Here's An Easy Way To Make Hot Fudge Sauce Thinner

A cascade of hot fudge sauce and a sprinkling of nuts can take a simple bowl of vanilla ice cream into delectable sundae territory. However, the heady combination of the sticky sauce and cold ice cream doesn't work if the hot fudge is too thick to drizzle. An easy way to make a stodgy hot fudge sauce thinner is to add one to two spoons of evaporated milk.

A classic hot fudge sauce is made by combining heavy cream, sugar, and chocolate (either chips or a good quality cocoa powder). However, you can switch the cream for evaporated milk, which is lighter on the calories but equally as thick. Evaporated milk is made by cooking down regular milk until 60% of its water content is removed. It has an indulgently thick viscosity, making it ideal for creating a rich hot fudge sauce, and doesn't contain extra sugar. 

To make your finished sauce thinner, all you need to do is add a dash more evaporated milk to loosen its consistency. To replenish some of the fatty richness that would otherwise come from cream, you can stir through a dollop of unsalted butter if preferred, too. However, this step isn't necessary, as the evaporated milk and chocolate will combine to create a decadent, pourable sauce with a glossy sheen.

If your hot fudge sauce has started to split or become grainy, you can pop it in a bain-marie and quickly whisk in a spoonful of hot water to bring it back together. This trick will also thin the sauce down and hopefully make it look shiny again. Looking for a no-hassle recipe? Make the ultimate hot fudge sauce with only two ingredients: condensed milk and chocolate chips. Just melt them together in the microwave to make a quick sauce with a rich, fudgy texture. 

In this case, you can add more condensed milk to thin out the consistency if the sauce comes out too thick. However, condensed milk contains sugar, unlike evaporated milk, so you will be making your sauce even sweeter by loosening it, which could make it taste cloying and saccharine. Instead, stir in some regular milk to thin out your sauce without increasing sweetness.

The clever way to serve hot fudge with your sundae so every bite has the same amount is to set a bowl of extra sauce beside it. Once you've eaten through the sauce drizzled on the top, simply pour on more from the bowl or dip your spoonful of ice cream directly into it to guarantee every mouthful has a heavenly ratio of chocolate. Any leftover fudge is perfect for stashing in the fridge to pour over a stack of pancakes.