Recipe: Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Easy, delicious, and made using ingredients you likely have on hand already. Make some homemade chocolate syrup and you’ll never go back to the bottled stuff again. Guaranteed.

I made that.

“No, you didn’t,” he said in disbelief. “Wait. Did you?”

Yes.

He tastes it.

“Wow. You did. It tastes so much better.”

Otherwise known as … How to Impress Your Teenager in Fifteen Minutes.

Just make homemade chocolate syrup.

Although I next-to-never use the stuff, chocolate syrup is a staple in our home because Nick is a fan of chocolate milk and ice cream sundaes.

#teenageboy

To be quite honest, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of things you can make from basic pantry staples … mayonnaise (will never go back to the store-bought stuff after this), ketchup, and a myriad of other things. And, of course, chocolate syrup.

Have you ever read the list of ingredients on a bottle of chocolate syrup from the grocery store? Filled with unpronounceable junk. Although you are still making something with sugar (read: not exactly clean eating), this is most definitely a better version of it for you. Just a few regular ingredients, fifteen minutes of your time, and you will be rewarded with pure deliciousness.

For awhile I have just been keeping ours in an old Nesquick bottle, which compounded Nick’s confusion about whether or not I had made it, but after a recent trip (and sale) at Cost Plus World Market (love that store!), I found a cute glass bottle that I have been using instead. Although the bottle was likely originally intended for pancake syrup, it works just as well for this chocolate syrup … and I love being able to SEE what’s inside.

Homemade chocolate syrup. I daresay, you need this in your life.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium pan, combine the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk briefly to break up any clumps. Add in the water and salt and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer until slightly thickened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Store in the refrigerator.