This old-school hot fudge is glossy, bittersweet, firms on ice cream — and it reheats in seconds when you need another scoop.
Raise your hand if you’re surprised that my mother used to make us homemade hot fudge sauce for our ice cream? Right, I see you’re not new here! Welcome back. But really, the crazy didn’t start with my generation, despite the fact that I may or may not have crafted a really elaborate chicken dish this week when sick and not remotely interested in cooking or eating it. So I didn’t waste the ingredients. Also totally my mother’s daughter there.
Is it me, or does something about hot fudge sauce on ice cream seem distinctively retro? I don’t hear much about fudge sauce and sundaes these days. Maybe I’ve stepped too far into the Tahitian-vanilla-bean-and-cognac world. Let me fix that right now.
Because really, everyone should have a recipe for hot fudge sauce. There are kids and birthdays and chocoholic family members and, uh, you and spoons and a hunch that it might be good straight from the fridge. You’d be correct. You should totally go for it.
About that ice cream: Earlier in the week, intent upon making this sauce, I made a batch of David Lebovitz’s vanilla bean ice cream. (Which tastes remarkably like frozen crème brûlée.) But then I got sick and lost my appetite for everything except, well, ice cream and come Friday, we had to go to the store to find something to pour the sauce over. That there is Ciao Bella’s hazelnut gelato, not bad at all. But not the same.
At-a-glance
Yield | Notes / Source |
|---|---|
About 2½ cups | Adapted from Silver Palate Cookbook (the post notes a newer recipe exists on the site) |
Ingredients
Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
Unsweetened chocolate | 4 ounces |
Unsalted butter | 3 tablespoons |
Water | 2/3 cup |
Granulated sugar | 1/3 cup |
Corn syrup | 6 tablespoons |
Salt | Pinch |
Rum (or other flavored liqueur or vanilla extract) | 1 tablespoon |
Melt the chocolate and butter very slowly in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently until combined. Meanwhile, heat the water to boiling in a small heavy saucepan. When the butter and chocolate have melted, stir the chocolate mixture into the boiling water. Add the sugar, corn syrup and salt and mix until smooth. Turn the heat up and stir until the mixture starts to boil; then adjust the heat so the sauce is maintained at a gentle boil and stir occasionally. Allow the sauce to boil for nine minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes. Stir in the rum and serve warm over ice cream.
Do ahead: Sauce can be easily and quickly reheated in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds. Stir and it will be shiny and smooth again.
Tip |
|---|
Melt chocolate and butter slowly (double boiler or microwave) and stir often to prevent scorching. |
Boil the combined sauce for about nine minutes — this builds body so the fudge firms up on ice cream. |
Cool 15 minutes off heat before stirring in rum or vanilla to preserve aroma. |
Reheat leftovers in the microwave 15–30 seconds, then stir — the sauce will regain its shine. |
Corn syrup helps keep the sauce glossy and spoonable; substitute a light syrup carefully if avoiding corn syrup. |
