Homemade dessert sauces that taste better than store-bought ones.
- Chocolate Sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Direction:
Place cocoa, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture is thick and the cocoa has completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. The chocolate sauce will be very thin when it finishes boiling, but it will thicken quite a bit as it cools.
Pour into jar or covered container. Cool at room temperature, then cover and store in the refrigerator.
Use on ice cream, in milk for hot chocolate or chocolate milk, or as a dip. Or eat with a spoon!
- Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan; stir a little so it sits in a flat, even layer.
Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns clear, and starts to bubble. (It will be cloudy at first, but will turn into a clear, bubbling liquid.) This takes about 3-4 minutes.
(At this point, do not stir again – simply allow to bubble, swirl the saucepan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan, as needed, to prevent crystallization.)
Sugar will form clumps, but continue swirling and cooking until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-12 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn.
Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)
Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.
Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (It will thicken as it cools.)
Store in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, up to 3 weeks, or freezer for up to 2 months. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave until desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy with your latte, dip for fruits, dessert topping, or can be eaten on its own as a soft chewy candy.
- Strawberry Sauce
3 cups strawberries, diced
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle simmer until the strawberries are soft and the syrup is thickened and reduced by ⅓ to ½ in volume, approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Syrup will thicken upon standing so simply whisk in more water to reached desired consistency if needed.
Use the syrup as-is, or strain through a wire mesh strainer for a clear, smooth syrup.
Store in an airtight containers and keep it refrigerated. Use this homemade strawberry syrup as a topping on pancakes, milk, yogurt, sandwiches, etc.
- Classic Vanilla Sauce (Crème Anglaise Style)
1 cup milk (or half milk, half cream for richness)
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (or ½ vanilla bean, scraped)
Instructions:
In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until just steaming—don’t boil.
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
Slowly pour a bit of the warm milk into the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
Pour everything back into the saucepan. Stir over low heat with a wooden spoon or spatula until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 170–175°F).
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract or the seeds from the vanilla bean.
For extra smoothness, strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Cool or serve warm. It thickens slightly as it cools.