5-Minute Homemade Chocolate Sauce

1. Place the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, along with 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk to combine into a thick paste.
2. Add the remaining milk and bring the mixture to a boil; whisk to blend thoroughly.
3. When sauce the sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for 5 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, and let the sauce cool.

1. Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, covered.
2. Warm the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop, if desired.

Cooking Tips

• The sauce may be used hot or cold; on ice cream, cake, fruit, or combined with milk to make a quick cup of hot chocolate (blend milk and amount of sauce to your own taste).
• Keep this sauce on hand throughout the year, as it is a low-fat treat and a little bit goes a long way. For a light dessert with a chocolate fix, slice a few bananas, sprinkle them with walnuts, and then drizzle some of this chocolate sauce on top: an elegant and satisfying dessert with lots of texture, flavor, nutrition from the milk and bananas, and very little fat (though it does have sugar). It can be made with low-fat or even skim milk, for a wonderful treat when seriously watching fat intake. Will it be as good as with whole milk? No, but it will be almost as good--a fair compromise for such rich, chocolate flavor.

Variations

• Add orange liqueur and a bit of orange zest for a chocolate orange sauce
• Add a couple of tablespoons of bourbon and some cherries for a cherry bounce chocolate sauce
• Add some mint extract and chopped fresh mint leaves for a chocolate mint sauce
• Add some crushed peppermint candy for a chocolate peppermint sauce

The recipe makes about 3 cups of chocolate sauce or about 2 dozen 2-tablespoon servings.