Chocolate Fondue (for Two)

Love is in the air when this sweet Chocolate Fondue for Two hits the table. Follow this step-by-step guide to create a simple, yet decadent dessert treat for you and your sweetie. Have kids? The fondue recipe doubles easily to make it a family affair.

I always like to do something a little special on Valentine’s Day. We prefer to stay in and I always create an exceptional meal for the two of us to enjoy together. Whether it’s a ‘low and slow’ Osso Bucco alla Milanese or Simple Cast Iron Salmon, our meal is always made with an extra special ingredient… love.

Chocolate Fondue for Two

This year Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday, which is in my opinion, the least romantic day of the week. It’s a weeknight which means that dinner and dessert are likely to be a rushed affair. For our family, it would likely start with slow cooker ground beef tacos because our whole family loves tacos.

In other words, it’s a typical Tuesday. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a little time to make it special for your loved one(s). My weeknight V-day solution is easy – a bowl of melted chocolate and some dipping sticks. That’s right…. I am talking about chocolate fondue! It takes mere minutes to melt the chocolate into a luxurious dipping sauce for all kinds of sweet treats.

The best thing about chocolate fondue for dessert (besides all that chocolate) are the dipping treats. This is where you can let your imagination run wild. You can try keep it somewhat healthy by providing fruit and pretzels for dipping.

Or you can go all out and offer your favourite homemade or store bought chocolate fondue dippers such as angel food cake, pound cake, cookies, or marshmallows. Fondue is a great ‘choose your own adventure’ treat and the ideal dessert for both new year and Valentine’s Day celebrations.

What is Fondue?

The word Fondue is derived from the French verb fondre which means ‘to melt’. It literally means ‘melted’ but is used as a noun. So, fondue is a thing… a very delicious dish or style of eating where food items are dipped into a communal pot of something good and gooey.

A chocolate fondue, or fondue au chocolat, consists of a bowl of melted chocolate (along with other additives) and a variety of (usually sweet) dipping items. Chocolate fondue is one of two kinds of melted fondue, the other is cheese fondue.

The first known Cheese fondue recipe is from around 1875, although it was already a well known and presented as a Swiss national dish (containing Gruyère cheese). The dish grew in popularity throughout the next century, most notably during the 1930’s during its promotion by the National Swiss Cheese Union.

In the post-war 1950’s, fondue fever grew within Switzerland until it became a synonymous symbol of Swiss unity. The Swiss proudly displayed their national dish at the 1964 New York World’s fair and the rest is history.

In America fondue parties were all the rage in the 60’s and 70’s… and it wasn’t all about the cheese. A typical fondue night might include multiple fondue pots, starting with a beef broth fondue (fondue bourguignonne), then progressing to an oil-based fondue where pieces of meat are fried in hot oil, then dipped in various sauces.

The lavish fondue evening would then continue with a cheese fondue and finish with chocolate fondue. It is a full-on dipping marathon!

Fon Do’s and Don’ts

While fondue may seem like a very casual way to enjoy delicious food there are a few rules that apply, mostly due to the communal style of eating. Your family or significant other may be comfortable with looser fondue etiquette but here are a few recommendations for fonduing with friends.

1. Fondue forks are sharp and must be used with caution. Nothing kills the mood more than a fondue fork in the hand or eye.
2. Provide each guest with their own colour coded fondue fork and plate.
3. Use the fondue fork to dip and swirl the food in the fondue pot, then put it on your plate before eating.

Fondue folklore suggests that the loss of food within the fondue requires some sort of light punishment such as buying a round of drinks or losing an item of clothing for each piece of food lost (a great couples Valentine’s Day idea!). When hosting, create a fun (and crowd appropriate) ‘punishment’ to add to the fondue fun.

Ingredients for Chocolate Fondue

This chocolate fondue recipe contains the ingredients for the melted chocolate, along with suggested fondue dippers. Butter and heavy cream provide extra fat which thins out the chocolate to the perfect dipping consistency. The addition of liqueur is for flavour only and is optional. If you don’t have a suitable liqueur, substitute with a high quality vanilla extract.

• Milk Chocolate
• Heavy Cream
• Butter
• Sugar
• Salt
• Your Favourite Liqueur

What is the best fondue melting chocolate? Most recipes ask for milk chocolate. However, you can add a few squares of bittersweet chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even semi sweet chocolate chips if you like.

Remember, high quality chocolate is always best. The most important thing is to keep the ratios of quality chocolate to butter and heavy cream the same to keep the chocolate from separating or seizing.

Use heavy whipping cream and full fat unsalted butter in this recipe for best results. If you do use 100% milk chocolate, you can omit adding the sugar if you like.

Which Liqueur Goes Best a Chocolate Fondue?

As previously mentioned, the liqueur is optional. However, this addition is a great way to change up the flavour of a chocolate fondue. Orange and chocolate are a popular flavour combination so liqueurs like Cointreau, Triple Sec, or Grand Marnier work well. Chambord, Crème de Cassis, Banane de Brasil, Passoã, or Kirsch (and many other fruit liqueurs) would also work in this recipe.

Almost any flavour that goes well with chocolate can be added as liqueur. Try Fireball for some cinnamon heat or Ancho Reyes for chili heat. Nut liqueurs such as amaretto, nocino, crème de cacao, and Frangelico are delicious with chocolate!

Or, you can add coffee-based liqueurs such as Kahlua, Tia Maria, or Patron XO (with tequila). For a really special touch I suggest Goldschläger (which also originated in Switzerland) , a cinnamon-based liqueur that contains real flecks of gold leaf.

Delicious Dippers

The photos in this post illustrate how easy it is to make a simple fondue for your loved one(s). You can buy all the ingredients from the store, including angel food cake, pastries, or pound cake. I like the salty sweet combination from pretzels dipped in chocolate but my husband LOVES dipping graham crackers spread with peanut butter into the melted chocolate. Other great things to dip in chocolate fondue are: 

• FRESH FRUITS – Cherries, Orange Segments, Grapes, Mangoes, Strawberries Bananas and Pineapple
• DRIED FRUITS – Dates, Figs, Pears, Peaches, Mangoes, and Apricots
• BAKED GOODS – Oreos, Shortbread, Brownies, Rice Krispie Treats, Graham Crackers, Pound Cake, Angel Food Cake, Biscotti, or Meringues
• SAVOURY ITEMS – Pretzels and Ripple Chips
• CANDY – Marshmallows, Licorice, and gummy worms
• NUTS – Whole almonds, coconut chips, and peanuts

How to Make Chocolate Fondue

Since the chocolate melts together quickly, I highly recommend that you prepare the dippers before you start melting the chocolate. Arrange the fruit, pretzels, cookies, marshmallows, cake, or other dipping ingredients on a platter, leaving a space for the fondue pot. Provide a small plate and fondue fork for each person.

To melt the chocolate, place the squares of chocolate in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat, stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Next, turn the heat up to medium and combine the chocolate with 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and a pinch of salt.

Heat and stir constantly until the butter melts and the mixture thickens slightly (about 5 minutes). Finally, stir in the liqueur and allow the chocolate mixture to simmer on low heat for around 5 minutes, to cook off the alcohol (if preferred). Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

Transfer to a warmed ceramic bowl or electric fondue pot and keep warm to serve.

Looking for more Valentine’s Day recipes? The kids will love sharing these heart shaped Cherry Hand Pies with their friends. Or, follow the step-by-step guide to create a decadent heart-shaped Baked Alaska. Melt his frozen heart with this simple dessert made with store bought ice cream and torched meringue.

If you make this Chocolate Fondue For Two, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.