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Beat the Heat With an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social

Thick-N-Rich Hot Fudge Sauce

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” How many times did you sing that when you were younger? I know I did. As a kid, one of my favorite treats was an ice cream sundae. As an adult, it still is!

I’m having some family over this weekend and thought why not create a sundae bar. Here’s the scoop on a few of my favorite toppings.

Hot fudge is a classic. While recipes have the same foundation, there are many variations on how to make it.

Cheryl Pierce adds peanut butter to her No Fail Hot Fudge Sauce. “I’m not a fan of ice cream, but anything with chocolate is alright with me,” jokes Cheryl. “The peanut butter just makes it better.”

It adds a subtle taste, but it’s not overpowering. The key to this recipe is stirring, stirring and more stirring. Try not to eat it all from the pan while stirring. You will be tempted!

Wendy Rusch’s Thick-N-Rich Hot Fudge Sauce is a classic recipe and will become a staple in your fridge. “This hot fudge is so simple to whip up and yummy on so many things,” says Wendy. The condensed milk makes this rich and irresistible.

I poured it over some ice cream and brownie bites and it was fab. But honestly, this would be pretty yummy over anything! If you happen to have extra, store it in a squeeze bottle in the refrigerator as Wendy suggests. Just warm it in the microwave or in a simmering pot of water on the stove. You’ll quickly have one magnificent sundae.

People often ask what’s the difference between caramel and butterscotch. Both are cooked sugar with butter, but caramel adds a bit of cream too. To me, they’re both delicious!

Caramel may be the hew hot fudge in my kitchen these days. It’s a favorite in Jamallah Bergman’s too. “[This] homemade sauce goes well over cake, ice cream or even both,” jokes Jamallah.

Jamallah’s Caramel Sauce is easy to make and really, really good. Adding a touch of lemon juice, helps keep the sugar from crystallizing. Make sure to use a larger pan when cooking because this does tend to bubble up when boiling and when you add the cream. You’ll have a much easier clean up that way.

Nancy Allen’s Butterscotch Sauce is rich and delicious! “This sauce is so good on ice cream and rice pudding,” shares Nancy, “but I love it best on my bread and butter pudding.”

I tried this over some vanilla ice cream and couldn’t put my spoon down! It’s so quick and easy to make, you can whip up a batch for those sudden sundae urges.

Spoon Laura Manuel-Arrighi’s Caramelized Pineapple Confit over your ice cream and you have a simple and refreshing summertime dessert. Fruit can be a nice, light addition to a sundae. Vanilla beans add a unique flavor to the pineapple. Baking the pineapple makes this topping even sweeter!

“My niece and I were recently shopping and we stopped in a quaint candy shop,” explains Darlene Sweet. “The chocolatier was creating a chocolate masterpiece including milk chocolate, caramel and sea salt.” Darlene bought a piece so she could replicate it at home. Her twist? Dark chocolate!

I will never buy bark from the store again. One bite of Darlene’s Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Bark and you may never either! It’s very easy to make and fancies ice cream up a bit. Plus, it’s a great snack and hostess gift.

Whether you prefer vanilla or chocolate ice cream or caramel to hot fudge, there’s nothing more fun than cooling down with an ice cream sundae. How do you like your sundae? Let us know!