5-Minute Hot Fudge Sauce (THM S)

You will not believe that you're only 5 minutes and 6 ingredients away from rich, decadent hot fudge.

I haven't had hot fudge in years, and I either forgot how good it was or homemade just blows everything else out of the water.

I decided to try an easy method using ingredients I already had on hand: cocoa powder, butter, cream, and sweetener. I simply combined the cocoa powder and sweetener with heavy cream in a small skillet, whisking until the cream became hot (but not bubbling). I then whisked in a stick of cubed salted butter (normally I do unsalted for baking, but this was all I had and it worked perfectly), vanilla extract, and caramel extract. Keep whisking until the sweetener dissolves, and the mixture is nice and smooth.

You may be thinking that the caramel extract is weird, but trust me when I say it makes the sauce. I had the sauce made without it, and thought, "It's missing something. More cocoa powder? Vanilla?" Kept thinking, and eventually came to caramel extract. It's a small amount, so it doesn't taste of caramel, it just adds a nice background flavor and depth.

Don't skimp on the cocoa powder here, make sure you use something good [because, hello, this is a chocolate recipe]. The brands I've tried and really enjoyed are Guittard, Ghiradelli, and Pernigotti.

To store the hot fudge, just cool it and store in a pint mason jar, or any container with a lid. It will harden in the fridge, but that's to be expected. I played around with reheating it, and the best method I found was to reheat a few tablespoons in a small sauce pan on the stove. You can try it in the microwave, however in my testing it didn't reheat well in the microwave (my best guess is that it scorches the chocolate, causing the mixture to separate).

This sauce is glorious - it's thick, rich, gooey, chocolaty. Frankly, it tastes like a liquid brownie and it's the most fantastic thing in the world. Put it on ice cream, a spoon...cardboard, and it will taste amazing.

Try it over my Fat Bomb Vanilla Bean Ice Cream for an easy, extra special treat!

5-Minute Hot Fudge Sauce (THM S)

Main Ingredients

1 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c , plus 2 tbsp Pyure or similar

1 stick salted butter, cubed

1 c heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp caramel extract

Recipe Steps

1. Whisk the cocoa, sweetener, and cream in a small sauce pot over medium-low heat until the cream is hot, but not bubbling.

2. Whisk in the cubed butter and extracts.

3. Continue whisking over low heat until the sweetener is fully dissolved.

4. Cool slightly and store in the fridge. Reheat single servings on the stove as needed.