Remember back when when I posted the Honey Citrus Vinaigrette recipe and talked about how sometimes you can just look at the ingredient list for a recipe and instantly know in the pit of your soul that it would make you happy? Well I have three words for you: Chocolate. Butter. Sweetened Condensed Milk. Any questions? I didn’t think so. If you’re wondering how something so incredibly simple could be so incredibly delicious, then you’ll just have to make it to find out. This was a favorite in our house growing up, and we especially loved it at Christmas time over peppermint ice cream. The great thing is that these are ingredients that (at least at our house) are always in the pantry. I promise once you make this you’ll never buy that bottled Hershey’s stuff again! And let’s face it; if you’re making homemade ice cream already, it deserves the best. 🙂
Hot Fudge Sauce
Ingredients:
3oz semi-sweet chocolate* (3 squares of baking chocolate, or about 1/2 C chocolate chips
1/4 C butter (that’s a half of a stick folks. Admit it, at least one of you didn’t know that)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
*I wouldn’t use milk chocolate for this, it’s way too sweet, however both dark and bittersweet are awesome
Instructions:
1. If you’re using baking squares, chop them up into small pieces so they melt easier. I chop the butter up into small chunks too.
2. Okay, it’s not rocket science. Put it in a pan on medium heat and melt it all together till it’s smooth, creamy, and just looking at it gives you happy thoughts.
3. If you have leftovers (but let’s be honest, you’ll have to quadruple the recipe to have leftovers) then put it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden into a soft, gooey fudge like consistency. Then keep a spoon handy on the counter and dip it in every time you pass by. This serves the same purpose as the always-open bags of chocolate chips that Kate and I both have in our pantries. Don’t deny it Kate.
Something else that might come in handy: The SINGLE SERVING.
In the comments of Kate’s Brazilian Lemonade post, I mentioned this great little invention:
You find them not with the baking things, like regular sweetened condensed milk, but in the Latin Foods isle in a little six pack. They are PERFECT for all sorts of things when you don’t need a whole can. Each cute little can has 3.5 oz, which is 1/4 the size of a normal can. And it makes the most perfect single serving of this fudge sauce, so here’s the quantities for that!
Just for One:
1 tiny can sweetened condensed milk
2 T chocolate chips
1T butter
Just pop it in the microwave and heat in 45 second intervals until smooth!
Storage: This is just fine kept at room temp for a day, but if you are going to keep it overnight or for an extended period of time, pop it in the fridge and just reheat in the microwave.
Pretty Freaking Good poured over this stuff too:
Puffed French Toast (oooh, that’s naughty!)
Pizzookies
Double Chocolate Waffles
Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sauce {and Fondue!}
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Description
This quick hot fudge is destined to become your new go-to for topping ice cream! Chocolate, butter, and sweetened condensed milk blend together to make an ideal thick, chocolatey fudge sauce perfect for drizzling on a sundae or dipping your favorite fruit.
Ingredients
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (3 squares of baking chocolate, or about 1/2 C chocolate chips. I wouldn’t use milk chocolate for this, it’s way too sweet, however both dark and bittersweet are awesome.)
1/4 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
If you’re using baking squares, chop them up into small pieces so they melt easier. I chop the butter up into small chunks too.
Combine chocolate, butter, and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Place pan over medium heat and melt, stirring continuously, until everything melts together.
Serve over ice cream, or as fondue with your favorite fruit.
Notes
If you have leftovers (but let’s be honest, you’ll have to quadruple the recipe to have leftovers) then put it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will harden into a soft, gooey fudge like consistency. Then keep a spoon handy on the counter and dip it in every time you pass by. If you want to use it as sauce again, simply microwave at 15-30 second intervals, stirring each time, until desired consistency is reached.
cool thanks. What about the baking chocolate vs the chips?
Angela- definitely use real butter. In fact, when cooking in general, unless margarine is specifically called for, you'll always get better results with butter. Enjoy!
Also, does it matter if you use margarine or butter in these things? Do you think it tastes richer or different at all with the butter? I don't know what the difference is….
Do you think it makes a difference if you do the baking chocolate vs the chips??? Which one is yummier, or does it come out the same?
I just wanted to let you know, which I am sure you already do, that this sauce makes the BEST milkshakes! I am enjoying one right now. So yummy! You girls are awesome THANKS!
