Chocolate Sauce

Everyone should have one great chocolate sauce recipe. This is mine. Its rich, dark velvety goodness will make tears well up in your eyes.

The first time I tasted this sauce was at the home of a dear family friend, Gail Waterfield. Gail is such a lovely woman, the epitome of Southern elegance and a fabulous cook. While visiting my hometown of Canadian, she joined us for dinner. As we know, any good Southern meal requires a dessert. Gail invited us to her home to enjoy a fabulous dessert she had whipped up! It began with a lovely angel food cake, topped with freshly whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and this decadent chocolate sauce.

We’ve tweaked the original recipe, found in a great cookbook from the 1950s, but just slightly. It’s made with a combination of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder giving it a rich chocolate flavor, plus a depth from the addition of instant dark coffee powder. Butter and cream bring a rich, silkiness and pure vanilla extract boosts the chocolate notes. We add a touch of corn syrup to help keep the chocolate smooth.

Gently cooked, adding layer upon layer of lusciousness.

This recipe is double the original because someone usually wants seconds and asks to take a jar home! This recipe makes about 3 cups, but it can be divided if you’d like – but not sure why you would!

Chocolate Sauce

½ cup butter

½ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup cream

1-½ cups sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant dark roast coffee or espresso powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon white corn syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place the butter and bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler placed over medium heat.

Once the chocolate begins to melt reduce the heat slightly and stir until smooth, about 10 minutes. Add the cream, stirring to blend into the butter and bittersweet chocolate.

While the butter and bittersweet chocolate are melting, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder and kosher salt.

Stir this mixture into the butter and chocolate along with the corn syrup. Continue cooking over a heat between medium and medium-low, stirring frequently until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce is very smooth, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly.

Stir the vanilla extract into the chocolate sauce. Keep chilled until ready to use.

This sauce will thicken when chilled. You can reheat it over a low heat in a small saucepan, or on a low setting in the microwave for just a minute or two, until warm.

Cooking the sauce in a double-boiler helps prevent the chocolate from scorching. If you don’t have one, you can also place a heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. Makes about 3 cups.