Dark Chocolate Fondue Recipe
This decadent dark chocolate fondue is so sinful, you’ll never guess it’s made with natural, whole-food ingredients! It’s totally delish!
Looking for an indulgent, but not “totally-unhealthy-for-you” dessert for a special occasion? You just found it! Enjoy all the benefits of dark chocolate and natural honey with this delicious dessert!
What Is Fondue?
Most people think of cheese fondue when the term is mentioned. But fondue can be many things. Fondue is all about dipping food in sauce with other people! You basically eat around a pot of melted goodness. It’s a group dish and perfect for special occasions, especially when the sauce involved is a decadent chocolate sauce.
How Do You Eat Fondue?
You take small pieces of food that pair well with your sauce and dip! It can be a cheese sauce, hot, flavored oil, or chocolate. There are tons of different fondue sauce recipes out there. Entire cookbooks have been written on fondue.
What Dippers Do You Use?
Small pieces of food need something to be picked up in order to dip it. After all, if you’re sharing a pot of food, you don’t want everybody’s fingers dipping into the sauce you want to eat. So this is where dippers come in.
You can use something as simple as toothpicks for a relaxed occasion or buy special fondue forks made specifically for fondue. Some are the type you hand on to, like silverware, and others are disposable, so your guests can use a clean fork with every dip. Here are a few I found on Amazon that are similar to my favorite dippers.
Using A Fondue Pot
If you have a fondue pot, follow the directions that came with it before you follow any other directions. But generally speaking, you’ll light the warmer and let things melt while you stir. Then, reduce the heat to keep things warm.
Using A Slow Cooker
If you prefer to use a slow cooker, you’ll want to heat any fondue ingredients over low heat. Once melted and stirred together, you’ll want to set the slow cooker to its warm setting. Never use a slow cooker that doesn’t have a warm setting when you are making fondue.
Using A Pot
When it comes to fondue, your best bet is a double boiler. To keep things simple, you can put a heat-safe bowl over a pot of water and simmer the water until everything is melted. But double boiling is the best way to go on the stovetop. You never want to overheat the fondue ingredients, no matter what type you are making.
Using A Microwave
Yes, it’s unusual and probably sacrilegious in the culinary world. But a microwave can be a great way to make this, particularly in smaller amounts. Once you have the sauce made, you can easily transfer the mixture to a fondue pot or keep it warm in a slow cooker in a warm setting.
How To Keep Chocolate Fondue Warm
- Fondue pot – If you are using a fondue pot, it will have a warm setting that will keep everything at the right temperature.
- Slow cooker – Once everything is melted, simply turn the slow cooker to the warm setting.
- Stovetop – In this case, you’ll most likely need a warming dish- something with a heat source you can control. You’ll set your saucepan or dish on that and keep the temperature at the right level for the sauce to stay warm. If you have a good warming plate, you can place a bowl of chocolate fondue sauce over a pot of simmering water for the duration. Just set it up so people don’t burn themselves.
Prepping Chocolate Fondue Ahead Of Time
You can prep this up to 1 day ahead of time in one of two ways.
- Simply combine everything with the intent of melting everything the day you need it.
- You can melt everything ahead of time and then store it in the fridge until you are ready to reheat it.
Chocolate For A Chocolate Fountain
If you are making this for a chocolate fountain, you’ll want to add more oil. You’ll need a thinner consistency to keep everything flowing nicely. That being said, I can’t advise you on this as I have never tried it myself. But there is much information on it on the web.
Best Chocolate For Dark Chocolate Fondue
Consider your guests. Who will be eating this,, and how much do they enjoy dark chocolate? Some folks love it, some folks hate it, so keep that in mind.
Aside from this, the better quality dark chocolate you can get your hands on, the better. I personally used Baker’s chocolate. It’s unsweetened chocolate that comes in 1-ounce squares, which makes it easy to decide how much to make. But you can also use bittersweet chocolate if you prefer.
How To Thicken Dark Chocolate Fondue
For every 1 oz. square of chocolate you use, you can add 1 tbsp. of cornstarch to your fondue. However, you’ll want to make a slurry first, using a very small amount of heavy cream. Whisk it together and then slowly stir it into the fondue. Continue stirring until you see the fondue begin to thicken.
