Hot Fudge
Last weekend, Mr. 1840 Farm asked if we had any hot fudge in the pantry. He was dreaming of a hot fudge sundae for dessert on a hot summer day. I try to keep our pantry well stocked with our favorite ingredients and our nut allergy safe treats, so I walked in to see if there was a jar of hot fudge on the shelf. Sadly, there wasn’t a jar of hot fudge anywhere to be found.
Luckily, I had made homemade plenty of homemade hot fudge before. I knew that a batch would come together quickly. Even better, I knew that I had all of the ingredients on hand and plenty of vanilla ice cream waiting in the freezer to make sundaes for everyone.
As I often do, I decided to make a few adjustments to my old recipe in the hopes that I could make it even more delicious. I gathered my ingredients and had them bubbling on the stove in minutes. Once I had added the chocolate and vanilla, I had to help myself to a little taste. It was indeed delicious.
I’ll be making sure that we always have a jar on hand in the refrigerator just in case someone has a craving for a hot fudge sundae. Come dessert time, that someone will be me.
I hope that you’ll save a bit of your hot fudge to make a batch of my Hot Fudge Cupcakes. The hot fudge sauce adds a delicious, rich flavor and velvety texture that is amazing. You can find the recipe here.
Recipe Notes:
I like to use chocolate chips for this recipe as I always have them on hand in the pantry and they don’t require any prep. If you prefer using bars of chocolate, simply chop it into small pieces before measuring. I also like to incorporate three types of chocolate in this recipe to create a more complex chocolate flavor. If you prefer, you can use one or two chocolates in your batch. Whatever sort of chocolate you like to use when baking will be delicious.
I don’t use much corn syrup in my recipes, but this is the perfect sort of recipe for it. The viscous corn syrup will help to prevent the fudge from seizing up or forming sugar crystals. It also lends a gorgeous shiny appearance to the fudge. You can use agave syrup or honey if you prefer, but the flavor and texture will vary from the original recipe.
I prefer for my fudge to be less sweet than most. If that doesn’t suit your taste buds, you can either increase the amount of corn syrup by a tablespoon or two or omit the dark chocolate chips and use an equal amount of milk chocolate which is sweeter and will create a slightly sweeter batch.
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Hot Fudge
Ingredients
- 6 ounces heavy cream or whipping cream
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup milk chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons butter cubed
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a saucepan set over medium heat. The ingredients will come together into a smooth liquid with a bit of stirring or whisking after it has warmed a bit. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer or gentle boil, stirring or whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low to hold at a simmer/gentle boil for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chocolate and butter to the pan, stirring until they have melted and the liquid is smooth. Add the vanilla extract and stir to distribute.
- Transfer the fudge to a Mason jar or container with a lid. Allow the fudge to cool to room temperature before securing the lid and storing in the refrigerator. The hot fudge will keep for 12-14 days although it never lasts that long at our house.
- This fudge will solidify when refrigerated thanks to the chocolate and butter. To warm before using, remove the lid and microwave in 20-second increments until warm and stir until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the warm hot fudge over ice cream and top with your favorite sundae toppings.
Notes
I don’t use much corn syrup in my recipes, but this is the perfect sort of recipe for it. The viscous corn syrup will help to prevent the fudge from seizing up or forming sugar crystals. It also lends a gorgeous shiny appearance to the fudge. You can use agave syrup or honey if you prefer, but the flavor and texture will vary from the original recipe.
Our family lives and bakes around nut allergies, so our farmhouse kitchen is nut free. This recipe is delicious when made with one of our nut free favorites: Vermont Nut Free Chocolates baking chips. You can learn all about them at www.vermontnutfree.com.