Simple 3-Ingredient Chocolate Sauce (with Chocolate Chips) [Recipe]
Well everyone, it’s ice cream season, and nothing quite tops off a bowl of ice cold creamy goodness like a generous drizzle of homemade, warm, chocolate fudge sauce.
This recipe is super simple and it only has 3 ingredients: chocolate chips, cream, and vanilla. It’s quick to make, fool-proof, easy to make ahead, and perfectly delicious!
Making chocolate sauce with chocolate chips
There are lots of different kinds of chocolate sauces out there to be made. There are sweet, glossy sauces (made with cocoa and sugar), thick, fudgey sauces (made with cream and butter), or there are simple, silky, rich ones (like this one), which become thick like fudge and smooth like truffles.
This recipe is pretty much just a thinner version of dark chocolate ganache, which is the classic filling used to make dark chocolate truffles.
Ingredients
One thing that comes up a lot when it comes to recipe queries is substitutions. “Can I substitute x for y?” People don’t always have what they need in a pinch, or maybe they have some alternate preferences (like milk chocolate vs. dark chocolate) that they’d like to accommodate.
Below are my notes on the ingredients for this recipe; if there’s anything I’ve missed, feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to be helpful!
Chocolate chips
For this recipe, I used Hershey’s chocolate chips, but you can use any good quality dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet). If you want to substitute for milk chocolate, you can do that for sure, although your sauce may end up being a little bit thinner (which honestly is fine in the world of chocolate sauces).
If you want to substitute the chocolate chips for real chocolate in another form (like a pure chocolate bar), feel free; just chop it up into small chunks and measure the pieces as the recipe directs.
Cream
To keep it simple, I used 10% cream (half and half). I wouldn’t go lower fat than that, but if you want to make it with 18% table cream or 35% whipping cream, go for it. You just might want to add a little extra cream if the sauce is too thick with those options (use your own discretion for that).
For a vegan option, you can use dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut milk.
Vanilla
I just used basic, inexpensive imitation vanilla extract for this recipe. Obviously, the best stuff is always real vanilla; however, you don’t need to spend the big bucks to still get a great taste!
Ways to use this recipe
This recipe is amazing on ice cream sundaes, banana splits, added to milk to make hot chocolate, over a pile of cream puffs (profiteroles), or whatever dessert you love to drench in extra chocolate. My husband and I had some incredible Kawartha cappuccino ice cream with this the other day, and oooh man. It was incredible.
Storage
Store your homemade chocolate fudge sauce in the refrigerator in a sealed airtight container or jar with a . Warm it before serving, as it will set quite firm in the fridge.
Gifting
When I made the batch of chocolate sauce for this post, I was bringing a jar of it to my mom’s. She was hosting an ice cream social following a family work party with my siblings and their families, and this was the perfect addition!
I love gifting and contributing food, and something like this is easy to dress up! Personally, I love mason jars of homemade goodies topped with a piece of gingham fabric and tied with a string or ribbon. You can also buy some pre-cut tags, or a tag cutter to make your own label for the jar’s contents.
You will need:
- Ingredients (see recipe card)
- Small saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Glass measuring pitcher (optional)
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Jar or airtight storage container
Simple 3-Ingredient Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 c. half and half cream (10% milk fat)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Measure the chocolate and cream into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat, and whisk frequently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla.
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Serve immediately or pour into an airtight jar or container for storage.
This chocolate sauce will stay liquid at room temperature for several hours, but as it sits longer, it will begin to set.
-
Store your chocolate fudge sauce in the refrigerator. Re-warm until the consistency is restored before use.
How to make your own homemade chocolate sauce
Measure and heat the ingredients
Measure the chocolate and cream into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium-low heat, and whisk frequently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla.
Serve
You can serve your homemade chocolate sauce immediately or pour into an airtight jar or container for storage.
This chocolate sauce will stay liquid at room temperature for several hours, but as it sits longer it will begin to set.
Store
Chocolate sauce should be kept in the refrigerator. Re-warm until the consistency is restored before use.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
- How to Make a Banana Split
- Easy Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Easy Homemade Raspberry Sauce
- Easy Dark Chocolate Truffles
That’s all for today my friends! If you like this post, feel free to leave a comment or tag me in your chocolate-drenched dessert photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. I would love to see what you made!
Back soon,
Naomi
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