Hot Stuff - Hot Fudge History

Real hot fudge sauce is different from ordinary chocolate sauce in that it’s made like old-fashioned chocolate fudge. In fact, hot fudge sauce is just a fudge that never sets! Cream or milk, sugar, and butter are slowly boiled down until slightly thickened and light caramel-colored. This boiling-down process not only gives the sauce it’s great gooey texture, but also contributes that special "fudgey" taste to the chocolate.

It’s a good bet that the first hot fudge sauces resulted from early fudge failures. Fudge-making—a traditional American activity—started catching on at several New England women’s colleges in the late 19th century. Sometimes, when the mixture wasn’t cooked enough, it wouldn’t set and had to be eaten with a spoon. By the 20th century, people began deliberately undercooking fudge so they could serve it warm over ice cream, often on banana split sundaes or other soda fountaion treats. Today, hot fudge sauce recipes almost always include corn syrup, which contains anti-setting properties that prevent fudge from turning into candy regardless of the cooking time. Click here for my hot fudge recipe; it's from my All-American Dessert Book.