Featured Recipe
Fudge Popcorn Sundaes
By Kate
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A twist on the classic sundae with homemade chocolate sauce, caramel popcorn, and roasted almonds. Quick prep, requires minimal cooking, highlighting texture contrast and flavor balance. Gluten, egg, and nut-aware: uses almonds instead of peanuts; coconut cream replaces dairy cream for a richer mouthfeel. Caramel notes with salty depth, fudge sauce thickened with arrowroot. Serve fast, keep cold. Sensory cues guide doneness and textures; taste, smell, and touch for best results.
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Prep:
18 min
Cook:
7 min
Total:
25 min
Serves:
4 servings
sundae
dessert
popcorn
chocolate
Introduction
Working on a sundae that breaks the usual mold. Forget cloying, heavy fudge that hardens into a brick; this fudge sauce melts luxuriously with a velvet texture that clings without sliding off. The caramel popcorn isn’t just a sweet crunch — it’s buttered popcorn caramelized for flavor depth. Roasted almonds replace peanuts, offering a woodsy richness and less allergen risk. Coconut cream to thicken fudge brings a subtle tropical creaminess that’s worth the jump from dairy. Watch for visual cues — bubbles form at the edges, fat grease shines, thickness tells you when to stop heating. Serve in chilled glasses so every bite contrasts cold ice cream and the still-warm chocolate sauce. A sprinkle of flaky salt makes all the sweetness pop — all done in under 25 minutes. Quick but mindful. Good sunlit dessert with controlled textures and fresh caramel notes.
Ingredients
Fudge Sauce
- 50 ml (3 tbsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) brown sugar
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) arrowroot powder
- 220 ml (7 1/2 fl oz) full-fat coconut cream
- 500 ml (2 cups) vanilla coconut milk ice cream (4 scoops approx 60 ml/1/4 cup each)
- 250 ml (1 cup) caramel popcorn, store-bought or homemade
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) roasted, chopped almonds
- 10 ml (2 tsp) flaky sea salt (optional)
Topping
About the ingredients
Cocoa powder quality matters: natural cocoa imparts tart, robust flavor but darker color. Dutch-processed is milder and smoother but less acidic; pick based on taste preference. Arrowroot versus cornstarch – arrowroot yields clearer sauce, corrodes less on low acid. Homemade caramel popcorn lets you adjust sweetness and saltiness; if relying on store-bought, pick less sticky types to avoid sogginess in sundae layers. Roasted almonds add crunch and a delicate bitterness compared to peanuts — swap in pecans or walnuts if preferred. Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk, leading to more luscious sauce; heavy cream works well but alters flavor slightly. Store everything cold and ready. Pre-freeze serving containers so ice cream doesn’t melt immediately; small detail, big difference.
Method
Prep
- Chill 4 sundae glasses or jars (~500 ml/2 cups) in freezer until ready to serve. Helps ice cream hold shape and keeps fudge sauce thick but pourable.
- Off heat, whisk cocoa, sugar, arrowroot powder until uniform powder mix; no lumps. Slowly add coconut cream. Transfer to saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with whisk or silicone spatula.
- Watch closely as mixture heats. Tiny bubbles form around edges, thickens; don't let boil over or scorch bottom. Once sauce thickens to velvet ribbon, after 5 minutes approx, remove immediately. Sauce should cling to spatula, no grit from sugar — it’s seedless smooth. If grainy, heat gently more but no longer than 8 minutes total.
- Cool sauce 4–6 minutes at room temp; thicker on cooling but still pourable. Keep warm nearby for serving (low temp or warm water bath).
- Alternate layers: scoop ice cream, sprinkle caramel popcorn, chopped almonds, then spoon warm fudge sauce. Repeat once more, finish with nuts and sea salt flakes for crunch and contrast.
- Serve immediately to avoid melting. Salt optional but intensifies sweetness and crunch.
- If coconutscream unavailable, use heavy cream or oat cream; avoid low-fat milks to keep sauce thick.
- Arrowroot substitutes with cornstarch, but arrowroot gives clearer, silkier finish without cloudiness.
- Popcorn prep: homemade popcorn tossed with browned butter and caramelized sugar (gently melted sugar to amber color) for deeper flavor than store-bought.
- If fudge sauce thickens too much, thin with splash of warm cream/milk; if thin, simmer briefly watching colors and texture.
- Keep sauce warm but not hot to maintain ideal viscosity.
Sauce
Assembly
Tips
Technique Tips
Powder-to-liquid mix first for even sauce. Heat medium, not high — cocoa tends to seize if overheated or sugar scorches. Whisk consistently to avoid lumps and burning; sauce thickens quickly near 80–85°C. Visual cues matter more than timers: bubbles at edges signal near boil; thick coats spatula fully. Let sauce rest off heat — residual heat finishes thickening. For assembly, layering adds textural interest, temperature contrast key — ice cream cold and firm, fudge warm and viscous, popcorn crisp. Eat right away or ice cream melts, fudge cools and stiffens. Adjust sauce thickness with cream or extra simmer but short durations only. Salt flakes on top awaken flavors, optional but worth trying. Clean whisk while waiting to avoid crystallized sugar bits in sauce.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Watch fudge sauce closely. Cocoa can seize, sugar burns easily. Heat low and blend cocoa with liquids first. Look for bubbles, not temperature — about 80-85°C. Don't let it boil hard. If it thickens too much, a splash of cream helps. Keep it warm, not hot. You need viscosity.
- 💡 Flaky salt on top? Yes, optional but works wonders. Pulls sweetness forward. Mixed textures, hot sauce and cold ice cream. Serve immediately; cold ice cream melts quickly. For layers, think crunch. Alternate popcorn and sauce carefully.
- 💡 Homemade caramel popcorn is better. Use buttered popcorn with caramelized sugar. Store-bought can get soggy, lose crispness. If using store types, choose carefully, avoid overly sticky brands. Flavor is key, deeper flavor from browning.
- 💡 Coconut cream is thicker than coconut milk. Thicken the sauce properly, richness counts. Not available? Try heavy cream. Substitutes might alter taste, but work in a pinch. Watch for texture.
- 💡 If fudge sauce grits? Cook longer but gently. Avoid hard hot temps. Burned sugar and grit won’t blend in. Or if too watery, simmer to thicken. Pay attention to consistency. Not a race, slower yields good results.
