I am pretty excited about this recipe for chocolate peanut butter sauce, friends.
I used a DuClaw Brewing’s Sweet Baby Jesus porter to make it, which tastes kind of like a beer flavored Reese’s cup you can drink, so if you like some peanut butter in your chocolate and some chocolate in your peanut butter, get to know this peanutty chocolatey porter sauce. I think you’ll really like it!
And if you love some ice cream sauce in general, please try my hot fudge sauce and/or my quick hot fudge sauce. Both are great over ice cream or drizzled over cake or cheesecake!
Please feel free to browse all my dessert sauce recipes as well. Enjoy!
Cooking and Baking with Beer
Beer is for more than just drinking, friends.
I love to use it in my baking and in cooking. Why? A couple of reasons:
- There are a lot of malty flavors in beer, especially darker beer, that play really well with and can accentuate the taste of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and even bread.
- Even though most of it cooks away, the alcohol present in beer brings out flavors that are alcohol soluble rather than water soluble. These alcohol soluble flavors stay locked away unless you use alcohol in your recipe. So unlock them with just a splash!
Would you like some examples? Of course! One of my favorite chocolate cakes is actually a chocolate stout cake. I usually make it with some Guinness or other Irish stout.
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This double chocolate stout Bundt cake has two beers in it: one in the cake batter and another in the glaze.
How about some pumpkin porter beer brownies to get you in the mood for fall?
The hot fudge sauce recipe I linked to in the introduction has just a bit of vodka in it, again just to unlock those alcohol soluble flavors.
I have a wonderful bread recipe that I call Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Bread because I made it with a bottle of Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter.
This beer cheese recipe is one I used to make at the restaurant, and I adapted it to serve with homemade bread pretzels. I use a porter in the sauce, but a stout would also work.
What Does Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce Made with Beer Taste Like?
This boozy ice cream sauce is Good. Seriously.
It’s sweet but not too sweet. It’s the perfect pouring consistency, and it has just a bit of bite from the porter which is happily balanced by whatever sweet ice cream you choose to pour it over.
As a bonus, it’s also really easy to make and you can have it ready to pour over ice cream in only about 15 minutes.
Ingredient List
You may very well have all the ingredients you need for this peanut butter sauce already.
- semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bar)
- vanilla extract
- evaporated milk
- creamy peanut butter
- chocolate peanut butter porter (I used Sweet Baby Jesus)
- granulated sugar
- kosher salt
The only thing you may not own is the beer itself. If you can’t find the Sweet Baby Jesus, any chocolate stout or chocolate porter will work just as well.
How to Make This Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce
The procedure for making this sauce is really straightforward. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Put the chocolate chips and vanilla extract into a heat-safe bowl.
- Heat the evaporated milk, peanut butter, beer, and salt on the stove, whisking frequently so the peanut butter melts evenly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Pour it through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the chocolate and vanilla.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Enjoy!
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60%)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
- 8 oz creamy peanut butter
- 4 oz chocolate peanut butter porter (I used Sweet Baby Jesus)
- 5 oz granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the chocolate chips and vanilla in a large bowl convenient to the stove.
- In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, heat the evaporated milk, peanut butter, beer and salt over medium heat. Whisk well to help the peanut butter melt evenly into the mixture.
- Bring the mixture just to a boil.
- Pour milk/peanut butter mixture over the chocolate chips and vanilla. Let sit a minute so the chocolate chips begin to melt.
- Whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Serve warm or at room temperature over ice cream
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
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This sauce looks delicious and I have all the ingredients! I want to make some as gifts. How long does it last? I’m assuming that it doesn’t need to be refrigerated since it uses evaporated milk, but please let me know if I’m wrong. Thanks!
Hi, Kaya. I’m glad the sauce sounds good to you. It’s a really tasty sauce, for sure! I think you could keep it with no issue for a couple of weeks, but definitely keep it refrigerated just to be on the safe side. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for your quick response. I’m going to make a batch this weekend and will come back and leave a review. One quick question – your notes say that all oz measurements are by weight. Is that for the porter too or only for all solid ingredients?
