crockpot chocolate fondue
To celebrate an incredible two years of blogging and to THANK YOU, I bring you easy, decadent, delicious, velvety CHOCOLATE FONDUE! Because, really, does it get any better than silky, creamy chocolate? What about easy slow cooker chocolate? even better…. This easy crockpot recipe is rich, intoxicatingly drool worthy, and lick your fingers delish and can you believe it is one of the easiest desserts to make?! It literally takes less than 5 minutes to prep! Simply toss your few ingredients into your slow cooker and let your crockpot cruise on low until the chocolate and butter are melted and whisks together into this gloriously creamy, guzzle worthy chocolate. All you have to do is stir occasionally. You got this. You can serve this fondue straight from your crockpot so it stays silky smooth or you can pour it into a fondue pot with a candle or canned heat. But any way you serve it, it will be the center of the party and you will be the hero! And just because we don’t want to look like complete animals, devouring the chocolate by the spoonfuls, the chocolate becomes fondue by dipping anything you can imagine in its decadence. Chocolate vehicles I find pair particularly nicely are strawberries, bananas, pound cake, angel food cake, granola bars, waffles, pretzels, potato chips, marshmallows, brownies, donuts, graham crackers and Oreos…I could go on and on and on. What are your favorite dippers? I am sure I am missing something brilliant… Now I’m going to try and answer any questions you might have about this breathtaking decadence:
What is fondue chocolate made of?
Chocolate: Quality chocolate is a must for this recipe! Use baker’s chocolate bars or quality chocolate chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard brand. Quality chocolate ensures a smooth, rich, and consistent texture and flavor because it contains a higher cocoa butter content and fewer additives. This helps it melt evenly and stay smooth without seizing or becoming grainy. Additionally, these chocolates provide a superior taste experience due to their balanced sweetness and deep cocoa flavor. Heavy Cream: This provides a rich, creamy base for the fondue, ensuring a smooth and luscious texture with cling-ability. Milk: A little milk adds fluidity to the fondue, making it easier to dip fruits and other items. Butter: Use unsalted butter or reduce the salt in the recipe. Butter enhances the fondue’s richness and adds a silky texture while ensuring the chocolate remains glossy. Corn Syrup: This is crucial! It helps to prevent the chocolate from crystallizing and keeps the fondue smooth and shiny. Vanilla Extract: This adds depth of flavor and enhances the overall taste. Use quality for the best flavor. Salt: Just ⅛ teaspoon balances the sweetness and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
What is the best chocolate for fondue?
You can customize the chocolate in this recipe to suit your personal tastes. As written, the recipe uses 12 ounces semisweet chocolate and 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate but you are welcome to swap some out for milk chocolate or change the ratios of the other chocolates. You can use chopped bakers chocolate or chocolate chips, but you MUST use only quality chocolate. If you choose to use chocolate chips, only use Ghirardelli’s or Guittard as other chocolate chip brands will not melt as well and become grainy. Your Chocolate Fondue is only as good as the quality of your chocolate so splurge a little!
HOW to make Chocolate Fondue
This Chocolate Fondue recipe could not be any easier!
Do I have to Use Corn Syrup?
The corn syrup in this recipe is optional but HIGHLY recommended. It helps the chocolate remain gorgeously silky and to prevent crystallization.
Can I make chocolate fondue ahead of time?
Yes! You can either make the fondue in the slow cooker and then keep it on the warm setting for several hours OR make the fondue up to 3-4 days ahead and refrigerate.
Tips to make the BEST Chocolate Fondue
Grease slow cooker: Don’t forget to lightly spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use a crockpot liner but it doesn’t quite fit the “gourmet’” looking party bill unless you are transferring the chocolate to a pot. Quality chocolate: As previously noted, use ONLY Guittard or Ghirardelli or a baking chocolate bar. Stir often: Stirring helps the chocolate to melt evenly. I stirred my chocolate every 20 minutes. Unlike my Chocolate Peanut Clusters, you don’t have to worry about removing the lid too often or dripping water into the chocolate when stirring because the fondue has heavy cream which helps to stabilize it. Pay attention: Every single crockpot is different, so make sure you are paying attention to your chocolate because you don’t want it to overcook and start to burn/scald. My fondue was done in exactly one hour but it could take more or less depending on your crockpot. Turn to warm/off: As soon as your chocolate is smooth ad completely melted, turn your crockpot to WARM or off completely if it seems too hot. If your crockpot has been on warm and you’re worried your melted Chocolate Fondue is burning, simply turn off the heat. It is better to rewarm the fondue than to burn it. Double or Triple recipe: You can double or triple this recipe in a 6 quart slow cooker. You will need to stir more often, about every 10-15 minutes, to ensure the ingredients melt evenly and the chocolate doesn’t burn around the edges. Depending on your slow cooker, plan on the chocolate taking an additional 20 or so minutes to melt.