How To Thin Dark Chocolate Fondue
If your fondue is too thick, you can easily thin it out by stirring in a bit of heavy cream.
Do You Add Oil To Chocolate Fondue?
Absolutely! That’s what gives it its fluid texture. Without it, it’s just melted chocolate.
Fondue Etiquette
If you are sitting around the table with your immediate family, fondue etiquette can be whatever you want it to be. But if you are sharing with party guests, there are some forms of etiquette you’ll want to follow.
- Don’t spoon fondue sauce out of the pot. This defeats the purpose and is considered bad manners.
- Don’t eat off of your fondue fork. Not only does this qualify as double dipping when you go for your next bite, but it’s also not the safest way to eat because fondue forks can really stick you! They are pretty sharp! Instead, use the fondue fork for dipping and then use your own utensils to help slide the food off the fondue fork and onto your plate.
- It’s considered good etiquette to essentially “stir” the fondue sauce when you dip to keep everything fluid. Some people like to dip and stir in a figure eight. Others like to stir in a circle. Either way, it does a good job of coating the food with sauce and keeping the fondue fluid in the process.
- Never dip with your fingers! This should go without saying.
- Never double dip! Again, this should be common sense when you are sharing fondue with people you don’t kiss.
What Do You Dip In Dark Chocolate Fondue?
Fruit is the most common food to dip in dark chocolate fondue. However, you could get creative and dip cut-up sweet bread, cake, cookies, pound cake, graham crackers, pretzels, or even good sourdough bread or potato chips! Here are some suggestions for fruits.
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bananas
- Mango
- Apples
- Dried fruit of all kinds
Dark Chocolate Fondue Variations
Chocolate fondue can be flavored with anything from fresh citrus zest and extracts to flavored alcohol. Your choices are pretty open when it comes to flavor variations. Even something as simple as a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract or a few coconut flakes can make a subtle change that you’ll enjoy.
What Is Dark Chocolate Fondue Made Of?
1 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate – You can also use unsweetened baking chocolate.
1 tsp. oil – Any light-flavored oil will work. Something like grapeseed oil or safflower oil.
1 tbsp. honey – or 2 tbsp. maple syrup.
How To Make Dark Chocolate Fondue
- Start with 2-3 squares of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on high.
- Remove from microwave and stir. Place back into the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and stir. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is melted. It is important not to overdo this as the chocolate will burn easily. Stir after every 30 seconds to ensure that the chocolate is helping to melt itself.
- Stir in the appropriate amount of oil and honey. (2-3 teaspoons each)
- NOTE: When multiplying the recipe, either warm all the chocolate together in a large bowl or do several batches. Do not melt a few squares, then add more to the same bowl and microwave again. The chocolate will burn this way.
- Place in a fondue fondue dish or slow cooker and keep warm.
- Adjust for taste and texture with oil and agave or honey.
- Serve with fruit of choice.
How To Store Dark Chocolate Fondue
If packed well in an air-tight container, fondue will keep in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
Can You Freeze Dark Chocolate Fondue?
You can, but not for too long. Pack it well in an airtight container, then keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month.
How To Reheat Dark Chocolate Fondue
Whatever method you use to heat your chocolate fondue is the same method you’ll use to reheat it. If you used a fondue pot, simply return the chocolate to the pot and set it to warm. The same goes for a slow cooker or a stovetop.
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Dark Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate (You can also use unsweetened baking chocolate)
- 1 tsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. honey (or 2 tbsp. maple syrup)
Instructions
- Start with 2-3 squares of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on high.
- Remove from microwave and stir. Place back into the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and stir. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is melted. It is important not to overdo this as the chocolate will burn easily. Stir after every 30 seconds to ensure that the chocolate is helping to melt itself.
- Stir in the appropriate amount of oil and honey. (2-3 teaspoons each)
- NOTE: When multiplying the recipe, either warm all the chocolate together in a large bowl or do several batches. Do not melt a few squares, then add more to the same bowl and microwave again. The chocolate will burn this way.
- Place in a fondue dish and keep warm.
- Adjust for taste and texture with oil and agave or honey.
- Serve with fruit of choice.