I'm such a dork. I just re-read it at work and realized "DUH!" half of a stick. Sorry! Thanks for the quick answer though. 🙂
Hollie- the recipe is correct as written. It says "1/4 Cup or half of a stick of butter" 🙂
I just made this today and I'm a little confused on the butter instruction part of the recipe. It says that a stick of butter is a 1/4 cup, I'm not sure what kind of sticks of butter you buy, the sticks that I bought says that a stick of butter is a 1/2 cup and a 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons. So how much butter am I supposed to put in the sauce? I put in the four TBS, and it tastes good, but I'm not sure if I did it correctly, is it supposed to be a 1/2 cup or a 1/4 cup? Or am I totally reading the recipe wrong?mrs Thanks so much for your help. — Hollie 🙂
I want to make this (and the buttermilk syrup) for teacher gift's this year for Christmas…
however, I can't exactly package Ice Cream with it! LOL
I Nmight just get gift cards and state that it's for ice cream 🙂
I saw this recipe and immediately thought of another i had seen awhile back, It is called Brigadeiro and you can make it almost the same way, The recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate powder and a full can of condensed sweetened milk as well as more butter, If you refrigerate it for an hour or so then form it into balls and coat it with chocolate crumbs or I always pour it over some cake instead of using a frosting.
I just heated up a couple of teaspoons of this suace and dipped my fresh strawberries in, YUMMY! thanks for the recipe.
I just made a quadruple batch of this for gifts. Let's just say I'm going to have a hard time giving it away! It's so yummy. And so easy! Thanks for the recipe!
Trimble -Thank you! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for 😉 I'm now staring at 16 cute little jars full of hot fudge sauce! I just put all the ingredients in a glass bowl and popped it in the microwave and hit the soften/melt button and it worked like a charm. Tomorrow I'm going to hit Michael's to see if I can find some cute tags or stickers for the jars. Thanks for a great recipe!
No problem at all Sara, it was my fault for putting this off until the last minute and needing the answer too quickly. BTW- have you tried this with peanut butter chips? My son is allergic but I'm certainly not! 🙂
Trimble- you beat me to it! I'm glad you got everything figured out, sorry I wasn't able to get on here and answer your question sooner!
In answer to my own question and in case anyone else is wondering (or trying to work on a small budget, as I am), you can get the short jars (8 oz) in a pack of four at Wal-Mart for $3.79. Also, the recipe fills two of these jars. And in case you're wondering, you can get about 2 cups out of a regular size bag of chocolate chips. I had to purchase everything (except the butter) at regular price because I didn't plan ahead and the total cost per filled 8 oz jar was still only $2.01! Thanks ladies for helping me give presents to my husband's office friends without breaking the piggy bank!
Were you able to find the short mason jars at Walmart also? If so how much were they? I'd also like to know how many jars you can fill with one batch – thank you!
Any idea how many jars one recipe will make (the shortest ones)? Thank you!
I made a triple batch of this indescribable fudge today. I chose to melt the ingredients on the stove but the recipe is so easy and quick. I have already put them in the little mason jars for Christmas gifts. For now I will leave the jars in the refrigerator and when it's time to deliver these beautiful gifts I will put them in my little cooler and deliver them personally.
One last comment;if you shop at Walmart you can make this so cheap. I used the El Mexicano brand sweeten milk and it's texture and taste was better than the more expensive brand.
If I wasn't a diabetic I would just leave the spoon in the jar like Sara indicates she does!
I will NEVER buy store bought chocolate fudge again because this tastes better than anything I have ever tasted.
I'm sorry, I keep forgetting to answer that question! I'll go add it to the post for future reference. Immediate refrigeration isn't needed for the fudge sauce or the caramel sauce. If they are going to be stored overnight or for extended periods of time, then pop them in the fridge, but they will be fine at room temp for most of a day. After being refrigerated this sauce will be thick and fudge like (try it with a spoon!) so just remove the metal ring from the jar and reheat in the microwave until soft again.
I have the same question as a few others… If I give this away in jars, how should they store it? Would it work to store in the fridge and they can reheat in the microwave? Or keep at room temp? Same for the caramel sauce?
Okay I notice everyone is asking for the recipe for the caramel sauce. I however would like the recipe for Puffed French Toast.
Is West Jordan, Utah close to where you are? 🙂
Mmmmm mmmmmm – that's some good stuff!
Sounds delicious! I am in the process of making it right now! Could you please give us instructions on refrigeration, shelf life, etc? Thanks!!
Does baking chocolate include the unsweetened kind?
P.S. We love your site!
Lisa
Just found your blog today…love it! Staying!
Do you have to heat and seal the jars like in a traditional canning method? How long will they stay shelf stable? Refrigerate? Thanks so much for all the great recipes and tips! Jeanette
Yum! Honestly anything with Sweetened Condensed Milk has to be good. Right??? Thanks, Love your blog!
Do you have the recipe posted somewhere for the caramel sauce? I love the hot fudge sauce, I've made it over and over and LOVE it! Thanks!
hopie-
yes, just use the regular size can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz I think) And if you plan on serving 12, I’d definitely double it! Better to have a little too much, than too little 🙂