These Rocky Road Brownies bring a boxed brownie mix to the next level! All the flavors and textures of rocky road ice cream transformed into the most mouth-watering morsel – perfect for potlucks, bake sales, and after school snacks!

I’ve always liked boxed brownie mix. As a food scientist and avid baker, I’m not sure that’s something I should admit, but I do! They always turn out full of chocolate flavor, they’re moist (ugh – someone please come up with a better word), and deliciously chewy. I really like them super simple with a dusting of powdered sugar or thin layer of fudgy frosting. However, sometimes it’s fun to add a little more texture, more flavors, and bring the brownies to a whole new level!

When I named these “Rocky Road Brownies,” it got me reminiscing on my first job. The summer I was 15, I started working at the local ice cream shop – Korner Kremery. It was the cutest little place – full of cow decor everywhere (even the outside of the building was spotted like a cow!). Unfortunately, the building has since been remodeled, so all the cows have disappeared (sad, sad day).

I learned a lot working there….

• Tie-dye shirts (our “uniform” at Korner Kremery) are the perfect camouflage for splattered hot fudge, waffle cone batter, strawberry syrup, and melted ice cream
• Wearing brand new white tennis shoes in an ice cream shop is always a bad idea, even in you plan to be “super careful” that day
• It is super annoying to walk into a restaurant/shop closing in 5 minutes and stay way past the closing time
• Waffle cones are a whole lot more difficult that one could imagine – it’s truly an art!
• And I learned that an ice cream shop is about the happiest place to go….I mean think about it – can you really be unhappy holding an ice cream cone?!

Ok, so of course I learned a whole lot more about life – working with others, working for a business owner, how to prioritize, how to run a cash register, how to deal with customers, and much more. People ask me if I ever got sick of ice cream while working there. Haha….is that even possible?! Maybe so, but not for me!

Anyway, no matter if you’re a fan of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies n cream, or rocky road ice cream, you’re sure to love these brownies! And I’m sure they’d be especially good with a scoop of ice cream on top…..