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Simple Hot Fudge Sauce

by Emily Gutke Leave a Comment

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This Simple Hot Fudge Sauce is the only recipe you will ever need!  It’s thick, rich, and so easy to make.  Drizzle it over your favorite ice cream and garnish with whipped cream and sprinkles and you’ll have a Father’s Day dessert any special guy in your life will love.

Take it to the next level by making Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for an epic ice cream sundae bar!  And thinking beyond Father’s Day…I served an ice cream sundae bar for a wedding open house last summer and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It’s customizable, economical, and who doesn’t love ice cream and cookies?!

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Here’s how the sauce is made!

Trader Joe’s Chocolate

Chocolate can get expensive, so I want to share one of my favorite life hacks with you!  Trader Joe’s sells Pound Plus bars for a fraction of the cost of other chocolate – and it’s even imported from Belgium.  I like to use these bars chopped up in cookies like my Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies or melted in this Hot Fudge Sauce. I actually haven’t found a single way I don’t like to eat this chocolate – ha! I wish I would have taken a picture of the full bar before I ripped into it, but I don’t have a ton of patience when it comes to chocolate.

And while I recommend Pound Plus bars because its great value, any bittersweet bar chocolate will work.  You can even use 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips instead of the chopped chocolate.  I prefer the bar chocolate because it melts a little bit better, but either works great!

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Hot Fudge Sauce

Place some cream, corn syrup, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, and sea salt in a small saucepan…

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…and simmer just until melted.

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The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools and you will be left with a rich and chocolatey sauce that will become your new favorite!

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Serve with lots of whipped cream, sprinkles, and all of your favorite toppings.  Dessert doesn’t get much easier (or better) than that!

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What if I don’t like chocolate?

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is my Salted Caramel Sauce.  Add this to your ice cream sundae bar to make it even more customizable.

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But why not make them both?!  The more sauces the better, right?

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Simple Hot Fudge Sauce

2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I like the Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars, but any brand will work. You can even use 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips in a pinch, but the bars melt a little bit smoother.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking frequently, until chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth and silky. Let the mixture simmer briefly around the edges to slightly thicken, but do not let boil. The hot fudge sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve over ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, cookie bars, and all of your favorite sundae toppings!

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Briefly reheat sauce in the microwave as needed.

Here are the rest of the recipe links if you want to make an epic ice cream sundae bar!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Salted Caramel Sauce

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Filed Under: Blog, Dessert Tagged With: food blog, hot fudge, hot fudge sauce, ice cream sundae

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I'm a mom of five kids, wife to one man, and referee to two cats. And cooking is what brings me joy and keeps me sane.

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