Monday, August 26, 2013

End of Summer Hot Fudge Brownie Sundaes!

Summer is drawing to a close.

Of course, now that we're in the middle of the hottest week of the year, it's a little hard to believe!

But the Sturgis Rally is over and school is starting back up all over the country (our college boys start this week), and we're seeing fewer out of state cars around town. Things are quieting down.


And we're getting our Hills back....

Not that we mind sharing them with the thousands upon thousands of visitors each summer...but...you know...there's nothing like the peace and quiet that settles over our Hills in the fall....

But wait! It isn't fall yet! There's time for at least one more summer fling!

Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae

This is so easy-peasy, especially if you do the "run to the store" method. Buy some brownies from your grocer's bakery section, a jar of hot fudge topping, and some vanilla ice cream and you're all set!

However, we're all about homemade here at the cafe, right? (at least when there isn't a looming deadline!)

First of all, you need a nice, fudgy brownie. You can make your own favorite recipe, or you can try Pam Hillman's Heaven in a Crock Pot. Just click the link and follow her directions.

The next item is ice cream. Don't we all love ice cream? You have to try Julie Hilton Steele's super easy recipe here.

And now we're all set for the piece de resistance! (Now go back and read that again, but use a cheesy French accent - real cheesy, like in an old Pink Panther movie. Isn't that better?)

Hot Fudge Sauce!!!

Okay, here are your ingredients:



1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the cream, sugar and cocoa powder and heat it until it boils. Be sure to use medium heat and stir constantly!

Once the yummy stuff gets to a rolling boil (a gentle boil, but one that won't stop when you're stirring), cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. I cooked mine for 30 seconds after it started boiling, but the next time I'll cook it longer so that it's thicker and fudgier.

But don't cook it too long! Five minutes will put you into serious fudgedom, and you won't be able to pour it over your ice cream.

After it's done boiling, remove your pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the fudge into glass jars to store - I used some pint canning jars.

Don't worry about the spilled drips - they didn't stay there long!

Stir it a few times as it's cooling. Once it has cooled for a while, it's ready to use.

(And you can store the leftovers - just put a lid on the jars and put them in the fridge. Be sure to share one with a friend!)

Now that you have all the ingredients ready, it's assembly time.



Break the brownie in two pieces and arrange them in the bottom of your dish. Top with a scoop or two of ice cream, and then spoon some hot fudge all over everything.

I think I may have to celebrate the end of summer again tomorrow!

So tell us, what's your favorite way to say goodbye to summer?

But before you go, we have to have a gratuitous puppy picture, right? Thatcher is 21 weeks old now, and right smack dab in the middle of the awkward puppy stage. Head too big, feet always in the way, ears out the wazoo... A few more weeks and he will grow into all his parts - but he's so cute in his adolescent ugliness, isn't he?





10 comments:

  1. Oh, he's adorable! I love the gangly phase.... We put Jeter in the "back yard" this weekend. Most of the addition is done... the construction stuff is gone, and other than weeds, he's dashing around, wondering what just happened.

    He now has:

    No access to the garage and the recycling and Bob-the-Builder's Tools!!!!

    No access to the shoes or kids' stuff on side porch.

    No access to the kids' play area.

    No access to my flower beds (already fairly ugly and destroyed, but next year... oh, next year!!!! Laughing because I say that every year!)

    So Jeter's wings have been "clipped", and he's not happy with me but I'm tired of picking up stuff... Although it's helped to get me into shape, LOL!

    Hot fudge brownie sundaes. OH mylanta, how good that sounds! Jan, I love you! We've done this with small slices of cheesecake too and it's decadent.

    And while I'm back on broccoli slaw after a weekend of fun, my little peeps might enjoy this with the Peanut butter filled chocolate brownies I made yesterday!!!!

    And I trimmed the brownie edges to make Brownie Balls (like cake balls, only better, I think!)

    Brownies are an amazing invention!!!

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    1. Brownies are wonderful, aren't they? And peanut butter filled brownies? That sounds fabulous. Just amazing with ice cream and hot fudge.

      And poor Jeter :( No shoes? No flower beds? What's a puppy to do?

      I keep remembering that Thatcher and Jeter are birthday twins, going through these stages together. But someday, when these puppies are mature dogs sleeping the evenings away, we're going to look back on the days of chewed shoes and miss them, right?

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  2. He's so cute no matter how big or small his body parts! :)

    I'm so thrilled you shared this. We buy hot fudge in jars, but it's never as good as homemade. This will be great to have this recipe! I love the idea of saving in jars (although I don't know if I'm generous enough to share!) :)

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    1. I don't know if our extra jar will end up being shared, either...it depends on if it lasts until we see someone to share it with!

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  3. Jan, you had me at the ice cream. The hot fudge recipe was just bonus.

    SCORE!!

    Of course, after eating my way through Ouray (that place has some amazing eats), it's back to salads and chicken breast for me. Sigh. But a girl can still dream, even if it does involve a little drooling. :P

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    1. Now, now, a little bit wouldn't hurt, would it?

      I know! I know! It was that same thinking that has you eating salads and chicken breasts!

      But you can always save it for the next celebration :)

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  4. Thatcher and his ears!!!!! He belongs in a picturebook, Jan! He's adorable in his youthful gangliness -- if you can call a corgi gangly! Look at those stubby little legs!!!! Amazing how fast they can get around on them. My first ever dog was a corgi/sheltie cross and she just flew!

    I make chocolate sauce with water, sugar and cookie but this looks much more decadent. I'll have to give it a try.

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    1. Mmmm! Decadent is a synonym for delicious, right?

      And yes, this little guy is fast on his stubby legs! I guess it's to keep up with the cows. Corgis were originally bred to be cattle herding dogs, and there must be something in his blood. The cattle in the neighboring field were mooing a couple mornings ago, and he couldn't stop listening to them.

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  5. Sniff, Thatcher doesn't show up on my screen.

    But the recipe does. Nummm.

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    1. Did you see the picture I put on facebook of what my daughter did with the fudge sauce today? Wowza (to quote Kc Frantzen!).

      And I'll put Thatcher's pic up on facebook just for you, Julie :)

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