All measurements, including liquid, are by weight, Kaya. Looking forward to your review. 🙂
Wow, this sauce is majorly delicious!, I couldn’t stop taking “just one more spoonful” and then I licked the whisk and bowl! Definitely gift worthy, if you can stand to part with it. I made two minor changes: reduced sugar to 4.5 oz and used Trader Joe’s Coffee Peanut Butter Cup porter. Five stars!!
Note that the recipe instructions don’t mention to add the sugar to the pan with the milk and other ingredients.
Ooh, thanks for that catch! I’ll go fix it. So happy you like it. I wish for you the fortitude to gift at least some of it! lol Anf thank you so much for coming back and letting me know your thoughts! I really appreciate it. 🙂
If I don’t want to use any type of alcohol in this recipe, is there something I should substitute or use more of another liquid?
Hi, Nancy! Use coffee in place of the beer. I think that’s your best bet. You can also use water and add a a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee if you have some. Enjoy!
Thank you. I look forward to trying some of your sauces.
Well if that isn’t the most fitting beer name for this recipe 😉 Can’t wait to whip up a batch of this sauce!
Ha! Right?! It’s a really nice beer, and the sauce *loves* having it in it! =) I know you will love it if you’re a pb/chocolate fan, Megan!
I am not a big fan of beer (at least wasn’t until I met Guinness) but I am a huge fan of including it with foods I cook and bake. I think my first foray was called Coors Beer Bread and that was just the start. I love everything about this sauce; sounds ummmmmm good!
I agree–beer adds a great extra dimension to so much. Such a natural in beer, but wow is this sauce good! If you like chocolate and peanut butter, I bet you’d love this, Barb!
Only you could make me crave ice cream in February. This flavor is seriously insane – which in this case is a good thing. I will be dreaming of this tonight. Wait til my husband hears that the nice Jewish girl he married has gone searching for Sweet Baby Jesus.
Ha! An ice cream conversion, Laura! ROFL!! This is good stuff, and if you can’t bear to think of having ice cream in February, stir some into some milk and heat it up for a decadent hot chocolate. You’re welcome. =)
omg you kidding me??? This is seriously insane and I want to dive into a bowl of it. This over ice cream must be sensational! Boozy chocolate and peanut butter? Um… yes….
Jamie, I am telling you: make this. You don’t even have to have the chocolate peanut butter porter. But do use something dark and malty. If you’re a chocolate peanut butter fan, you will be very happy!
Oh Jeni, what an incredible idea. I love adding booze to ice cream sauces (I’m a bourbon gal), but this combo sounds positively addictive – chocolate, PB, and the porter … mouthwatering!
Thank you, Jane! This stuff is pretty excellent for sure. And it didn’t take me much time to figure out what to make. Chocolate and dark beer work so well together, and if peanut butter wants to get in on the action, who am I to say no? lol
Only you can make me think about icecream when it’s cold and snowy outside!! I mean seriously! You have great skill with icecream! SLURP ( shhh don’t tell anyone I made that noise)
Your secret is safe with us. I mean with *me!* And you can totally use this sauce to make hot chocolate. Just add milk! =D
What a great way to end a meal – I’ve never tried boozy ice cream toppings, but I love the sound of this one!
I have another sauce I make that has some vodka in it–a little alcohol helps bring out alcohol soluble flavors that would otherwise be lost–but the beer actually contributes some character along with the alcohol. This is a good one, Jeanette, and easy to make. Enjoy!
Mother of pearl!
I have nothing more to add. There are no words.
You’re my favorite. Don’t tell the others. =)
You do ice cream SO well and now your topping has me swooning! I’d even risk a chill, accept that lovely parfait glass and a long spoon and devour it despite the temps 🙂
It’s cold and rainy here right now, but I’m totally going for it, Liz! lol I made a vat of it right before I headed out of town. Now I need to catch up!