Looking for fun and easy chocolate dessert experience? Make chocolate fondue! Dip fresh fruit and other dip-ables into the hot, melted creamy chocolate mixture. Takes only 10 minutes to make!
Looking for fun and easy chocolate dessert experience? Make chocolate fondue!
My friendGarretttaught me how to make this years ago. It’s a great way tomake dessert a more interactive experience. Everyone gets to choose their own “dip-able” fruit – whether it’s strawberries, bananas, ormarshmallows, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Only needs three ingredients – chocolate, cream, and a pinch of salt.
You can add extra flavors to the chocolate too, like some peppermint extract for peppermint chocolate fondue,or cinnamon and chili for a Mexican spin, or Amaretto or Bailey’s Irish cream for a more grown up version.
And if it’s just the two of you, chocolate fondue is a great way to end a romantic meal at home. The dip-ables can be prepped in advance, and the chocolate sauce comes together in just a few minutes.
It does help to have a fondue pot, to keep the chocolate warm while everyone is dipping into the pot. That said, if you don’t have that set-up, you could easily use a regular pot. Just put an oven mitt on the table and place the hot pot of melted chocolate on top of it to start dipping. Return it to the stove and stir in a little more hot cream if it starts to stiffen too much.
What to dip in you chocolate fondue? Fruit is the obvious place to start – strawberries, bananas, chunks of pineapple, dried apricots, pears. Or you can go long on the sweet vector and dip brownies, pound cake, marshmallows, or even ladyfingers.
Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of milk or dark chocolate (chips or roughly chopped if from a block)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) of heavy whipping cream
- A pinch of salt
- Dip-ables such as strawberries, banana pieces cut into 1-inch chunks, dried appricots, candied ginger, apple pieces
Method
1Heat the cream with a pinch of salt over mediumheat in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles show and begins to lightly and slowly simmer.
2 Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until smooth and full incorporated.
3Immediately transfer to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, or serve straight from the pot.
Arrange the dip-ables on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use a fondue fork, bamboo skewer, seafood fork, or salad fork to dip the fruit pieces and other dippables into the hot melted cream chocolate mixture. Eat immediately.
If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir. It will help it go a little longer. Eventually, it will cook down though and you may need to start a new pot.
Variations
Add a tablespoon or two of Bailey’s Irish Cream to the chocolate. Other liquors such as Grand Marnier, Amaretto, or Kirsch are equally yummy.
Add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and ancho chili pepper for a nice Mexican Chocolate.
The contents of a vanilla pod or some vanilla extract are always a decadent touch to chocolate.
A good pinch of espresso powder can do wonders!
Orange zest or grapefruit zest is nice way to create a slightly fruity chocolate.
A few tablespoons of Torani flavoring syrups (the kind used for coffee or Italian sodas) can add a nice dimension of flavor as well.
Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract for peppermint chocolate fondue.
White chocolate is always a nice change, and spiked with a little liquor or citrus zest becomes heavenly.
Steeping the cream for an hour beforehand and while heating it can add a nice subtle flavor, lemongrass for white chocolate or a bag of Earl Grey tea for dark chocolate are particularly stylish and contemporary.
