There a some gifts I look forward to all year: Tina's Toffee, Carol's Pear Honey and Fruit and Nut Bread, Connie's cookie tin. All are delicious and as much a part of my Christmas as the ubiquitous lack of snow and the caged in Nativity scene along Ocean Ave. Homemade gifts are far more intimate than a gift card are often cheaper and definitely less guilt inducing. "Oh, a gift card...thanks." Like a specter of Holidays past, those words echo in my head.
Shudder.
A bad gift is quite possibly worse than no gift at all, emphasizing a lack of concern, understanding, or knowledge of the person receiving it. I obviously have a little gift giving anxiety. Hot Cocoa Mix and Hot Fudge Sauce are the balm to my Holiday wounds. They're simple, delicious, and do not taste like it came from a jar AT ALL. These are a chocolatey treat that's delicious all year round.
Hot Fudge sauce:
Yields 2 1/2 cups
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate and butter very slowly in a double boiler. Meanwhile, heat the cream to a simmer in the small, heavy saucepan. When the butter and chocolate have melted, stir the mixture into the cream. Add the sugar, corn syrup, cocoa powder and salt and mix until smooth. Mix the corn starch with equal parts water, and stir into the chocolate. Turn the heat up and stir until mixture starts to simmer (barely boil); adjust heat so that sauce is just maintained at the simmer point, stirring occasionally. Allow sauce to simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and serve warm over ice cream.
Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix
Ingredients:
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate, either small chips or finely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vanilla sugar (I bought the crystalized kind because it creates a lovely sparkle, but you and always do white sugar plus a scraped vanilla bean.)
1 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Whisk the ingredients together. To make an 8 oz cup (which is honestly enough for 2-3 people), mix 3 tablespoons of the mix with a dash of milk to form a paste. Gently heat the paste over medium-low heat until the chocolate bits start to melt. Add an additional cup of milk and stir until hot and steaming. Pour into cups and top off with a dash of heavy cream. Enjoy!
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18 comments:
does the chocolate sauce need to be refrigerated?
How long does the chocolate sauce last? I'm sure I'll finish it before it goes bad, but if I give it away as a gift I want to make sure I tell them how long it will last.
Hi Anonymous, Yes, since it has cream in it it needs to be refrigerated. To make it hot fudge-y again, just put it in a hot water bath (still in the jar) or microwave it in small intervals, stirring between each one. Hope this helps!
Hi Meghan, I'd say it lasts from one to two weeks, since it's homemade and without preservatives. It should be kept in the fridge between uses too. Hope this helps!
this is a perfect idea! thanx for the recipe!
hi. happened upon your show on tv and happened to dvr it so i didn't miss anything. glad i thought to look you up online and find your blog. totally a new fan! will be making the spicy hot chocolate mix for holiday gifts. thank you!!!
Thank you so much elisa! You have to try my aunt's toffee too, we make it every year for Christmas!
http://thekitchykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/tinas-english-toffee.html
These photos have that melty-emotional feel to them, I love it. It's been too long since I last dropped in, so much great stuff to catch up on. Love the frittata and granola too.
Hi Claire! I'm curious, how much does one batch of the cocoa mix make? I want to gift this to about ten friends of mine.. in small-medium sized mason jars (not too small, not too big ). thanks!!
Hi Miss Faye, Based on the ingredients, you'll yield about 4 cups of cocoa mix. If you split it up in 8 oz mason jars, that's about 4 servings. Hope this helps!
Where can I find a video of you making your hot fudge sauce? I was lucky enough to catch on TV a month or so again but now I would like to watch it again so that I can make and gift it for Christmas!
Hi Anonymous, unfortunately there is no video for the hot fudge sauce but if you have any questions at all, please let me know and I will be sure to help you out!
I saw your show for the first time today and I am very excited to make your hot fudge sauce and cocoa mix for a gift. Hope they like it!! Thanks!! Happy Holidays!!
Caught your show by acident a few weeks ago and then again today thank goodness it was the same show so I could see what i missed, just got winter up here so I am going to make the cocoa miz right now
I wanted to thank you for this very good read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of
it. I've got you book marked to look at new things you post…
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Is there anything that I can replace the corn syrup with in the sauce? I'm trying to stay away from the stuff. I've read that you can sometimes replace it with agave nectar. Do you think that's the case here? Thanks.
Hi Meg, The corn syrup keeps the texture viscous, but if you're making the hot fudge sauce for yourself, and can heat it up when you want to use it, I'm sure agave nectar is fine. Hope this helps!
Hi Claire! I loooove your show and i absolutely fell in love with these recipes! Ideal for Christmas :) Love from Chile!
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