How to Make An Ice Cream Topping That Hardens

Why pay all that money for a topping that hardens once you drizzle it over your ice cream? Here's a quick, easy AND inexpensive way to do it yourself! Not only that, you can make your own favorite flavor!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A microwave and a micro-safe bowl or a stove and a small pan.
• Your choice of chocolate or other flavored chips.
• Two to five tablespoons of butter.

1. Pour about a cup of your chosen chips into a bowl or a pan and add 2 tablespoons of the butter.
2. For melting in a microwave, put a cover over the bowl. I usually use the saucer that fits the cereal bowl but be sure they are micro-safe. If you are using a pan, put the chips in the pan with the butter and turn on low.
3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes and let sit in the microwave for at least thirty seconds before taking it out. If using the pan, stir constantly until it has completely melted.
4. Take the bowl out of the microwave and gently stir until it completely smooths out. Whether you are using the microwave or the stove, the melted mixture needs to be as runny as gravy. If not, add another tablespoon of butter. Stir slowly. Add more if necessary. The chips will be hot enough to melt the butter so no need to return to the microwave.
5. Spoon over ice cream and wait a minute. This will be great!

Tips & Warnings

• White chocolate and butterscotch chips will need more butter and stays a bit grainy.
• The swirled chips will give it a dual flavor without having to add chips from another bag.
• Our fav is 1 cup of Aldi's inexpensive chips with about two tablespoons of butterscotch chips.
• Save the left over mixture in the bowl with the cover in the fridge for the next time.
• Add more chips and butter to the same bowl the next time if you need more for a serving. The amount left in the bowl will blend with the new.
• The more butter you add to milk, semi, and dark chocolate, the more it becomes fudge-like.
• Drizzle over homemade ice cream cones - yum yum!
• Once you've tempered the chocolate, you can add a bit of cream to thin it and use on top of cakes or éclairs!
• The chocolate will be hot at first. Use an oven mitt to hold the bowl. Stir in slow circles to avoid splashing the butter.
• Chocolate will seize if water is used to melt it. Margarine and milk do not work.
• Chocolate must be tempered in the melting process by an oil based product like butter or oil.
• Do not taste this recipe if on a diet - it is addictive!
• The flavors, like butterscotch or white chocolate chips will curdle and brown if heated too long in the microwave. Use less time, stir and reset to 30 second intervals until you get the feel for the flavored chips you want to melt.