Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate syrup for ice cream, mochas, brownies, milk, hot chocolate, straight or however else you like it.

This is another one of those recipes that probably isn't as economical as buying the store bought version but you get to say that you made it from scratch.

This recipe is also for canning but if you don't want to go that far and don't have an immediate use for 4 cups of chocolate syrup, just cut the batch down. (The big 24 ounce bottle of chocolate syrup is 3 cups.)

This recipe also calls for dutch process cocoa. This type of cocoa has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its natural acidity. It is darker and more mellow than regular cocoa and dissolves easily in liquids. There are several brands of dutch process but the only one I could find near me was Hershey's Special Dark. (That is also the cocoa I use when making dark chocolate buttercream frosting.)

Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (additive-free coarse-grained salt)
 4 pint jars with lids and rings if you are canning the recipe

In a large pot add the sugar and water. On medium high heat, bring to a full boil stirring often. 

Add the corn syrup, salt, vanilla and then cocoa. Whisk until completely dissolved and no lumps remain.

Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 15 minutes until slightly thickened.

No, I didn't stick my finger in the boiling liquid. I cooled some on a plate to see if it was thick.

To can:
Fill jars to 1/4" head space. Seal and process 15 minutes in hot water bath.

For more information on hot water bath go to National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Now I need to go make some ice cream to try the syrup on....