Chocolate Syrup (like Hershey's)

[carol b]

Okay, now I have to go to the store for Kraft caramels. Right. Now.

[just living]

Instead of sugar do you know if you could use Splenda and it still taste the same? Thought that would be a lower calorie alternative.

[Tundra Gypsy]

Splenda? Ugh, artificial chemical, made in a lab....really bad stuff for ya. You might try something natural like a little stevia.....for myself, I'll stick with sugar, honey or agave.....yum...

[ChristieAcres]

For those who don't use sugar, but use honey or some other sweetener, here is the modified healthier version:

Chocolate Syrup

Use Honey to preference for sweetness
1/3 cup cocoa (use DARK Organic Cocoa)
pinch of salt
2 cups water
1 T vanilla extract (I use more)

Now, for those of you who would rather get Organic Dark Cocoa for less than the regular lower quality cocoa costs:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...PCAMP1R5E79B4M

Bad me, forgot to give directions!

First off, I use RAW honey for obvious reasons. So, I heat everything but the honey, bring to a boil, and saute' on low for a few minutes. I turn off the heat, let cool for 5 or 10 minutes, then stir in the RAW honey. That is to retain the health benefits. This Choc syrup is yummy drizzled over bananas with fresh whipped cream...

[TonyE]

My kids were craving chocolate milk, so I made them a batch of this syrup... then another one... then another one... You get the idea. It's good on ice cream, too.

[therosery]

Instead of sugar do you know if you could use Splenda and it still taste the same? Thought that would be a lower calorie alternative.

Probably not, because most artificial sweetners turn bitter when heated unless used in cakes or something like that. Even then, you'd need to make sure you've got something that acts as a binder to hold everything
together. As a sauce.. you must bring the liquid mix to a boil in order to reduce it down to the desired thickness, which could cause that bitterness. No doubt you could thicken it, but the probable end product, while thicker, and brown, doubtful would be edible. Sugar is of a chemical make up that allows it to become a binder, essential to make hot fudge. Obvioudly, Splenda or Aspartame, etc, while tasting sweet, do not possess the same chemical make up. Years ago I tried it, with nutra sweet, I think it was, and it didn't work, but as I said, that was years ago, when I was young enough to want my cake and eat it too. I think that if we could invent a sugar that you can eat, that is chemically the same as nature but without the calories...well,, Obama would tax it and we'd still be very rich

[LizardKing]

Silly question by why do you need a pinch of salt?
I am trying to reduce salt intake and was wondering what the salt did for this mix, if anyone knows.

[Summerthyme]

LK- it makes a HUGE difference in the flavor... sort of "balances" the otherwise cloying sweetness of the syrup. But if you like it without the salt, there's no reason it must be included.

Splenda actually works pretty well for "cooked" foods... I made a big batch of cherry jam using Splenda for my youngest son's father-in-law whose diabetes required it. (Using Pomona "calcium-acid set" pectin, NOT SureJell!)

But you won't get a thick syrup from it, because it lacks the chemical compounds that thicken as they cook. I'd imagine there are "sugar free" chocolate syrups for sale, but they almost certainly use food-grade thickeners like Xanthan gum, etc...

Summerthyme

[babysteps]

Somehow I missed this when it was first posted... but THANK YOU for posting it!! One of my littles is allergic to all artificial coloring/flavorings (can someone please tell me what the point is for putting blue dye in marshmallows? sigh...) and I'm always on the lookout for copycat recipes so she doesn't miss out on the treats that her sibs can have (and honestly, since one of them is allergic, I'd much rather go to the heathier alternatives for ALL of them). I'd been making a powdered recipe for her chocolate milk but it just wasn't the same.

[Summerthyme]

Blue dye in marshmallows drives me crazy (youngest son is very allergic/sensitive to Blue Lake #2) but I do understand why it's there.

It makes them look WHITER. Yeah, it's dumb... there's nothing wrong with "off white" marshmallows!! But that's why they use it...

Summerthyme