I can’t wait to try this. You have certainly made this journey a delicious one!!!!!!!!
My husband arranged for a carriage ride to the local art museum and dinner inside with a string quartet in the background to propose to me.
It’s not the special occasions and elaborate schemes that stick out in my mind, it’s the everyday kind of romance and thoughtfulness!
After our first week of eating completely clean, my boyfriend, Nick and I planned to have a celebratory clean meal date! On the night of our celebration, I received a text asking me to head over to the beach after work for a sunset walk. Thinking nothing of this (when you live on the Western coast of Florida, sunsets become a commonplace perk), I arrived at the beach, and began the walk over the dunes. Just as I came to the peak, I saw Nick with two beach chairs, five lit tea lights, and a beautiful bouquet of daisies set against the backdrop of the setting sun! He had picked up a clean meal from our favorite greek restaurant and set up a surprising and romantic picnic!
It wasn’t the kind of romance that requires jewelry, expensive dinners, formal dress, or mountains of planning and effort, but it was definitely a celebration of love and life! I will look back happily on this night for many years to come!
When my husband and I were first dating, he took me to some land he was considering purchasing. There was a sassafras tree on the property and wanted me to smell the wood since I never had. There were no low branches so he climbed up the tree a little and grabbed the lowest branch. CRACK! He fell back to the ground and landed on his back knocking the wind out of him. I didn’t know if I should laugh or be concerned at first, but he got up pretty quick. Later, he told me the first thought he had was, “Do you think she saw that?” It’s one of my favorite things that he did for me. Oh, sassafras does smell amazing fresh from the tree!! Happy Valentine’s Day!!
I once had someone fill a bathtub with rose petals and light candles all around the bathroom.
On our first anniversary, my husband sent flowers to me at work. They weren’t just any flowers though, he called the florist where we had ordered all of the flowers for our wedding and had an arrangement made with the same flowers that was in the bouquet I carried on our wedding day!
It really just blew me away that he had thought of that!!
When we were first dating, 20 years ago, my husband drove for 4 hours on motorcyle in the winter of Iowa to see me for just one day.
One hour into the trip it started raining and it was only 40 degrees. He stopped at a store and bought plastic and cut tape and covered himself so he could still come and see me. It was CRAZY… but it certainly made me melt at the time.
Looking back, I’m glad he’s survived all the crazy stuff he’s done over the last twenty years for me!
My husband is not a romantic- and I don’t expect him to change that for me. But every once in a while he really pulls through and does something to surprise me. I think the most touching- and even the most recent- is when we were in the middle of a really rough patch. I was doubting his feelings for me and he stayed up all night to write me a poem. I’ve been writing poetry since my adolescence and he’s only ever attempted a couple times in his life. But it was one of the most sincere- and really well phrased/formed- poems I’ve ever seen! And it was written just for me. It might sound “typical” or non-imaginative to some people, but those who know my husband- or know me- know how rare and special this gift was.
I like the simple things in life…when we were first married we could only afford chicken quarters and we had a cookbook 500 ways to cook chicken! He made cajun chicken, white rice and aspargus with a sweet treat. Now looking at us 20 yrs later…we’d never eat all those things! It shows we’ve grown so much together and we love to eat the same way.
My hubby planned a incredible getaway. He made reservations at a bed and breakfast, decorated the room with rose petals and candles, made arrangements for baby sitting and rented a convertible.
It felt like my honeymoon all over again.
YUM!!!!!!
my husband was a logger for many years, and on his lunch break he would pick me wild flowers from high up in the mountians -bear grass and buttercups, red, blue,yellow and purple- some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. and he would do this just because he loved me, not because it was any kind of special day! just Tuesday.
To this day it is one of the things I love most about him- he makes valentines day everyday, even after all these years.
When my husband knows I have a very busy day ahead of me, he fills my car with gas. It might not sound romantic, but to me, that’s true love.
Having my husband make my wedding bouquet was probably the most romantic thing he has done for me, but a close contender is when he makes rose petal baths for me he couldn’t believe I was in my mid thirties and had never had a rose petal bath.
