Ingredients:

bakers choclate butter sugar coffee salt half and half   or soy creamer

Chocolate Fondue
Makes 3 ½ - 4 cups, 12-16 (2oz) servings
As seen on the Sonoran Living program.

Serve this fondue with baskets of beautiful fresh strawberries and bunches of bananas. Other items that are good dipped in the fondue (besides fingers!) are shortbread cookies, angel food cake, marshmallows, almonds or pecans and thinly sliced oranges with the rind on.

This fondue will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Just warm up gently in microwave or in saucepan on low heat. Let cool down to room temperature for best texture.
A great party food! This recipe can be halved very easily as well, though I have never had any problem getting rid of the leftovers!

This chocolate fondue has the antioxidant value of chocolate, but comes with sugar, butter and half and half. It is very rich, so a little bit goes a long way and when you eat it with fresh fruit, like fresh strawberries and bananas, you get the extra benefit of the fruit enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Fun Fact: Chocolate has been found to be quite rich in antioxidants! Chocolate is a plant based food, so it comes with wholesome goodness. One study found that cocoa reduced the stickiness of platelets (the smallest red blood cells) in the blood stream, working much the same way as baby aspirin. Also, the phenols in chocolate can help prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the same as red wine. Chocolate even delivers some magnesium, phosphorous, and iron. These studies are talking about pure unsweetened chocolate, so the less sugar you add, the better, of course (there’s the catch!). Choose dark and bittersweet chocolate over milk chocolate and enjoy in moderation!

Ingredients:

6 oz	unsweetened chocolate (bakers chocolate)
1/2 cup (1 stick)	butter (I use organic)
1-1/2 cup	sugar (I use organic)
3 T	strong coffee or espresso (optional)
pinch	salt
1-1/4 cup	half and half (or try all or part Silk Creamer* hazelnut flavor)

* Silk Creamer is a delicious healthy alternative to other conventional creamers for it is made from soy. It can be found in health food grocery stores, such as Whole Foods or Wild Oats. Look for it next to the half and half. It comes in plain, hazelnut and vanilla flavor. Yum!

Method:
In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. When thoroughly melted, whisk in sugar and mix well. Add coffee and salt and whisk together. At this point, the mixture may seem grainy and lumpy….but don’t worry! Add half and half while whisking. Continue to whisk until sugar grains melt and the fondue is velvety and smooth. Serve slightly warm, or warm it and then let sit to become room temperature.

This makes a simple party food that everyone will enjoy!

Variation:
Add up to 1/3 cup of your favorite liqueur to the melted chocolate (before the half and half) and reduce the amount of half and half by that amount. Try Frangelica, a hazelnut liqueur. The chocolate will tighten up, but as you add the half and half it will loosen again and get smooth and creamy.

Enjoy!