This recipe, along with my family’s beef stew and black pepper pumpkin pie are pretty much the trifecta of foods we always get asked to bring to parties and potlucks. This sauce in particular is universally loved. The go-to dessert at my parent’s house when we had company over was always some kind of brownie (didn’t matter how it was made) generic vanilla ice cream (quality not important) and this sauce – which is capable of redeeming even the most mediocre of sundaes. Powerful stuff.

Making the sauce is easy, too easy in fact, and it fills the house with the lovely smell of serious chocolate. You probably even have all the ingredients you need in your pantry right now…

I don’t think there’s much else to say.

Crushed candy cane is festive, but I can take it or leave it. Cody ate the bowl in the photo, and asked for a refill of sauce half way through – no such thing as too much, or enough for that matter.

My Family’s Famous Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:
-1 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1 1/2 cups heavy cream (the original recipe calls for a can of evaporated milk, which also works, I just prefer cream)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp vanilla (my dad prefers Mexican vanilla, and I agree)

Method:
1. In a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cocoa, and cream. Bring mixture to a low boil and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2-3 minutes. If you use evaporated milk instead of fresh cream, you will need to cook it another few minutes to get a thick consistency.
2. Add salt and vanilla and combine, boiling a few seconds more to allow the alcohol to cook out of the vanilla.
3. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving.

This recipe stores well in the fridge, but will need to be re-heated and stirred either in the microwave or on the stovetop. It’s far too thick in it’s cold state to pour straight on a sundae. Personally, I think that’s a good thing.