This Rocky Road to Dublin Brownies recipe is a delicious take on St Patrick's Day brownies. Fudgy Whiskey brownies, done up rocky road style! A green tinted Irish whiskey drizzle ties it all together.

Some of the recipes on this blog have some weird origins.

A lot of them just come to me in a dream. One time, there was a whole thing involving a demonic French pineapple and Jann Arden (French Martini Upside Down Cake), etc.

In this case, it’s a bad pun based on an earworm I got when working on my Gluten Free Rocky Road Brownies recipe.

I guess I’d just thought or said the words “Rocky Road” too often, and ended up with “Rocky Road to Dublin” stuck in my head. I mentioned this to my husband, and was a little shocked to hear that he was not familiar with the song.

He’s been to Ireland twice... I’ve never!

Anyway, given the context, obviously I decided right then and there - “Rocky Road to Dublin” brownies needed to be a thing.

Besides, St Patrick’s Day was right around the corner at the time - and just a week away, as I publish this rocky road brownies recipe - so it just made SENSE.

So we brainstormed up a rocky road brownie recipe to match the NAME. I think this may be the first time I’ve had a name for a recipe, before a concept.

Anyway, we started with my basic fudgy brownie recipe, and punched it up with the inclusion of some Irish whiskey and coffee - a bit of a nod to the flavours in Irish Cream.

Add some gooey marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts on top, and boom - A St. Paddy’s Day variation on gooey rocky road brownies!

Finally, I whisked up a quick Irish Whiskey Icing to drizzle over them, tying the whole thing together.

Obviously - as a St Patrick’s Day Brownie Recipe - I dyed it green.

So I guess now I’ve got a collection of holiday brownie recipes started. This one joins my Halloween Brownies, Easter Creme Egg Brownies, and my Red Velvet Brownies... which might not be explicitly holiday, but hey - they're great as Valentine's Day, Canada Day, and Christmas brownies!

Anyway. I'm rambling - Like a RAMBLIN' ROVER, maybe? LOL!

Ah, I miss Newfoundland. Anyway, brownie recipe. Yes. Here we go:

Ingredients

This recipe uses - for the most part - really basic ingredients. You shouldn’t have any difficulty finding everything you need in any grocery store. Well, and a liquor store!

Anyway, some ingredient notes for you:

Chocolate Chips

Because this is a relatively sweet recipe, I use semi-sweet chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips or bittersweet would also work.

If you have a wild sweet tooth, feel free to use milk chocolate chips or even chocolate chunks.

As far as amount, I divide a bag between the batter and the topping - ½ cup up top, which is about perfect.

It doesn’t have to be an exact amount in the batter, though... so don’t worry if your bag of chocolate chips is a bit bigger or smaller than what I use.

Irish Whiskey

We use Jameson Irish Whiskey, but there are a couple other options, if Jameson Whiskey isn’t your thing.

You can use the same amount of Bailey’s Irish Cream if you prefer. For an alcohol free version, you can skip it entirely, for a more basic rocky road brownies recipe.

Just use milk or water in place of the Whiskey in the icing - the brownies don’t need liquid replacement.

Nuts

Chopped almonds are probably the most traditional choice for rocky road brownies - it’s what’s in the ice cream flavour, after all! - but I prefer chopped pecans.

When I don’t have pecans on hand, I’ll usually use chopped walnuts... with almonds being the last choice. Your mileage may vary - you can use whichever you prefer.

Instant Coffee Granules

Use basic, unflavoured instant coffee or instant espresso.

You’ll be dissolving it in melted butter, so you don’t need to worry about granule size too much.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Powdered Sugar / Confectioner’s Sugar /Icing Sugar
Mini Marshmallows
All-Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Unsalted Butter
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Large Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extract
Salt
Green Food Colouring

... I just really don’t have anything else to add, as far as these last few ingredients go.

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How to Make Rocky Road to Dublin Brownies

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through:

Irish Whiskey Brownie Base:

Heat oven to 350°. Prepare 9 x 13 pan with pan spray or shortening, line with parchment paper.

I like to spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line it with parchment. This makes it easier to lift the whole slab of brownies out of the pan, for easier cutting.

(For best results, use a metal pan!).

Measure out ½ cup of the chocolate chips, set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine cocoa, sugars, flours, baking powder, and salt. Add remaining chocolate chips, stir well and set aside

Melt butter in a separate bowl (A microwave-safe bowl), then whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well incorporated.

Spread brownie batter into prepared pan, smooth the top of the batter with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake brownies bake for 27 min.

Brownies are done when knife inserted into center comes out ALMOST clean - you want to see moist crumbs sticking to the knife.

Don’t OVER cook them!

Rocky Road Topping

Sprinkle miniature marshmallows over the top of the brownies while still hot, completely covering the surface with a single marshmallow layer.

Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup chocolate chips and chopped nuts over the marshmallows, using as much or as little as you'd like.

Return brownies to the oven, broiled for a few minutes, until the marshmallow topping is toasted to a light golden brown. Be sure to keep a CLOSE EYE on it, they will burn easily!

Allow the pan of brownies to cool to room temperature.

Once brownies are fully cool, you can make the icing.

I like to pre-cut brownies and separate them, before doing any kind of an icing drizzle - it makes the final brownies look nicer, than when cutting them after the icing is applied.

Whisk together the Irish whiskey and salt in a small bowl.

Add the food colouring and the powdered sugar, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. You want it VERY thick, but you can add extra whiskey if you need.

Microwave for 10-15 seconds to get it flowing, and whisk until smooth.

Drizzle whiskey icing over the cooled brownies. I like to use a piping bag, for a more even stream.

Allow frosting to set completely before cutting with a sharp knife and serving. (I like to spray the knife with cooking spray between slices - it’s a sticky bar!)

Leftovers

Once fully cooled, bars can be wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for a bit longer.

Best served at room temperature or warmer.

More St Patrick's Day Recipes

Looking for more fun, tasty recipes to serve on St Paddy's Day? Here are a few fun Irish - and Irish-inspired - recipes to try:

Green Velvet Cake
Keto Irish Cream
Irish Pizza
Shepherd's Pie
Keto Shepherd's Pie
Homemade Corned Beef
Irish Nachos
Irish Stew Meatballs
Hearty Beef Stew
Keto Beef Stew
Rainbow Bagels
Rainbow Charcuterie Board
St Patrick's Day Charcuterie Board

A plate of St Patrick's Day rocky road brownies topped with toasted marshmallows, pecans, chocolate chips, and green tinted icing.

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