Rich and fudgy, this luxurious hot fudge sauce adds deep dark chocolate flavor to ice cream sundaes. Easy to make, you'll use this fudge topping to elevate a scoop of ice cream to celebration status!
Why this recipe works
- Simple ingredients come together to make a rich and thick fudge topping
- Only 10 minutes of cooking time
- You can customize the flavor profile with mix-ins
What is one of a few things that can make french vanilla ice cream better? Make it into a hot fudge sundae!
And while you could jump in the car, drive to the store, and buy a jar of hot fudge sauce, you could save yourself the time and trouble and make it yourself!
Making this Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce is far superior to store bought. It's a thick and rich dark chocolate sauce, not cloyingly sweet or plastic-y, and clings to the spoon as it slowly melts the ice cream beneath. And best of all, homemade hot fudge takes only 10 minutes to make!
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What you need
A recipe for hot fudge uses common ingredients, so you want to make sure they are good quality.
I use 72% cacao dark chocolate, dark chocolate cocoa powder, and Lyle’s Golden Syrup (also used in Sticky Toffee Pudding) to get an intense dark chocolate punch that I like.
Why golden syrup? Similar to honey, golden syrup adds just the right amount of sweetness without being too cloying. It also enhances the molasses flavors in the dark brown sugar.
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You will also need heavy cream and butter for creamy smoothness, and vanilla and salt for flavor.
Even though I use dark chocolate and dark chocolate cocoa powder, you can use semi-sweet chocolate and regular cocoa powder if you want a less intense chocolate experience.
How to make hot fudge sauce from scratch
It's incredible how easy this chocolate fudge sauce recipe is to make. You're mixing and heating up what's basically hot chocolate, then adding in chopped chocolate and vanilla. Stir, stir, stir, and you have the best homemade fudge sauce out there.
Step 1: Make the fudge base
Combine the heavy cream, golden syrup, brown sugar, dark chocolate cocoa powder, butter, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the mixture is smooth (photo 1).
Cook on low, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes more.
Step 2: Add the chocolate and vanilla
Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted. Add in the vanilla and stir it again (photo 2).
Step 3: Allow to cool
Pour the fudge sauce into a jar (I like these pint mason jars), and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes (photo 3). It will thicken as it cools.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Chocolate Syrup is basically a chocolate-flavored simple syrup, so it's loose and runny. Hot Fudge Sauce has more body from the golden syrup used in the recipe, so it's much thicker. It also has a creamier mouthfeel from the heavy cream, chocolate, and butter.
This ice cream topping can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks, and frozen for longer term storage. Just thaw completely before reheating.
You can reheat the topping uncovered in the jar using short bursts in the microwave (10 to 15 seconds on HIGH), stirring each time until warm (don’t overheat it or it will burn). Alternatively, place the jar in a steamer basket over an inch of simmering water. Stir until warmed.
Pro Tip: Hot Fudge Sauce Variations
You don't have to make the same ol' hot fudge every time. Here are some ideas to jazz up your ice cream sundaes:
- Play with flavoring extracts! Substitute ¼ teaspoon of mint extract, almond extract, or Fiori di Silicia (an orange-vanilla extract) in place of the vanilla.
- Add a few flakes of sea salt, some cinnamon, or instant espresso during the cooking process.
- Stir in a couple tablespoons of peanut butter at the end once the chocolate has melted.
- Spike the sauce with 2 tablespoons of bourbon or rum. Add the spirit in at the start of cooking to cook off the alcohol, or add at the end for a happy (but not kid-friendly) version.
An ice cream topping worthy of the name
This sauce is a truly luxurious dark chocolate fudge sauce. Thick and rich, with a creamy mouthfeel, it begs for vanilla ice cream (homemade is best!) and a special celebration, or even any day that needs improvement.
This really is the best hot fudge sauce recipe there is!
Grab a scoop or two of ice cream (or maybe ditch the ice cream and just grab a spoon), and dig in!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Remember, even though these recipes use dark chocolate, you can generally substitute the chocolate type of your choice. Go ahead and use your favorites!
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Recipe
Dark Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce
Equipment
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup golden syrup, light corn syrup, or honey
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (1 cup), 60 to 75% cacao works best
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the heavy cream, golden syrup, brown sugar, dark chocolate cocoa powder, butter, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
- Cook on low, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted. Add in the vanilla and stir it again. It's ready!
- Pour the hot fudge into a jar (like a pint mason jar), and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Serve warm over ice cream, and refrigerate any leftovers. Hot fudge sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks, and frozen for longer term storage. Just thaw completely before reheating.
- You can reheat the topping uncovered in the jar using short bursts in the microwave (10 to 15 seconds on HIGH), stirring each time until warm (don’t overheat it or it will burn). Alternatively, place the jar in a steamer basket over an inch of simmering water. Stir until warmed.
Video
Notes
- Play with flavoring extracts! Substitute ¼ teaspoon of mint extract, almond extract, or Fiori di Silicia (an orange-vanilla extract) in place of the vanilla extract.
- Add a few flakes of sea salt, some cinnamon, or instant espresso during the cooking process.
- Stir in a couple tablespoons of peanut butter at the end once the chocolate has melted.
- Spike the sauce with 2 tablespoons of bourbon or rum. Add the spirit in at the start of cooking to cook off the alcohol, or add at the end for a happy (but not kid-friendly) version.
Linda says
If you want to use chocolate chips, Guittard bittersweet chips work very well in recipes like this.
scotchscones says
Very true! Good quality brands do work well.
Catherine says
Just made this and it was a huge hit!!! Thanks, Tammy! 😀
Sandy Spector says
I was searching for a new hot fudge recipe, one that satisfied all of my requirements - ingredients safe for my family and me, and no compromising on taste. This was over the top outstanding. You know how you just know when a recipe is going to be "it"? That was this one. I put off making it for a few months, because I knew what would happen when I made it. Yup. I left spoonfuls in the pot for me to "sample".
This was really easy and a joy to make. Thank you, Tammy, for posting and blogging about it!
Tammy says
I'm so glad you liked it, Sandy! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Kim P says
Just made this recipe and it turned out great!! Super simple to follow. Made it with Valrhona cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate which gave it a deep rich flavor.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Kim, I'm so glad you liked the recipe! Making hot fudge with that great quality deeply flavored chocolate sounds like a really fine idea 😉
Gigi says
Can this be used to make a milkshake and will it fully dissolve?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Gigi, This hot fudge sauce is very thick and rich, so while it's great on sundaes, it might not be a good candidate for milkshakes. A better choice would be my recipe for Chocolate Syrup, which only contains 5 ingredients, can be made very quickly, and is delicious in milkshakes!