Dark Chocolate Sauce
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Ask me how many batches I’ve made of this dark chocolate sauce over the last 7 weeks of quarantine. Actually, you can ask me, but I’m not telling, because it’s embarrassing. It’s a lot.
I love this so much more than bottled chocolate syrup from the store- it’s thick and rich and so so good. It’s my go to recipe because it’s all purpose—need a chocolate syrup for a coffee drink? Hot fudge for ice cream? Something to eat off of a spoon while you’re standing at the fridge?
This dark chocolate sauce has your back.
It doesn’t have dairy in it, so it lasts a long time in the refrigerator. If you don’t eat dairy, also a win!
This chocolate sauce uses only FOUR pantry ingredients (plus water). Never run out of chocolate sauce again!
- Cocoa Powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Water
That’s it!
On the stove in a small sauce pan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and water. Turn the heat to high and stir, and bring it up to a boil. A rolling boil, lots of bubbles. Sing Adele’s Rolling in the Deep to yourself as you stir and let it bubble.
Let it bubble and boil as you stir for 3 minutes. Swish swish with a spatula. It might bubble up a little bit, probably best to not wear a white shirt while you do this.
Take it off the heat, and add the vanilla. Why take it off the heat? Vanilla extract is made from a high percentage of alcohol, and alcohol bubbles and boils quickly—at a lower temperature boiling point than water. In my other sloth life as a Chemistry professor, I tell my students that this is called a volatile liquid (that’s actually what it’s called… volatile. LIKE ME IF I RUN OUT OF THIS). So, this is why you take it off the heat, because you don’t want it to bubble up and evaporate.
The sauce will seem pretty thin at this point- don’t worry, it gets nice and thick as it cools. I like to pour it in a mason jar and use one of these plastic lids- this is pretty much my go to storage system in my kitchen. The jar lids are universal size so they fit all regular mason jars… no hunting around for random lids. Plus, I love mason jars and they look so pretty lined up in your refrigerator.
Stick this in your fridge and use for all your chocolate needs.
Hot fudge for topping ice cream. Nice and thick and so chocolate-y.
A chocolate sauce for making coffee drinks. I stir in a big spoonful into hot coffee with some cream for a mocha, or cold brew for an iced mocha. Mmmmm iced coffee is calling my name- I make this every day.
Whatever else you need chocolate for. Maybe a spoonful for a midnight snack.
This will keep several weeks in the fridge, but I always use mine up before then!
Dark Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 t salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 t vanilla
Instructions
- Add cocoa, sugar, salt, and water to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
- Boil and stir for 3 minutes.
- Off the heat, add the vanilla.
- Store in a jar in the refrigerator- sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Use to make coffee drinks or as a ice cream topping.
Will this keep well outside the fridge, like in a squeeze bottle?
Thanks!
This is far better than any store bought chocolate syrup!!! It’s all I can do to keep my granddaughter and husband away from it. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!❤️
Anne M.