Hola, tasty, tasty misfits!
I would love to excuse my brief shall-we-say hiccup in updating with a clever bullshit-laden post about how absence makes us appreciate what we have. I would tell you that it heightens every sense, that it enchances our enjoyment of food, relationships, blah-blah-blah. But quite honestly, your Bad Mama Genny was in her beautiful hometown of Chicago for two weeks for the holiday and oh! The enjoyment!
In other news, congratulations to Peter of FotoCuisine for winning my panko challenge with his recipe, New Mexico Chile Three Cheese Mac and Cheese! As promised, I’ll be sending Peter a free bag of panko as his prize. ‘Cause I be keepin’ my bitchin’ promises.
But on another note, I’d like to talk to you about a serious problem, namely the lack of a readily-available, all-natural chocolate syrup. Because when you’re drizzling stuff on bodies, you wanna know what’s in it, right? Of course, your BMG would never leave you high and dry–she’d prefer to keep you wet and sticky AND corn syrup free, ladh-di-freaking-dah, my babies!
So here’s my recipe for Homemade, All-Natural Chocolate Syrup. I tweaked my version from one I found on RecipeZaar (this be it) to indicate the quality of ingredients, make it darker, and expand on the vague directions. No HFCS, less sugar, and not very much time at all, so you can be basting yourself and all your friends and acquaintances in practically no time!
Basting friends and acquaintances. It’s what I do best.
This recipe is very dark, thick, and rich, and should you be bored with basting people, lends itself so well to ice cream, chocolate milk, peanut butter…the list goes on. I used vanilla extract in this recipe, but I could see trying it with mint, raspberry, orange, or even with a little espresso powder stirred in. Or pour some into a little jar, smack a ribbon on that, and give it away, give it away, give it away now.
All-Natural Chocolate Syrup
Go Get:
1 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 cup raw cane sugar (this yields a darker syrup-add more if you prefer a sweeter chocolate)
1 dash high quality salt (think Celtic or Himalayan)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Go Do:
Put all ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk everything together until well combined. Turn the heat to medium, whisking constantly. When it begins to boil, watch it carefully, continuing to whisk constantly and quickly, being sure not to let any thick syrup collect on the bottom of the pot.
Allow it to boil for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the desired thickness is achieved.
I may have let mine go a little further than the original recipe’s author intended-no complaints here, though. I ended up with a thick, fudge-y sauce that I prefer to the thin, lifeless stuff in the brown plastic bottle. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool at room temperature; store, covered, in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups.
That is a beautiful photo! So sinful! Thanks so much for your lovely comments!
Thank you, Jenn! The photo has a sort of po-mo feel to it, doesn’t it? 😉
Genevieve
Thank you for this!!! I was looking for a “healthier” chocolate syrup. (Even many organics on the market contain corn syrup!) My son HAS to have chocolate milk. I’d prefer one made with honey but THIS ONE looks perfect for him so he doesn’t notice the honey flavor. I’m off to make it now so he has chocolate milk for lunch! Thanks again!
Eat well! Live well!
mel
Hi, there–you’re very welcome! I’d love to know how it turns out. It’s really ridiculous how difficult it can be to find even the most basic items without corn syrup; it’s just worth it to avoid the hassle and make it yourself. You know, I think this recipe could work with honey, perhaps with just a few tweaks to the other ingredients. If I attempt it, I’ll post the results (and all of you please do the same!)
Thanks for the comments–good luck!
Gen
Wow, that looks super tasty I am definitely going to try thid recipe!!
Thanks! I’ve made it several times now, and I’ve yet to run out of uses for it. One that I love–swirling it into vanilla ice cream (okay, soy cream…gimme a break), so it’s like a fudge ripple effect. It freezes nicely, but stays creamy and soft enough.
Thanks for reading!
Genevieve
[…] Ideas: The Alchemist has an amazing and all-natural Chocolate Syrup recipe; and we are all about chocolate on FandFP. Try our Peppermint-Chocolate Dipped Shortbread […]
I stumbled upon this recipe through google. I needed a recipe exactly like yours for chocolate syrup. One made with quality ingredients. From my baking experience, I could tell yours was it.
~ Thanks – Janice ~
Hey, Janice! It IS a delightful recipe. You’ll never be able to go back to the “H-stuff” again–it’ll just taste watery and not chocolate-y enough. And I love how long it keeps in the door of my fridge.
Only danger is, you’ll start coming up with ways to incorporate chocolate syrup into everything you make…
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Janice! Hope you stick around these parts!
Genevieve
This sounds delicious! I wish I wasn’t out of cocoa powder so that I could try it right away. I’m curious- what sort of container do you store this in? And how long does it keep in the fridge?
Thanks, Sarah! As far as containers go, I usually store this recipe in my mouth…I’d say it lasts for 3 seconds.
But if you’re not as ambitious as I am, any airtight container, like a tupperware or a clean mason jar with a lid, will do nicely. The sugar keeps it stable for quite a while, I’d say at least a month. Of course, do the peek and sniff test if you’re in doubt!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you solve your cocoa powder problem ASAP.
BMG