Summer is upon us, so I figured you might need this Chewy Hot Fudge Sauce.

That’s right. CHEWY Hot Fudge Sauce. This is that amazing hot fudge sauce, that when ladled generously over some ice cream, solidifies just enough to get chewy. I’m not talking about magic shell here. That’s the topping that literally hardens to a cracking stage, the kind of chocolate that ice cream bars are dipped in.

And it’s not like a hard caramel that gets stuck in your teeth. Nope, this is the stuff that fudge filled chocolate dreams are made of. It’s ooey and gooey and chewy but then it softens and melts in your mouth as you eat it.

You know I’m not a drench anything in topping kind of girl. I don’t drench my pancakes in syrup. I don’t drench my sundaes in tons of toppings. If we’re talking about regular chocolate syrup? Just a drizzle please.

But there’s something about this hot fudge sauce that breaks all the rules. I think that it’s because there’s something caramelly about it. Buttermilk Caramel Sauce? That probably falls into the drenchable category for me.

That sauce is good on anything and everything from Chocolate Turtle Zucchini Cake to Spiced Applesauce Cake to Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake Cake. Use it for pancakes and waffles and ice cream and…wait, we we’re talking about hot fudge, weren’t we?

Well, this Chewy Hot Fudge Sauce is the chocolate lover’s answer to all that caramel sauce mania. The point is, you’re going to want more. I try to keep everything in check around here, so even splurges have limits. So, I started everyone with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on top of their scoop of ice cream, then I brought the hot fudge serving dish to the table .

One, because I knew everyone would want more. (Wait, what about limits?!?) Two, because I knew if I left it on the island, which is out of sight from my seat at the table, my son would be making a main dish out of it when he went to put his ice cream dish in the sink. #momseeseverything.

But the truth is, I wanted more. This isn’t like chocolate syrup that mixes up with your ice cream forming chocolate milk in the bottom of your ice cream bowl. This stuff sits regally on top of your scoop.

You take a bite and get that wonderful chew. Then you make sure you’re getting some chewy fudge in with every bite of ice cream because the fudge itself feels like it’s its own treat. And, then, it’s gone. Because it was so good you just had to chew through that whole top layer.

But you still have ice cream left, so you need another spoonful of fudge to accompany all that ice cream still left in your bowl. And so it goes….Yes. Keep the serving bowl nearby; this is one splurge that’s hard to limit.

You can make this ooey gooey goodness pretty easily. It all happens in one pan. Just melt the chocolate with the butter and corn syrup, then add your cream and sugar.

You’re allowed to stir up until this point. Then stop stirring, bring it to a boil and let it boil for 8 minutes. Off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt and you are good to go.

I didn’t even get snobby about the chocolate. I had Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate on hand and it works well in this recipe. (You can even see it’s bloomed a little.) However, better chocolate always makes for a better recipe, so if I had some Scharfenberger or other higher quality brand, I’m sure it would take this over the top.

But, I didn’t, and quite frankly, you might not want to invest in more expensive chocolate, so I’m here to tell you that the regular old unsweetened chocolate you find in the baking aisle is just fine. It will still be drool worthy. Promise.

Keep some vanilla ice cream, or whatever your ice cream flavor of choice is, on hand and you’ll always have a stop in your tracks delicious dessert ready to go. I knew you needed this Chewy Hot Fudge Sauce in your life. See that layer of chewy topping being lifted up by the spoon? Yeah,

that’s your first bite :)

Chewy Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a heavy sauce pan, melt the butter with the chocolate and corn syrup, stirring over medium low heat until chocolate and butter are fully melted and combined with the corn syrup.
Add the cream, then pour the sugar into the middle of the mixture so that you have minimal or no sugar crystals sticking to the side of the pan. Carefully stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and increase heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil without any stirring and let it boil for 8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the salt.
Serve hot over ice cream or allow to completely cool before covering and storing in the refrigerator.

Notes

*I can't stress the importance of using a heavy pan. Thin pans do not distribute heat well and can easily burn a sugary mixture like this.

*It's important to let the mixture cool before storing. If you cover it too soon, the steam from the warmth of the mixture will condense, drip back into the mixture and cause graininess.

*If it does get grainy while being stored in the refrigerator, there's no need to fret. Just measure out however much you're going to use, add a splash or so of heavy cream, stir it up and reheat in the microwave. The grains should melt right back into the mixture and it will become smooth and glossy once again. If it's still grainy, just add a bit more cream and heat again for a few seconds until it's smooth. You can also add a teaspoon of corn syrup to the mixture to help retard any further crystallization and help with some of the chewiness.

