Hot Fudge Sauce
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce is velvety smooth with a rich chocolate sheen. Skip the store-bought stuff and whip up this surprisingly easy ice cream topping in just a few minutes.
Table of contents
What’s the difference between Hot Fudge Sauce and Ganache?
While Chocolate Ganache is a delicious and it’s certainly great on ice cream, it’s not the same as Hot Fudge Sauce.
Hot Fudge Sauce has that special texture that seems to be both liquid and solid at the same time. The moment you pour the warm, glossy sauce over cold ice cream it thickens, but stays soft. It’s quite something, really.
Even better, it’s super easy to make. You just need one pot and about 10 minutes to make this recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Semi Sweet Chocolate – I made this recipe using 55% semi-sweet chocolate. The percentage on a package of chocolate refers to how much cocoa solids are in the chocolate in relation to other ingredients such as sugar. The higher the percent, the less sugar there is in the chocolate.
- Cocoa Powder – I always use dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like the deep color and flavor of dutched cocoa. Natural cocoa will work fine in this recipe.
- Corn Syrup – Corn syrup is less sweet than table sugar and gives the hot fudge a glossy sheen. Corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. Any syrup can replace the corn syrup. Avoid strongly flavored syrups like honey or maple syrup as they will change the flavor of the sauce.
- Coffee (or Water) – Some hot fudge recipes use milk or cream as the liquid. Dairy products will mute the chocolate flavor. Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor but using water is just fine.
The Process
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Combine all the ingredients except the butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the chocolate melts. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the butter.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Serve immediately or transfer the Hot Fudge Sauce to a heat proof container for storage.
Storage
Hot Fudge sauce will keep at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Hot Fudge Sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
How to serve Hot Fudge Sauce
- Over Ice Cream (of course)
- Drizzled over a slice of Pound Cake, Sponge Cake or Angel Food Cake
- Dip apple or pear slices
- Drizzle over berries
- Use it as a Cheesecake Topping
- To make profiteroles fill Cream Puffs with ice cream and top them with Hot Fudge sauce
More recipes like this
Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (finely chopped)
- 5 ½ oz light corn syrup (½ cup)
- 4 oz brewed coffee (or water ½ cup)
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- 1 oz cocoa powder (¼ cup)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 oz unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, 5 ½ oz light corn syrup, 4 oz brewed coffee (or water), 2 oz granulated sugar, 1 oz cocoa powder, and ¼ teaspoon table salt in a medium saucepan.
- Cook over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 oz unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Stir until the butter melts.
- Serve while still warm. To serve later, refrigerate & rewarm.
Equipment
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