Ultra buttery and chocolatey this hybrid hot fudge starts off as a caramel sauce, giving it a magical texture that's both molten and chewy. - 1

I’m not a fudge fan. There… I came clean and said it… It’s like eating a huge lump of cloyingly-sweet chocolate flavored frosting. There is one type of fudge though that has a special place in my heart: hot fudge. I’m usually a minimalist when it comes to ice cream, but a good caramel or hot fudge over a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream is a sublime pleasure that words can’t describe.

This Chewy Hot Fudge is the lovechild of my two favorite ice cream toppings, creating a glorious caramel hot fudge to rule them all. It’s my answer to those starch-fortified jarred chocolate sauces that look dark and chocolatey but fizzle out with a whimper in your mouth, or the gooey cloyingly sweet numbers used in ice cream parlors. I’m talking a hot fudge with impact; a hot fudge whose temperament shifts with the temperature.

And therein lies the magical beauty of this hybrid hot fudge. On the surface, the fudge is molten and creamy, but the side that’s touching the ice cream chills to form a chewy network of resistantly robust fudge that puts your molars to work. Not so much as to tire out your jaws, but enough to give your mouth some feedback before the warmth of your mouth turns it back into a potent lake of chocolate.

The finished chocolate sauce is like a cross between caramel and hot fudge. - 2

The process isn’t so different from making a regular hot fudge, but by caramelizing the sugar, it not only gives the sauce a caramel-like texture, it also tempers the sweetness of the fudge, while providing oodles of Maillard Reaction -induced umami. Cream, butter and cocoa powder go into the caramelized sugar before bittersweet chocolate gets melted in, and the sauce is finished off with some vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. The resulting hot fudge tastes of caramel, butter, and of course CHOCOLATE!

By using caramelized sugar to make this decadent chocolate sauce, it gives the hot fudge a buttery flavor and blissful texture that's both molten and chewy. - 3

📖 Recipe

Ultra buttery and chocolatey this hybrid hot fudge starts off as a caramel sauce, giving it a magical texture that's both molten and chewy. - 4

Equipment

Units

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • ½ cup evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 120 grams bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch sea salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the 2 tablespoons water and ¼ cup light corn syrup to a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Dump the ½ cup evaporated cane sugar into center of the pot in a mound making sure you don’t get any sugar on the sides of the pot.
  • Let this mixture boil until until it reaches 320 degrees F (160 C).
  • Add the ⅔ cup heavy cream a little bit a time, whisking well to incorporate. If you add too much cream at once, it will boil over.
  • Whisk in the 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and then whisk in the 120 grams bittersweet chocolate , a little bit at a time. Finish the hot fudge by whisking in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 pinch sea salt

Nutrition Facts

Ultra buttery and chocolatey this hybrid hot fudge starts off as a caramel sauce, giving it a magical texture that's both molten and chewy. - 5

Chewy Hot Fudge Sauce

Equipment

  • 1 small stainless saucepan
  • 1 Spoonula
  • 1 Liquid Measuring Cup
  • 1 Whisk

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • ½ cup evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 120 grams bittersweet chocolate (roughly chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch sea salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the 2 tablespoons water and ¼ cup light corn syrup to a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Dump the ½ cup evaporated cane sugar into center of the pot in a mound making sure you don’t get any sugar on the sides of the pot. 2 tablespoons water, ¼ cup light corn syrup, ½ cup evaporated cane sugar
  • Let this mixture boil until until it reaches 320 degrees F (160 C).
  • Add the ⅔ cup heavy cream a little bit a time, whisking well to incorporate. If you add too much cream at once, it will boil over. ⅔ cup heavy cream
  • Whisk in the 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and then whisk in the 120 grams bittersweet chocolate , a little bit at a time. Finish the hot fudge by whisking in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 pinch sea salt 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 120 grams bittersweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch sea salt

Nutrition