Clean chocolate Heavenly. The chicken and dumplings are what getting us through the winter
I knew my fiance was going to propose when we were together for about a year – he’s just a planner like that. My parents were going to be visiting the weekend of our “one year”, so he told me we were going to dinner the Friday before so we could celebrate. That morning it snowed so badly we both had off of work, but it started to melt around lunchtime. It was around then he told me to pack an overnight bag – I had no idea what he was planning. He had gotten a hotel room at Cape May on the beach and made reservations at the restaurant. I didn’t get my hopes up, this was for our “one year,” he was being very adamant about that. But when we got there and there was still some light left, he wanted to walk on the beach. I wondered why he kept going closer to the water (this was last February, it was freezing!), then he got down on one knee in the sand. He completely took me by surprise! It was more perfect than I could have imagined.
My husband was going out of town for a convention in March and asked me to accompany him. I wasn’t too excited about the convention but looked forward to just spending some time with him. When I got home from work, I packed my bags for a 1 night stay and got in the car. Since he always opens my passenger side door for me before getting in himself, he used that opportunity to immediately blindfold me the moment I sat down. I started laughing and asked him to tell me what was going on. He told me it was a surprise. We drove for about 15 minutes and arrived at a local bed & breakfast inn. I was confused as to why we weren’t going to the convention and he replied that he had planned to go a month before but had changed his mind. He had decided to plan this getaway completely without my knowledge so he wouldn’t have to lie to me in order to hide details. (Anyone who knows my husband knows he couldn’t lie if his life depended on it so after many surprise plans failed from him giving me vague hints or trying to lie to cover details I ended up uncovering, he learned the only way to truly surprise me without me putting any of it together was to not mention it at all).
The morning after, the staff brought breakfast to our room along with a big manila envelope*. At first I thought it was a bill and wasn’t too pleased it wasn’t more discrete. (I noticed it right after I saw the food and wasn’t in the mood to assess the damage.) The ladies who brought the food in waited by the door, smiling as I picked up the envelope from the tray. I smiled back and as I passed it to my husband, it suddenly occurred to me that this was no bill! I started opening the envelope and the ladies quietly closed the door behind them. My husband was smiling and I instantly knew it was a love note. Of course, this was a love note from my “secret admirer”, another man my husband fears will sweep me away from him some day. It was a perfect way to start the day! 🙂
*The manila envelope story is a rather long one.
Long story short, manila envelopes with love notes from “a secret admirer” started showing up in the most random of places (on the hood of my car while I was in class at school, behind an art painting at a Rec Pool Lodge, on my desk at work, in my mailbox, etc…) for 6 months, which ultimately led up to my husband’s proposal. Throughout this time, my husband (then boyfriend) repeatedly claimed it wasn’t him but another man who was working overtime to steal me away from him.
Opening yet another special manila envelope a year later after the 6 month game was the most beautiful thing he could have done.
The craziest thing that somone gave me in the name of love was a 2-SliceToaster and all I could do was smile and say thank You.
For nine years, in the name of love for me, and also for our 4 sons, added daughter-in-laws, and now two grandsons, my husband has endured treatment for cancer. He could have caved and felt sorry for himself, even given up, but his love for us has kept him going. There are no presents needed to express his love. His presence in our lives is all I need.
My husband and I are both romantics so we’re always surprising eachother in some way or another whether it be a spontaneous kiss to something we like from the grocery store. To be completely honest, the most romantic moments for me are when we fall asleep at night and I get to hold him close to me or when he comes home from work and hugs me like he’s missed me all day. It is the simple things for me. If only he knew how much I smile when I think of them. <3 But you want a story so:
My last birthday my husband took our son and dog and told me to wait for him to call me. Then I was to ride my bike along our normal bike path with our other son and meet him along the way. He didn't give me any other hints than that, but it was obvious that he had something up his sleeves. We loaded up and rode down the trail, and I followed the sound of our dog's collar clanking in the distance. We went through trees and bushes to a little stream where my husband set up a birthday picnic for me. He scouted this place out days before and it was gorgeous! He bought me a little cheesecake and poured a berry puree that I had done up the night before on top of it. The whole thing was wonderful. The kids and dog were playing in the stream and my husband and I watched them have fun over cheesecake….nothing gets more perfect than that. <3
On another note to all those ladies who posted above: those were some great stories! Thank you for sharing!