hot fudge sauce

This past weekend we ventured down to Auburn to take Gerrit’s younger brother on a college visit as he considers where he wants to go.  It was good to be back in a place that I really consider my second home and often miss.  It was also good to eat some good food both in Auburn and on our way (there is a Mugshots in Birmingham now and this has me oh so excited and trying to think of all the reasons I might have to drive through there in the coming months).

On Saturday night we went out for frozen yogurt, which has apparently become the new trend.  And I have to say, I’m on board.  Not so much because I like frozen yogurt all that much, but because I love the toppings.  I can just put a little chocolate frozen yogurt in the bottom and top it with some Reese’s Pieces and Reese’s cups and other chocolate confections and it is perfect.  And with the whole pay-by-weight thing, for how much I want it costs about two to three dollars.  Amazing.

But if it wasn’t for the topping I probably wouldn’t be so gung-ho about it.  Because frozen yogurt?  Eh.  It always has that little twang at the end that reminds me that it’s not ice cream.  And even though I know some people could eat yogurt in ice cream’s stead all day long, it does nothing to convince me that it could take ice cream’s place.  Except for this whole toppings thing, because then I kind of almost forget that it’s pretending.

And this of course reminded me of the most delicious hot fudge sauce I have ever had, which I made once last year and savored for days (months even once we stuck a container of it in the freezer), and then kind of forgot about and haven’t made since, a problem that needed rectifying this week, especially since we are getting in to ice cream season.  (Not that I don’t eat ice cream at all times of the year, just that I may not serve it to other people because colder months call for warm cookies and cakes and cozy things).

This is such an easy sauce to make.  Chocolate is basically just melted together with brown sugar and heavy cream and what you get is a sauce so rich and thick that you might have a hard time convincing yourself to put it on ice cream instead of just eating by the spoonful.  I suppose you can do both.  Spooned over an ice cream sundae though, it melts the ice cream just a bit before firming up to create that perfectly smoothed chocolate surface.

You can keep this in the fridge for several days.  Or as we did last time I made this, stick a container of it in your freezer so that in a couple of months you will discover it by delight and have an excuse for ice cream sundaes.

Hot Fudge Sauce (Mr. Pete’s Chocolate Fudge Sauce)
from Leopold Stratton via Paula Deen

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Wait Time: 15 minutes

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat cream over medium-low heat just until it begins boiling, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the brown sugar, stirring until it completely dissolves and the mixture is a light caramel color.  Then add the butter, stirring until it is completely melted.
3. Add the chocolate chips and let them sit for several minutes until they are soft and beginning to melt.  Then gently stir the chocolate in until the mixture is smooth.
4. Add the salt and vanilla extract, stirring until incorporated.
5. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve warm over ice cream.  (This can also be stored for a week in the fridge and heated up to use.  Or store it in the freezer and defrost before warming.)