Chocolate Fondue Recipe Variations
Dark Chocolate Fondue: swap the 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate with the 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate. Peanut Butter Chocolate Fondue: eliminate bittersweet chocolate and add ½ cup creamy peanut butter (NOT natural). You can stir in additional peanut butter once the chocolate has melted for even more “peanut butter” taste if desired. Mexican Chocolate Fondue: add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ancho chili pepper. Toffee Chocolate Fondue: add ¼ cup toffee bits (Heath Bits O’Brickel) to the chocolate fondue. Peppermint Chocolate Fondue: stir in 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the chocolate fondue once it has melted. Add more to taste if you want a stronger peppermint flavor.
What to dip in Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate Fondue will make everything taste decadently delicious. I like to use a variety of fruits, cookies/treats and salty snacks.
Fresh fruit: strawberries, bananas, pineapples, mangos, oranges, apples, pears, and cherries Cookies: Oreos (every kind!), almost any Girl Scout Cookie such as Samoas or Tag Alongs (store brands work great too), Nutter Butters, pirouettes, oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, etc. Treats: pound cake, donut holes, brownies, cream puffs, rice krispie treats, marshmallows, eclairs, caramels, peanut brittle, mini coconut macaroons, Graham crackers, partially frozen Twinkies, granola bars Salty/savory snacks: pretzels, potato chips, bacon, Ritz crackers, croissants
Chocolate Fondue Storage
HOW DO I REHEAT CHOCOLATE FONDUE?
If you make your fondue in advance or need to reheat leftovers, you can reheat it gently at 50% power in the microwave, stirring frequently until warmed through. You can also reheat the chocolate in a slow cooker on LOW, stirring frequently until warmed through then turn crockpot to the WARM setting.
Can I freeze Chocolate Fondue?
Yes! Our fondue recipe is made with heavy cream and not just melted chocolate so it freezes well. The cream helps to stabilize the chocolate and prevent it from seizing. If you are freezing your fondue, then the corn syrup is not optional but essential to prevent it from becoming grainy. To freeze:
Leftover Fondue Chocolate Ideas
If you want to mix up your leftover Chocolate Fondue and don’t want to just lick the bowl, here are a few ideas:
Ice Cream Topping: Thin the chocolate with some additional heavy cream to create a decadent hot fudge sauce! Cake or Cheesecake Topping: Warm the fondue (thin if needed with heavy cream) and serve over your favorite dessert. Fudge Swirl: Swirl some fondue into some of your favorite brownies, cheesecake or sweet bread. Hot Chocolate: Whisk some fondue into hot milk for the most insanely delicious hot chocolate. Truffles: Refrigerate the fondue so it firms up enough to roll the chocolate into small balls. You can roll these balls in cocoa powder or nuts. Fudge: Warm up the chocolate (see section above), stir in some nuts then pour it into a pan to set. You can also add dried fruit, marshmallows, etc. Tarts: Warm up the Chocolate Fondue (see section above), and pour into tart cups. Frosting: This recipe is essentially a ganache so slather it all over cakes, cupcakes or brownies! Chocolate Cream Filling: Mix fondue with equal parts mascarpone for instant filling for cookies, crepes, etc. Chocolate Covered Cookies: Dunk cookies of your choice in the chocolate and let set. You can even freeze individually wrapped cookies once set in an airtight plastic bag. S’mores: Warm the fondue and slather on graham crackers then top with toasted marshmallows.
Looking for more Chocolate recipes?
Chocolate Eclair Cake Chocolate Covered Strawberries Easy Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes Chocolate Raspberry Cake Easy Churros with Chocolate Sauce 5 Minute Chocolate Ganache
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