This dark chocolate fondue recipe is made with Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla extract and some sea salt. It really is the perfect vehicle to fruit, marshmallows and cookies.
Today happens to be Valentine's Day so I figured why not share a dish that is great to share with your partner. When you hear fondue, people these days either think of cheese or chocolate. For my wife and I, we differ in what we think of.
I'm definitely a cheese fondue person, while Lauren is a chocolate fondue person. Now don't get me wrong, I love me some chocolate as well. However if you want some classic cheese fondue, I posted a recipe last week.
Getting back to this recipe, I was curious if it was invented around the same time as cheese fondue. Surprisingly it wasn't, but even more a surprise, it was invented in the US. Yes it was by someone who was Swiss, but Chalet Suisse invented his chocolate fondue recipe at his restaurant in New York in the 1960s. You learn something new every day.
The Melting Pot took the new fad in the mid-1970s and introduced fondue to everyone that had never heard of it. And here we are today. As I mentioned when sharing my cheese fondue, these days if you hear fondue you think of The Melting Pot. However it can be quite pricey.
Good thing is fondue is super easy to make at home. This dark chocolate fondue recipe is for the true chocolate lovers. Yes, if you prefer milk chocolate you can replace but I suggest giving the dark chocolate a try.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate chips - has the right chocolate flavor for me but use what you like.
- Heavy cream - thins out the chocolate to have the right dipping consistency.
- Vanilla extract and sea salt - enhances the flavor.
- Fruit, marshmallows, cookies, brownies, etc... - use your favorite dippers.
How to Make Chocolate Fondue
Fondue is quite simple to make, but you must keep an eye on it. You just add the chocolate and cream to a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
You DO NOT want it to boil, otherwise the chocolate might seize and become grainy rather than smooth. If it does seize, add boiling water 1 tsp at a time, whisking constantly with each addition until the chocolate is smooth again.
Variations
You can really use your imagination when it comes to fondue. If dark chocolate is too rich for you, you can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate.
You could even do a cookies and cream fondue with some white chocolate and sandwich cookies.
And who can forget America's favorite combination of peanut butter and chocolate. At the end of the day, it's the cream that's most important for this chocolate fondue recipe.
Dipping Options
Ahh the possibilities are endless here. Fresh fruit like strawberries, bananas and cherries work great as well as things like marshmallows, cookies, shortbread, brownies and cake cubes.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use quality chocolate. The better the ingredients, the better the flavor.
- Always melt the chocolate over low heat to avoid scorching and prevent it from seizing.
- Melt the chocolate first over the stove before transferring to a fondue pot.
- Brush cut-up fresh fruit with lemon juice to prevent oxidizing.
- If the chocolate is too thick or lumpy, you can salvage it with a few teaspoons of vegetable oil.
Other Dessert Recipes
- Pumpkin Lava Cake
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Congo Squares
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- Mummy Brownies
If you’ve tried these dark chocolate fondue recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Dark Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 (10 oz bag) bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli's)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Dipping options (strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pretzels, cookies, etc...)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream and heat on low, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Do not let come to a boil or chocolate might seize.
- Once chocolate is melted, stir in vanilla extract and sea salt. If you need it to be thinner, add 1 tbsp of heavy cream at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Pour mixture in fondue pot to keep warm.
- Serve with dippers of your choice.
Notes
- Use quality chocolate. The better the ingredients, the better the flavor.
- Always melt the chocolate over low heat to avoid scorching and prevent it from seizing.
- Melt the chocolate first over the stove before transferring to a fondue pot.
- Brush cut-up fresh fruit with lemon juice to prevent oxidizing.
- If the chocolate is too thick or lumpy, you can salvage it with a few teaspoons of vegetable oil.
Not much better than chocolate fondue!