoction they offered. Pink bubble gum, strawberry cheesecake, orange sherbet. Admittedly, there were some doozies along the way (thankfully nothing with bacon). But I believed all great adventures come with some missteps.

Exasperated, one night I urged my friend to try something new.

When we got to the counter she paused for a moment.

"Could I have a scoop of French vanilla?"

I have no memory of French vanilla, but over the years I delighted in cone after cone of Rocky Road.

I loved uncovering the squishy marshmallows and crunchy almonds buried beneath the decadent chocolate. When I saw this recipe for Fudgy Rocky Road Bars, I found myself longing for the mall and mullets and the gentle give of marshmallows.

My two cents worth on this recipe...

I swapped a bar of Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate for the chocolate chips and, it was delicious.

I had trouble spreading the marshmallow cream over the almonds and graham crackers and, advise dolloping it on top instead. The recipe calls for swirling the marshmallow cream and chocolate at the end so you'll have a second chance to spread it out evenly.

This is a rich fudge-like dessert. (It calls for nearly a pound of chocolate so I made half the recipe to test it out). I suggest cutting the bars into small pieces. Heat a sharp knife by dipping it in warm water, dry it, and then use it to form the bars.