Hot Fudge Sauce
This is the richest, most chocolaty hot fudge sauce you’ve ever tasted! It’s the perfect topping for ice cream and other desserts.
This recipe is sponsored by Go Bold With Butter.
Hot fudge sauce is one of those things you don’t want to mess with. It should be very thick, super chocolaty, and have the most delicious smooth and creamy texture when poured over ice cream.
Thankfully, hot fudge sauce is easy to make at home! And so much more delicious than store-bought brands. This recipe requires just 5 basic ingredients and only a few minutes to make.
What Makes this Hot Fudge Sauce So Amazing?
What sets this hot fudge sauce recipe apart from others is that it’s basically chocolate ganache disguised as hot fudge, and you’ll notice that is uses a different cooking method than traditional recipes.
What is chocolate ganache? It’s basically chocolate that’s melted and thinned out with heavy cream to a make a rich and indulgent chocolate sauce, with butter added for more richness, flavor and shine.
I’ve made a few slight changes to the ingredient list to make it work as a hot fudge sauce, but the method is the same— melt it all together, stir until it’s smooth, and enjoy it on everything from ice cream to brownies to cakes. So easy and so delicious!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate— You can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, and higher quality chocolate will produce better flavor.
- Full-fat half and half— Traditional chocolate ganache is made with heavy cream, but it causes the hot fudge to harden on ice cream. Half and half to the rescue! The hot fudge is still rich and creamy, but keeps its saucy texture as it cools.
- Butter— As I’ve mentioned, butter adds richness, shine, and flavor. It also helps the chocolate melt smoothly, no matter what quality of chocolate you choose to use.
- Light corn syrup— It provides more shine and a touch of sweetness to the dark chocolate flavor.
- Vanilla extract— For a well-rounded, classic hot fudge flavor.
How to Make This Hot Fudge Sauce
- Place ingredients in bowl. Add half and half, chocolate, and butter to a medium heat-proof bowl.
- Create a “double boiler”. Place bowl over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water (bottom of bowl should not touch water) and set over medium heat.
- Melt and stir. Stir chocolate mixture as it melts. At first it will be grainy and lumpy, that’s normal.
- Remove from heat when smooth. When the last lumps are gone and hot fudge sauce is smooth, take it off the heat.
- Add vanilla and light corn syrup. Stir until hot fudge sauce is smooth.
- Use immediately or store for later. The hot fudge will thicken as it stands and completely harden when chilled.
Why Use a Double Boiler?
Using a double boiler gives you the most control over the heat as it melts the chocolate with the other ingredients. Chocolate can burn and scorch easily, ruining your hot fudge sauce, so gently warming it over simmering water is a safe bet.
I always use a heatproof bowl over a saucepan as a double boiler, but you can buy double boilers specifically for this purpose too!
Additional Tips
- This recipe makes 1 cup of hot fudge sauce, which is the perfect amount for serving a small gathering, or for keeping in the fridge and using as needed. Feel free to double or triple this recipe if you’re serving a crowd.
- Hot fudge sauce should be stored in the fridge, where it will harden completely. To use, simply reheat in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring until smooth.
- Because it may be microwaved often, I recommend storing hot fudge in a glass jar.
- Hot fudge makes a great gift for the holidays, housewarmings, hostess gifts and more!
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Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped or use chips
- ⅓ cup full-fat half and half
- 2 tablespoons butter , cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add chocolate, half and half, and cubed butter to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with simmering water.
- Stir chocolate mixture as it melts, it will be lumpy and grainy at first, but will come together once chocolate is fully melted. Stir until smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in light corn syrup and vanilla extract.
- Use immediately or store for later use. Hot fudge will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
- To reheat, microwave in 30 second bursts and stir until smooth.
Notes
- This recipe makes 1 cup hot fudge sauce. Recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed.
- You can use high quality chocolate or generic chocolate chips, but higher quality chocolate will produce the best flavor.
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Go Bold With Butter. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I love and believe in, which make Completely Delicious possible. All opinions are always 100% my own. To learn more about Go Bold With Butter, you can visit their website. You can also find them on facebook, instagram, and pinterest.
Died and went to Heaven. Glad I lived to tell you it is divine!
I have literally tried at least 30 recipes, searching for a hot fudge sauce worthy of my one Non-keto once-a-week treat (not including the dismal Keto substitutes which are just a total waste of time and chocolate to be honest).
This is by far the best use of my finest ingredients and is simple enough to mix together after a small dinner party to serve warm from the stove top. Absolutely delicious with my Guittard or Callebaut chocolate and richer grass fed creamy butter (or Lindt bar chocolate in any variety for variations, adjusting cream as needed).
The texture, viscosity and smoothness are spot on. The chocolate flavor shines through and is not overly sweet or syrupy. I have even served it over Braums No Sugar Added Vanilla Bean ice cream, which is a beautiful paring for those who watch sugar intake but still indulge in the occasional worth-while reward.
Thank you for the simply delicious recipe which will be added to my permanent go to stash for 2023+ and weeding out all over processed and poor diet/bad health triggering menu items, while returning to a simple flavor rich ingredient pantry and fridge.