Everybody needs a homemade chocolate syrup recipe to drizzle over ice cream, cakes, brownies, or even pancakes! With just a few basic ingredients (no corn syrup) and a dash of salt, you'll find this Hershey's syrup is just as good, maybe even better than the real thing!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This easy recipe is made with cocoa, so no melting chocolate is necessary!
- Made without high fructose corn syrup and no dairy!
- Can be used to make milkshakes, chocolate milk, hot cocoa, or even a great dip for fruit!
- Perfect to top a Chocolate Angel Food Cake!
- Can be reheated to serve hot or can be used cold as well!
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa - Most brands of unsweetened cocoa powder are fine; however, I DO NOT recommend using Hershey's brand cocoa because, to me, it has a bitter, throw-up taste. Yeah, I know we're making a Hershey copycat here, but... I know sounds insane, but I learned that some experts believe that's because some companies, such as Hershey's, put its milk through a process called controlled lipolysis. This breaks down the fatty acids in the milk and produces butyric acid - the chemical that gives vomit its very distinctive smell and acrid taste. So yeah...that's a pass for me.
- Variations for different flavors- Dark Chocolate: Have you heard of "Black Cocoa"? It's dark chocolate cocoa and looks like soot. Swap out the regular cocoa for black cocoa in equal amounts. Ghirardelli also has a dark chocolate cocoa powder you can use as well!
- Mexican - Add ⅛ teaspoon Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper to start increasing in ⅛ teaspoon increments to get the spicy kick you want. OR add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon increasing if you want more of a cinnamon presence.
- Peppermint or "Grasshopper"- add ¼ teaspoon Peppermint extract to start with and increase in ¼ teaspoon increments for the desired level of peppermint. OR add ½ teaspoon Crème de Menthe extract, increasing in ½ teaspoon increments for desired flavor. Keep in mind that the mint flavors will intensify the chocolate syrup.
- For a thicker syrup: Reserve a ¼ cup of the water called for and whisk 2 Tbs. Cornstarch into that ¼ cup of water. When the contents of the pot come to a boil, whisk the cornstarch water into the mixture. Stir continually and watch because it will thicken quickly.
- For a hot fudge sauce rather than a thin syrup: only add 1 cup of Water and add ½ cup Heavy Cream. It must be heavy cream because lower-fat creams or milk will break when boiled.
Couple Things You'll Need
Step by Step Instructions
- In a medium pot on the stove, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt.
- (PS...you'll see in the next picture I used a pot that was a bit too small. Learn from my mistake. It's better to have a bigger pot than you need than one that's too small.)
- Add the water and whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (see...I chose a small saucepan, and it was a little too small)
- Boil for 4 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Remove from the heat.
- Serve hot or chill in the fridge before using!
- I like to pour mine into a mason jar to store in the fridge, but any airtight container will do.
Recipe FAQs
Yes and no, I use the terms interchangeably, but technically, the syrup is thinner and made with cocoa powder, sugar, and water. Chocolate sauce is thicker and made from sugar, cream, and melted chocolate. You could, however, make this a sauce by swapping out ½ of the water for ½ cup Heavy Cream. It must be heavy cream, though; otherwise, your sauce will break.
No, this is a syrup or sauce, but not a magic shell. Chef in Training has a great Magic Shell Recipe you could check out if that's what you're looking for.
I find the easiest way to store this syrup is in a glass mason jar. You can pour it into the jar hot without worry of the jar melting or breaking. You can easily reheat it in the microwave in the jar. This syrup should be stored in the fridge, which the jar also fits in the fridge better, I think.
Ice cream! Ice cream! And more ice cream! Check out this Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! It's a must-try! This Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream would give you that delicious cherry chocolate combo! And for something a little different...Oat Milk Ice Cream!!! Psst...it's dark chocolate!!!
Related Recipes
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Copycat Hershey's Chocolate Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Cocoa
- Dash of Salt
- 1 ½ Cups Water
Instructions
- In a medium pot on the stove, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt.
- Add the water and whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Boil for 4 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- Remove from heat
- Serve hot or chill in the fridge until you're ready to use it!
- I like to pour it into a quart-size mason jar because you can pour it in hot, the jar fits well in my fridge. and I can reheat my chocolate syrup right in the jar.
- Store in the fridge.
Notes
- Using Hershey brand cocoa will result in a very bitter chocolate syrup. I recommend using a different brand.
- This syrup is good for up to a month stored in the fridge.
- For Dark Chocolate Syrup: sub equal amounts of Black Cocoa for regular cocoa powder. Ghirardelli also has a dark chocolate cocoa powder you can use as well!
- For Mexican Chocolate: Add ⅛ teaspoon Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper to start increasing in ⅛ teaspoon increments to get the spicy kick you want. OR add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon increasing if you want more of a cinnamon presence.
- For Peppermint or Grasshopper Syrup: add ¼ teaspoon Peppermint extract to start with and increase in ¼ teaspoon increments for the desired level of peppermint. OR add ½ teaspoon Crème de Menthe extra,t increasing in ½ teaspoon increments for desired flavor. Keep in mind that the mint flavors will intensify the chocolate syrup.
- For more of a Hot Fudge or Chocolate Sauce: only add 1 cup of Water and add ½ cup Heavy Cream. It must be heavy cream because lower-fat creams or milk will break when boiled.
- For just a thicker Chocolate Syrup: Reserve a ¼ cup of the water called for and whisk 2 Tbs. Cornstarch into that ¼ cup of water. When the contents of the pot come to a boil, whisk the cornstarch water into the mixture. Stir continually and watch because it will thicken quickly
Amy
This looks so easy and so good that I doubt I ever buy the bottled stuff again!