Warm Chocolate Sauce

It's August and it's hot... which means it's the time of year to turn my kitchen into a vegan ice cream parlor.  Last summer, I had fun making "homemade" maple-bourbon ice cream and peanut butter-banana ice cream, among others. If you're building your own sundae bar, nothing beats sauces and toppings from scratch.  This warm chocolate sauce is a fresh-tasting alternative to the store-bought kind.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plain non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup corn syrup (such as Wholesome Sweeteners)
• 1/4 cup vegan sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• Dash of salt
• 2.5 ounces chopped semisweet dark chocolate*
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk together the milk, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla, stirring until the chocolate melts.  Per the title of the recipe, spoon over your favorite vegan ice cream while the sauce is still warm!

Here's one sundae idea to get you started: A "Bar None" sundae, with the vegan vanilla from Soy Delicious, this chocolate sauce, and crumbled vegan brownies on top, whether homemade or store-bought from a company like Boston Cookies. 

*Note: Be sure to use a semisweet dark chocolate, not one that's bittersweet. Companies will often label by percentage of cacao, so aim for a bar that's about 70%, rather than 85%.  A couple good chocolate brands with certified vegan dark chocolate include Sweet Riot and the Endangered Species chocolate company.

Nutrition Info:
14 servings (2 tablespoons), Calories 99

Tasting Notes:
Although the corn syrup was a touch stronger than I expected, that didn't stop this sauce from being delicious. Silky smooth and wonderfully chocolatey. It's on the thin side, so if you want a more "hot fudge" version, see my post for Rich Chocolate Sauce.  But this had a classic, Hershey's syrup taste that was fun to recreate at home - and was perfect over vanilla soy ice cream.

Rating:
4