*The sauce keeps in the refrigerator, covered for about a month. I just scoop out whatever I'm going to use and heat it up (I let it just start to get bubbly) with some cream (and maybe a little corn syrup) and I am good to go! Recipe from Gourmet Magazine, June 1993

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Mary

Monday 14th of October 2024

The texture was nice and chewy. The sauce was delicious. My grandmother made a chewy sauce like this using Park Davis Vanilla Extract. You can't buy Park Davis Vanilla Extract anymore. I am looking for a strong flavored vanilla extract like the old Park Davis Vanilla Extract. Do you think that Nielsen Massey Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract might fill the bill? Thank you!

Ramona

Tuesday 15th of October 2024

Hi Mary, I'm not familiar with that brand of vanilla extract. I use Nielsen Massey and Heilala extract and vanilla bean paste most often. I'm guessing that the strong vanilla was probably double fold or triple fold vanilla extract, meaning there were double or triple the beans used per gallon of alcohol. I checked an old recipe book from Park Davis and you can tell that they were able to use smaller amounts of vanilla in their recipes, clearly due to the strength of the vanilla. You can also check out sites like www.Beanilla.com for lots of vanilla choices. Or, you can check into making your own vanilla so that you can make your extract as strong as you want it. There are tons of sites with instructions on how to do this. Check out Ina Garten's process. She uses a lot more beans than typical recipes for what looks like an incredibly strong vanilla extract. I hope this helps!

Barbara

Monday 30th of October 2023

OH MY GOSH! I eat it by the spoonful right out of the fridge...and I don't even like chocolate!

Tuesday 31st of October 2023

Hi Barbara, Thank you! This is the best comment ever, lol! I feel the exact same way about this sauce :)

Eric

Sunday 13th of August 2023

The flavor was good and my daughter liked it, but the consistency was nowhere near chewy.

Friday 18th of August 2023

@Ramona, yes I let it boil for the full 8 minutes. It definitely thickened once on the ice cream, but never hit a chewy texture. My mom used to make hot fudge when I was a kid that would really thicken up, to a chewy state. I wish I would have gotten that recipe from her when I had a chance. I might give it another shot using the candy thermometer just to be sure. Thanks

Hi Eric, I can only assume something happened in the cooking process. Did you let it boil for the full 8 minutes? The boiling time should get you to a soft ball candy stage. That stage defintely is chewy especially when it hits cold ice cream. You could use a candy thermometer next time and heat the mixture to about 235 degrees F. Or, you could test a small drop of the mixture in ice water to see if it forms a soft ball. If not, it's not ready. The cooking time in the recipe, however has always worked for me. I hope that helps!

Linda

Monday 26th of June 2023

The taste is exactly what I have wanted but for some reason it’s not thick enough, more like a chocolate sauce than hot fudge. Should I have cooked it longer? What is the consistency supposed to be when removing from the heat?

I will be repeating this recipe!!!!

Hi Linda, it should have a thick consistency just like you see in the post photos and then it almost solidifies when it hits cold ice cream. That's when it gets chewy like a soft caramel. Always make sure you're using the proper ingredients...real butter, HEAVY cream, corn syrup. The directions say to boil for 8 minutes. If you boil for that length of time, the sugar should reach the temperature of a soft ball stage. It's hard to know what happened exactly in your kitchen without being there, but those are the things I would double check.

bridget

Wednesday 14th of September 2022

This is terrible. I made this yesterday. Placed it in a jar and tried to remove a portion today to reheat and it is hard as a rock. Also, it burned the bottom of my chantal cookware set pot that I have had for 20 years. I boiled it for 8 min on medium as the recipe stated "without stiring" against my better judgement as I was afraid of it burning on the bottom. Try another recipe from someone else unless you also want one of your expensive pots ruined.

Tuesday 20th of September 2022

@Ramona, Chantal are enamel clad cast iron, I don't know how much heavier you want someone to go. On my gas range I had the flame set on low as the flame looked medium to me.

Monday 19th of September 2022

Bridget, I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you. I imagine either the heat was too high or the pot wasn't heavy enough to maintain even heat through out the boiling process. If the mixture is boiled on medium heat (not high heat) with a heavy weight pot as the recipe advises, there should be no issue of burning.