The Best Hot Fudge Sauce in the World | Ice Cream Tuesday

I have been so focused on posting ice cream that I have neglected ice cream toppings. The sauce I’m sharing today is actually one I shared way back in 2009, but it is worth talking about much more frequently than once every six years.

This sauce is the sauce we used to make at the restaurant, and it is the best hot fudge sauce in the world. Hands down. Does it have the fewest ingredients? No, that prize goes to good old ganache which makes a fine ice cream topping. But if you’re looking for good, old-fashioned fudge sauce, you need look no further. This is the sauce that gets a bit chewy when cold. The kind you have to heat up in order to pour. It has deep, rich flavor that is exactly what is needed to set off a perfect vanilla ice cream. Or coffee ice cream. There is enough salt in it to round out the flavors, counteract any bitterness that might be present if you use a really dark chocolate and to make the sauce sparkle on your tongue. Not so much salt that you’ll say “What is this? Salted hot fudge sauce?” but enough so you’ll say, “By crackie, this is the best hot fudge sauce in the world!” Hence the name.

This sauce can be flavored in many ways. Don’t hesitate to add a bit of orange zest and/or cinnamon to the boil or switch out the rum for orange liqueur, for example. Play with this sauce and make it your own. But when you want to relive your visits to the soda fountain where the hot fudge was thick and rich and tasted of fudge and not “brown,” then please make it according to the original recipe which calls for light rum and vanilla. Why use any alcohol at all? Even just a bit of alcohol, whether it be rum or Kahlua or Godiva chocoalate or whatever, brings out the alcohol soluble flavors that would otherwise remain locked away. The entire recipe, and it makes just over a quart, uses only 2 Tablespoons of alcohol. You can’t taste it, but you would miss it were it not there. If for any reason you cannot have alcohol, you can substitute 2 Tablespoons of very strong coffee.

Enough talk! Please go and make some of this sauce. And then come back and tell me that it really is the best hot fudge sauce in the world. Make a sundae, and don’t forget to put the cherry on top. I promise you will feel just like a kid again.

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The Best Hot Fudge Sauce in the World

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

This rich, deeply fudgy sauce attains incredible complexity and depth two ways. First, the addition of a touch of alcohol brings out alcohol-soluble flavors. Starting with a lightly caramelized base affords more depth and that bit of chew and stretch you expect from an excellent fudge sauce. A full recipe yields over a quart, so you can either half the recipe or make the full recipe and share with friends.

Course: Ice Cream Sauce

Servings: 1 + quart

Author: onlinepastrychef

What You'll Need

• 4 oz unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 8 oz granulated sugar (1 slightly generous cup)
• 11.75 oz light or dark corn syrup (1 cup)
• 16 oz heavy cream (1 pint or 2 cups)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5.3 oz whole milk (about 2/3 cup)
• 1.75 oz cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
• 1.3 oz water (2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water)
• 1 oz light rum (2 Tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 8 oz excellent quality semi-sweet chocolate , chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60%)

What To Do

1. Place the butter, sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, salt and milk in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the cocoa powder, water, rum and vanilla into a thin paste.
3. Place the cocoa paste in a large bowl.
4. Chop the chocolate into small pieces (or use excellent quality chocolate chips or paillettes) and add to the bowl.
5. When the dairy comes to a boil, regulate the heat so it maintains a slow boil but doesn't boil up in the pan.
6. Stir the dairy frequently and boil until it reaches a light caramel color, about 20-30 minutes (less time if you half the recipe). You don't want the color to be as dark as a Sugar Daddy, but it should be significantly darker than sweetened condensed milk. Here is a picture that hopefully will help with deciding if it's done or not.
   
7. Once the dairy is a lovely shade of deep tan, pour it into the bowl with the chopped chocolate and cocoa paste. Allow it to sit for a minute or two and then whisk until smooth.
8. Strain it just to make sure it is completely smooth.
9. Store in jars in the fridge.
10. If you used fresh dairy, the hot fudge sauce will keep for a good 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. If your dairy was close to the expiration date, use the sauce up within 5-7 days.

Even if you don’t make this hot fudge sauce now, do keep it in mind for the holidays. Your friends and family will thank you.

Just please don’t tie twine or Jute Ribbon around the jars. Thank you. =)**

Thank you for spending some time with me today. Happy Ice Cream Tuesday! Have a lovely day.

Looking for a quick hot fudge sauce that you can put together in about five minutes? My friend Chris has an excellent one she makes in a blender. Do check that one out too: Best Ever Hot Fudge Sauce.

**It occurs to me that, because of the jars I used, I may have implied that I canned the best hot fudge sauce in the world. In fact, I did not can it, and I know next to nothing about canning. I used these jars because they’re small and cute, but I’m just storing the sauce in the fridge. It should last a good 2-3 weeks if you used fresh dairy. I’m pretty sure it’s the dairy itself that does not make this sauce suitable for canning.