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Whether you are having a romantic night for two or entertaining a crowd, chocolate fondue is a super fun and easy way to celebrate any holiday. While fondue can have romantic vibes, it is also a HUGE hit with kids! It’s the perfect way to get your family or guests gathered around the table and visiting while they dip away! I mean, hello, melted chocolate, what’s not to love?!
Chocolate Fondue Ingredients
- 12 oz of Chocolate. Use your favorite chocolate, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or any combination.
- 1/2 cup of Cream. Use heavy cream.
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Making Fondue Chocolate
This chocolate fondue recipe couldn’t be any easier.
- In a medium saucepan, combine chopped chocolate and whipping cream. Stir continuously over medium to medium-high heat until melted. Do not allow the sauce to boil or burn!
- Add the vanilla extract
- Add additional cream if needed to get a smooth, creamy consistency for dipping.
- Put mixture into fondue pot or small crock pot set to low heat
Fondue Variation Ideas
It is easy to add additional flavors to your chocolate fondue.
Marshmallow Fondue: Add a couple of spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff into the chocolate fondue and just swirl it around. For a prettier presentation do not stir to fully incorporate it and leave streaks of marshmallow.
Caramel Fondue: Melt a handful of caramel candies in the chocolate fondue or drizzle caramel sauce just on top it will get mixed in with all the dipping!
Peanut Butter Fondue: Add a few spoonfuls of peanut butter into the chocolate fondue and stir to swirl. Leave streaks of peanut butter visible.
Hazelnut Fondue: Add a few spoonfuls of Nutella Hazelnut Spread into the chocolate fondue and stir to swirl.
What To Dip in Your Chocolate Fondue
This is where you can really get creative! You can use anything you can think of to dip you’re your chocolate. I like to offer a combination of sweet and salty options. Raid your pantry and fridge first, you might be surprised how many options you already have on hand.
Sweet ideas:
- Cookies such as vanilla wafers, biscotti, or Oreos
- Graham Crackers
- Cake (any flavor)cut into cubes
- Brownies
- Cheesecake bites
- Donut holes
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Fortune cookies
- Waffle cones
- Meringues
- Caramels
- Candy bars- chocolate on top of chocolate!
- Marshmallows
- Dried fruit like banana chips, apricots, mango, and papaya
- Fresh Fruit. Strawberries, orange segments, pineapple, pears, apples, grapes, and bananas are a favorite at our house.
- Note- If using apples, pears, or bananas: before cutting the fruit get out a shallow bowl and place several tablespoons of lemon juice in it. As you slice the fruit, dip each slice on both sides in the lemon juice. This will keep them from browning!
Salty ideas:
- Pretzels
- Wavy Potato Chips (trust me on this one- it’s my favorite)
- Bacon (strange I know but surprisingly good!)
- Bread sticks
- Sesame crackers
- Nuts
- Rice cakes
- Firm cheeses such as Swiss, Gouda, even Monterey Jack
For an extra special touch, serve a few toppings to go on your items after dipping them in chocolate! Consider:
- Sprinkles
- Mini chocolate chips (double chocolate!)
- Crumbled oreo
- Chopped nuts
- Coconut flakes
- Cereals
- Granola
- Crumbled toffee
- Small candies such as mini M&M’s
One of the great things about fondue is that it looks so fancy and labor-intensive… but it’s incredibly easy to whip together. Chances are if you had many of the items already. Since it doesn’t require a lot of effort to prepare, the main thing you want to focus on is presentation.
Lay small portions of all your dipping options out on a large tray or platter- thinks fancy charcuterie board while creating the sweet buffet. Vary the colors and textures on the tray to give it visual interest. Use small bowls to add height and contain the smaller snacks.
Provide a lot of skewers! You can use reusable metal fondue forks or disposable bamboo varieties sold in any grocery store. Plan to have several per guest just in case someone drops theirs or it breaks.
The last word of advice is to have plenty of napkins on hand because chocolate dribbles are bound to happen. This is not a neat treat, expect a lot of sticky fingers to go with those chocolate-smiling faces!
I make this every Valentine's day for my family. Read here for more ideas to make it an extra special day for your kids this year as well!
I hope you and your village loves this easy treat as much as mine, and as always feel free to comment below with any feedback or suggestions you have!
