Curtis Stone Hates This Sweet So Much, He Makes Rocky Road Without It

When you think of rocky road, visions of chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows usually dance in your head. But what if you don't love one of those ingredients? Is it still rocky road without the signature nuts or marshmallows?

If you're Curtis Stone, the answer is yes. The Australian chef doesn't like marshmallows, so when he makes his Christmas rocky road, an Aussie tradition, he skips them. The thing with this holiday fudge dessert is that it is pretty customizable, so if you don't want to put something in it, you can swap it out for another ingredient that you prefer. In Chef Stone's case, he likes to swap out the marshmallows and swap in dried fruit.

While speaking with Taste, Chef Stone admitted, "This is a little controversial, but I don't like marshmallows." But that doesn't stop him from making his own version of rocky road each year.

Chef Stone isn't one to shy away from controversy. After all, his favorite pie filling is also not what you might expect. And when it comes to rocky road, he definitely leans away from the Americanized version and more toward the British. He shared, "With rocky road, what I think makes it really delicious is the chocolate and the dried fruit. I like lots of raisins, maybe even dates."

The American version of rocky road includes chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows. The same goes for the fudge candy or rocky road ice cream, and the sweet story of how it came to be. However, the UK and Australian versions of this sweet treat are a bit different.This rocky road is a lot like fudge in that it is a no-bake chocolate bar filled with different mix-ins. It can be made with various ingredients, including chocolate, biscuits, nuts, marshmallows, candies, or dried fruit. There's even a case to be made about adding peanut butter cups to rocky road, though that's more unconventional than omitting marshmallows.

Rocky road is often made around the holidays with festive red and green candies added for extra flair.  The choice of nuts, dried fruits, candies, and other mix-ins are folded into melted chocolate and then chilled before it is cut. The result is a simple but chewy and crunchy chocolate dessert that can be changed to adapt to any preferences, and in Chef Stone's case, to avoid the ingredient that he doesn't care for: marshmallows.