Tuttiest Fruitiest Rocky Road Bars

Hello! Guys, it's been awhile since my last post, but I promise you I'm really not asleep over here. And it won't be like this forever! Pinkie swear. Just a few more months of the crazy book recipe testing schedule, and then there will be a shift. (You might even get too much of me and my blog posts at that point, because I've adapted to very long hours of baking and writing, and now I can't imagine it any other way.) Thank you so much for understanding and not forgetting about me. ♥ So this unusual recipe I made this week has been one pinned to my Pinterest board via Bistro Gerard for months--I forgot about it, but when I saw it there again the other day, I had to make it. For such a simple, no-bake treat, it's a complete delight. With white chocolate, marshmallows, fruity jelly candy and dried cranberries, it's definitely on the seriously sweet side of the rocky road, but the macadamia nuts and pistachios add the most addictive crunch (and salt) factor. Although it has a holiday appeal, it seems like an any-time-of-the-year confection to me. (However, if my annual July-birthday-pumpkin-pie-request is any indication, you may not be able to trust me--I'm a little backwards when it comes to seasonal desserts.)

I made only minor changes to the recipe, which was really just about the quantity of each ingredient. It's one of those recipes, though, that you could really add anything and everything that appeals to you. I could see coconut, almonds and pretty much any dried fruit or nut, making a really summery version. The jelly fruit slices aren't something I would ever eat on their own (they're lovely, I just save those calories for bigger desserts), but it made me happy slicing these up for a recipe. They definitely add to the almost Willy Wonka-ness that I feel when I look at these bars. Like something you would eat in a magical land of confection.

I found that by using a good quality white chocolate, it really gives these a rich decadence that a lesser quality white chocolate might not give (think waxy versus creamy). It does take a pound of white chocolate, and along with the pistachios and macadamia nuts, it's not the most inexpensive treat you can make, but they are special and unique. And I can't get over how quick, easy and rewarding it is to make rocky road recipes! A welcomed change from the ever-baking-cake-junkie. And it's always awesome when my little cakelets can help out with a recipe. They loved removing the shells from the pistachios, weighing out the ingredients, choosing the colours of the jelly candies, and helping to stir the concoction once everything was added to the bowl. I think it still mystifies them when we make a dessert that transforms into something wonderful by simply placing it in the fridge. As though we missed a very important bake-it-in-the-magic-oven step.

So now that I'm rapidly gaining what I've affectionately called "book-baby weight," I'm sitting here staring at these, trying to figure out how many *not* to eat. Help!