A Homemade Alternative to Commercial Chocolate Syrup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been working on recipes for syrups and sauces that will be used at an ice cream social that's on the calendar for next week. I didn't want to spend hours on this project and I was a bit flummoxed when the committee in charge of the social opted for homemade rather than commercial toppings. Fortunately, my job was just to search for usable recipes while others would actually be responsible for their preparation. I found great recipes for the caramel and strawberry sauces right off the bat, but  the chocolate sauce proved to be more  difficult. I wanted a deep, dark sauce that had an intensely chocolate flavor and it took a lot of testing to find the perfect recipe.  Alton Brown's was the clear winner. Not only is it easy to make, reduction makes it possible to use it either as a syrup or a sauce. The thicker version tastes like fudge and makes a wonderful hot fudge sundae. The thinner version is perfect as an ice cream topper or for making chocolate milk. The recipe below makes about four cups of syrup which can be refrigerated for at least a week before it becomes suspect. You can scale the recipe to make 2 cups or double it for 8. This is very easy to prepare and my only caution is to warn you that the syrup thickens as it sits. Don't reduce it to a fudge-like consistency while its on the stove or you'll end up with chocolate concrete when it has cooled. I hope you'll give this syrup a try. There is nothing here not to like.


Homemade Chocolate Syrup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups water
3 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (used to prevent crystallization)

Directions:
1) Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium-to-large saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2) Whisk in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt and corn syrup, stirring until cocoa powder is also dissolved.
3) Return to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. You do not want to boil it until it is very thick, as it will become even more viscous as it cools.
4) Pour hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature before transferring into bottles. Yield: about 4 cups.

                    

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