I’d planned on taking a break from Rocky Road, then Monday my friend Amy sent me a recipe with a note saying
“When I was teaching, a parent brought this to me at Christmastime. Now I have to make it every Christmas. It is so good. It was created by another school mom and won an award in the Statesman in 1993.”
This is the best kind of recipe, one sent by a friend and with a history to match. It even has an Austin themed name, “Lake Travis Mud”.
This morning I made a half batch and molded it into an 8 inch pan. I melted the chips in a pan set over boiling water, but if you have one you could use a double boiler. I’m sure the microwave would work too, just make sure you stir often or use a low heat so that the butterscotch chips melt properly. As expected, it was terrific and probably my favorite Rocky Road type candy yet.
Lake Travis Mud
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips — I used Ghirardelli 58% chocolate pieces for this
12 oz butterscotch chips
1 cup chunky peanut butter
12-oz jar dry roasted peanuts
2 cups miniature marshmallows
In a large double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chips over low heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted and mixed with the melted chips. Add peanuts. Let cool slightly and add marshmallows.
Spread mixture in a 9×13 buttered pan and refrigerate for at least two hours. Lift from pan by grasping foil, set on a cutting board and cut into desired size squares/bars. The mud should remain store in the refrigerator and will keep for a couple of months in an airtight container. Makes 60 pieces.
(Note: I’m keeping it in the refrigerator – recipe says it lasts a couple of months at room temperature, but I’m not so sure about that.)
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks and sounds delicious, and the recipe sounds simple (my favorite type of recipe.) I must remember to buy butterscotch chips and mini marshmallows next time I’m in town.
This sounds too good not to try! Thank you, Anna, for passing this on! 
That looks sooo good. Might have to try a half batch this weekend.
lol you and your mud experiments!
Yay! So happy you liked it… it’s got that sweet/salty combo that I really like. Love the photo too!
I love these simple recipes!
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!!
Ahhh! My makes this every year during Christmas and everyone raves about it. I’ve never seen anyone else have this recipe. It’s delish!
Yummy candy just in time for Valentine’s Day!
I live in Florida so I always keep my candy in the fridge….
These look delicious!!! They do keep in the refrigerator and I froze mine once and they were fine out of the freezer (they did get a little “dew” on them that I dabbed off.)
I make something similar and get rave reviews-I don’t add the additional nuts though, I mix semi and dark choco, and I use the multicolored mini mallows. It is addicting!!!!
I’ve been eating too much chocolate so I’m on a restricted diet now….hard to look at food blogs, but I’m coming back slowly!!!
okay, wait a minute, i think i missed something – when is the part where you cut it? are you even supposed to?
help the non-american folk!
and by the way, when you post the metric measurements in recipes it helps a lot – using my cellphone converter app in the kitchen – not so smart… ever dropped you phone into a pot of boiling water? or your kitchenaid?
oops, i say!
Hi Ann. I look at your website everyday and make lots and lots of your recipes. Thank you!
I have 2 questions – How do you get the top so smooth? Every time I make fudge, it looks like a mess on top. Also, did you use salted or unsalted peanuts?
I could not get this recipe out of my mind, so I made it today. I could have eaten it right out of the pan!! I may try is again with twice the chocolate and leave out the butterscotch chips. I’ve renamed mine Lake Houson Mud!! Thanks, Anna. Happy Valentines Day.
Ha! Jan, I think it’s important that we all re-name the candy after a local lake….any lake will do. If you live near a swamp, even better.
Raz, I’m glad you appreciate the metric posts. I often wonder if anyone really uses them and don’t always take the time to post them. About cutting the candy, you just lift the candy from the pan and cut it however you want. I will go ahead and make that more clear in the directions.
Michelle, you shouldn’t have a problem getting a smooth top with this recipe. Make sure you don’t get the chocolate mixture too hot and try to use regular chocolate as opposed to chocolate chips/morsels. The Ghirardelli pre-chopped chocolate works well too.
Lake Shirley Mud just went into the refrigerator. Thanks for another great recipe!
i’m TOTALLY going to make this, but I only have colored marshmallows.
Oh, THANK YOU! This has been a favorite with family and friends since I clipped it from the Statesman in 1993. But now I couldn’t find my recipe, and need it for our church 50th anniversary cookbook! Thanks to you and Google, I have it again!
I have to bring something for a family Christmas and i think this is going to be it looks so darn good , wish i had some now, i dont understand metric so glad they are not all in that, i am from the old school we never had it
Hi Anna. Thanks so much for all your recipes. I use your website a lot. I went to the store to get the 58% chocolate pieces and didn’t find anything that was exactly that. I know it can be whatever I choose, but I’m wondering if you suggest going darker rather than milder for this recipe. I appreciate your help.
I made this last week. Very, very good and so simple! I am going to try to sub. the butter scotch chips with peanut butter chips. May be a bit over whelming with peanut, but thats always a good thing here! It is also very pretty when you put it with other cookies to give your neighbors and friends. Thanks Anna,
Happy holidays to all,
Shelly
I’m finally getting around to wanting to make sweets again, even though I feel like I gave myself diabetes with all the sugar of Christmas. I’m craving rocky road flavors so I’m making both this Lake Travis Mud and the Eagle Brand Rocky Road Candy tomorrow. Might add some raisins to make it “healthy,” ha ha. I’m curious to see how the recipes compare. Anna, I just moved to San Antonio from Miami and so I feel like we’re neighbors now!! Been reading your blog for years and I love it, thanks for all the recipes and reviews!
i have made this and loved but peanuts bother my stomache afterwards. Do you think subbing almonds for the dry roasted peanuts would work ( I could half them) and maybe almond butter for the peanut butter??
Debbie, I’m not sure how the almond butter would work, but I know you can substitute almonds for the dry roasted peanuts. What you could is make a really small batch using the almond butter. Instead of using a 13×9 inch pan, use a 9×5 inch loaf pan and make 1/3 of the recipe. That way if the almond butter doesn’t work, you will not have wasted too many ingredients..