Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

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Rich and silky smooth homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Skip store-bought and try this easy, decadent homemade Hot Fudge Sauce for your next ice cream party!

Who can resist a big fat scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with a warm, silky, chocolatey hot fudge sauce?! Not me! Simple, delicious and fudgy fantastic, you’ll want to spoon this warm chocolate sauce over just about everything.

How to make Hot Fudge Sauce

For this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients:

• sweetened condensed milk
• unsalted butter
• light corn syrup
• Dutch-process cocoa powder
• good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not chocolate chips)
• vanilla extract
• salt
• heavy cream, half-and-half or milk

To make this simple chocolate sauce:

1. Combine the condensed milk, butter, syrup and cocoa powder in a heavy bottom medium saucepan. Cook on medium low until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot.
2. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir occasionally until all chocolate is melted.
3. Stir in the vanilla, salt and cream.
4. Serve and enjoy!

What else can you create with Hot Fudge Sauce?

This versatile sauce is great on or in almost everything.

• Drizzle over your favorite ice cream
• Layer cooled hot fudge sauce between scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream then freeze. Instant Fudge Ripple ice cream!
• Make a homemade banana split! You’ll need diced strawberries or strawberry jam, pineapple chunks, nuts, cherries, whipped cream and a banana.
• A quick and simple ice cream sundae is a must-make!
• Stir a few spoonfuls into hot milk for a mug of homemade hot chocolate.
• Add to cold milk for a delicious glass of chocolate milk.
• Pour hot fudge sauce into a blender with ice cream for a quick milkshake.
• Use this deliciously warm concoction as a dipping sauce for fruit, cookies, pretzels and cubes of pound cake. Like a Chocolate Fondue!
• Warm a small amount of sauce with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. Drizzle over ice cream and enjoy.
• Grab a spoon and enjoy!

What is the best way to rewarm this chocolate sauce?

To rewarm this hot fudge sauce, remove the lid from the jar and microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir and repeat as needed. The sauce should be pourable, not steaming or overly hot.

You can also place the sealed jar in a pan or bowl of very hot water. Leave the sauce in the hot water bath, swirling occasionally, until pourable. Easy peasy!

Does Hot Fudge Sauce need to be refrigerated?

Yes, you should always store your homemade hot fudge sauce in the refrigerator. Once cooked, pour the sauce into a glass jar and cool. Cover with a lid and refrigerate.

How long will this keep in the refrigerator?

Our Hot Fudge Sauce will keep for 10 days to 2 weeks if well sealed and refrigerated.

How to make a Hot Fudge Sundae

Scoop your favorite ice cream into a bowl. Top with our hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. Salted peanuts are a personal favorite but walnuts and pecans work well too! It’s worth every calorie to dive into those pools of warm sauce.

Here are a few more ideas for serving a Hot Fudge Sundae:

Drizzle a little caramel sauce over the whipped cream if you’re looking for added sweetness.

Serve with a simple shortbread cookie on the side, or crumbled on top.

Replace the nuts with toffee bits.

What’s the best kind of chocolate to use in this recipe?

We prefer to use a good baking chocolate in this sauce. You’ll want something that melts beautifully and has great chocolate flavor. Our favorite is Scharffen Berger chocolate bars. We use these products often but especially when baking and in recipes like this where chocolate is the star.

Chocolate chips are not our first choice, but it that’s all you have on-hand, then give it a go. Bittersweet or semisweet should both be fine. Milk chocolate chips may be a little too sweet. Remember, even though this sauce is great eaten right off a spoon, it will most likely be drizzled over something sweet, like ice cream.

Chocolate chips melt differently than baking chocolate as they have added ingredients. Your hot fudge sauce may have a slightly different consistency than ours pictured here.

Have fun and enjoy!

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PRINT THE RECIPE!

Hot Fudge Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

Yield: 2 cups

Course: Dessert

Author: Tricia

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5 from 2 votes

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Easy to make chocolate fudge sauce with deep chocolate flavor and a silky consistency

Ingredients

For the hot fudge sauce:

• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1oz)
• ½ cup light corn syrup (4oz)
• ¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (28g or 1oz)
• 6 ounces good quality semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, half-and-half or milk

For a Hot Fudge Sundae:

• vanilla ice cream
• whipped cream
• chopped peanuts, optional
• cherries for garnish

Instructions

• Pour the sweetened condensed milk, butter, syrup and cocoa powder in a heavy bottom medium saucepan. Heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot.
• Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir until combined. Set aside for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir again and repeat until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is velvety smooth.
• Add the vanilla, salt and cream. Stir until well blended.
• Use immediately or refrigerate sealed in a jar until needed.
• To rewarm, microwave on 50% power at 15-second intervals, stirring in between until warmed through. You can also place the sealed jar in a bowl of hot tap water to warm. It takes a bit longer and doesn’t get overly hot, but pours beautifully!
• Pour the warm hot fudge sauce over scoops of your favorite ice cream. Top with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

• Hot fudge sauce keeps for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
• Rewarm gently in the microwave. 
• Hot fudge sauce can be reheated and then refrigerated multiple times.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 918kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 97g | Vitamin A: 614IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 7mg

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