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Delightfully delicious and easy to make, this chocolate sauce is a straightforward ganache that is the perfect topping for ice cream, cake, or any homemade dessert in your recipe box. Glossy, luscious, and pleasing to the eye and palate, you’ll never buy store bought chocolate sauce again!
How do you make chocolate sauce?
A simple stovetop method, first you bring the butter, cream, and corn syrup up to a boil.
Turn off the heat, add the chocolate, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Allowing the chocolate to sit in the hot cream will create a better emulsion and smoother consistency as the ingredients will not want to mix at first. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.
Can I use chocolate chips?
Chocolate baking bars are the better option as chocolate chips contain stabilizers to hold their shape and do not have as much cocoa butter, therefore the sauce will not be as luscious and smooth.
However, if chocolate chips are all you have on hand, three tablespoons of chocolate chips are the equivalent of one ounce of baking chocolate.
In this case, you would need 1 ½ cups chocolate chips to equal 8 ounces of baking chocolate.
Why do I add corn syrup?
To gloss the sauce, of course! As we eat with our eyes, that beautiful shine just can’t be beat.
Whereas ganache is more of a cream icing, the corn syrup adds viscosity and sweetness to the somewhat bitter chocolate.
If you are not a fan of corn syrup or simply don’t have it on hand, a perfect alternative is real maple syrup, which adds a subtle roasted flavor as well.
How can I amp up the flavor?
Try adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract, which gives the sauce that bit of sweetness you just can’t get from sugar. If you’re really feeling fancy, a splash of Cointreau will do just the trick as the subtle hint of orange pairs perfectly with the flavor of the chocolate.
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Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter (½ stick)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup light corn syrup (see note 1)
- 8 ounce bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (see note 2)
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add cream and corn syrup and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat, stir in chocolate, and cover for 5 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is smooth.
Notes
- Corn syrup: Corn syrup adds viscosity, sweetness, and shine to the somewhat matte, bitter chocolate. It helps to "gloss the sauce." You may also substitute maple syrup (it will change the flavor).
- Chocolate: Chocolate baking bars are the best option because chocolate chips contain stabilizers to hold their shape. They also do not have as much cocoa butter, therefore the sauce will not be as luscious and smooth. However, if chocolate chips are all you have on hand, you would need 1 ½ cups chocolate chips to equal 8 ounces of baking chocolate.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups of chocolate sauce.
- Storage: Store leftover Chocolate Sauce covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The Chocolate Sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Should this be refrigerated…how long to reheat in microwave…and how long will this chocolate sauce keep?