Rich, dark chocolate spiked with a robust dark beer serves up a delicious chocolate sauce.

For the holidays this year, I found Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Peppermint Porter for my chocolate sauce.

The beer, made for the holidays by Lexington Brewing & Distilling, is definitely a robust, dark beer. With an alcohol content of 8.2% it is to be sipped in small quantities. With the addition of the peppermint, I found it none too tasty but found it quite tasty in the chocolate sauce.

For a drinkable robust dark beer I highly recommend Yuengling’s Hershey’s Chocolate Porter, which would also make a delicious chocolate sauce. At 4.7% ABV you don’t need to have just one!

10 Ways to Use Chocolate Sauce

1. Dip strawberries in it, then dip in crushed nuts and freeze for fancy dessert.
2. Add it to a cup of hot coffee with milk for a mocha latte.
3. Dip 1/3 of a pretzel rod and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Drizzle on fruit for a sweet and healthy snack.
5. Squish a marshmellow between two graham crackers and dip in chocolate. Make it special by toasting the marshmellow.
6. Too thick? Thin is out with cream and whip with a mixer for a quick chocolate mousse.
7. Drizzle over waffles or french toast, top with fruit and whipped cream for a fancy breakfast.
8. Make a chocolate milkshake. In a blender, mix ice cream, milk and chocolate sauce, then add ice and blend some more. Add a shot of boubon for a delightful adult beverage.
9. Drizzle over cake, cookies, ice cream, cheese cake, etc.
10. Eat it with a spoon!

How to Make Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup robust dark beer (porter or stout)
• 1/2 whipping cream or half & half
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces good quality chocolate chips (or a bar broken into small pieces)
• 1/4 Imperial sugar (it’s a very fine sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used peppermint extract to go with my beer.)
• Pinch of salt

1. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, combine all the ingredients and stir.
2. As the mixture warms and chocolate melts, whisk to make sure everything is mixed.
3. Continue whisking until the butter and chocolate are completely melted and incorporated into the sauce.
4. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge. It should keep for a month or more. To warm, set jar in the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds.

Happy Eating!