April 4, 2020

3-Ingredient Hard-Top Chocolate Sauce

Hard-Top Chocolate Sauce

I endured a challenging childhood. My mother, a die-hard scratch cook and baker, refused to buy the cardboard biscuits and waxy bottled sauces other kids took for granted. For years, I suffered from a range of maladies, including Nesquik® Envy and Magic-Shell-Chocolate-Sauce Deprivation. They weren’t medically recognized conditions back then, but I was sure the suffering would kill me.

I was also a tad dramatic, which didn’t help.

Today, I make my own sauces and realize Mom was right. The homemade version is better, less expensive and healthier (although “healthy” might be the wrong word here.)

No matter how old I get, I find joy in watching hard-top chocolate sauce set on freezing cold ice cream. I get satisfaction from the sound of it breaking under my spoon, and resolution from the unique crack patterns that form. And finally, I experience serenity from the contrasting textures of soft, melting ice cream mixed with hard crunchy bits of chocolate sauce.

Times are truly challenging now. These are not the imagined hardships of my charmed youth. I hope you find joy in creating something indulgent, comfort in sharing it, and solace in knowing we are all in this together.

Hard-Top Chocolate Sauce

Author: Charmian Christie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x
Category: Chocolate
Method: Easy

Description

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of summer was a trip to the park and a vanilla soft-serve ice cream encased in a chocolate shell. The best part was cracking the coating, despite the fact that the chocolate had little taste. Nowadays I want both texture and taste. Thanks to the popularity of coconut oil, delicious homemade hard-shell chocolate sauce is minutes away, any time you want. And cracking the shell? That never gets old.

Scale

Ingredients

8 ounces (225 g) 70% bittersweet (dark) chocolate, chopped
3⁄4 cup (165 g) coconut oil (see Notes)
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) corn syrup

Instructions

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate, coconut oil and corn syrup. Microwave on High in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has melted. (Alternatively, heat it in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted.)

Add a generous pinch of salt and stir well to combine.

Pour the sauce onto ice cream. Within about 30 seconds, it will form a shell. You’ll know it has hardened when the chocolate is no longer shiny and looks a bit dull.

Notes

Virgin coconut oil will add more of a coconut flavour to the sauce. If you don’t want a coconut taste, use refined coconut oil. As long as the coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it will do the trick. Do not use MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) coconut oil, which is liquid at room temperature.

For easy pouring, transfer the sauce to a squeeze bottle.

Store the sauce at room temperature (not in the refrigerator) in an airtight container for up to 1 month. If the sauce hardens, warm it slightly in a small microwave-safe bowl, microwaving on Medium in 15-second intervals until it loosens, or place the squeeze bottle in a bowl of hot water for 2 minutes.

Keywords: chocolate sauce, coconut oil