Indulgent Chocolate Gravy Recipe

Chocolate gravy? Sounds a bit odd, as "gravy" is a term we usually associate with savory, meat-based sauces. This gravy, however, is actually just a Southern chocolate-based sauce. Recipe developer Catherine Brookes goes so far as to cal it pure "chocolate heaven," adding that "it's super smooth and sweet with a deep cocoa flavor."

While the sauce is indeed very chocolatey, it does contain 1 ingredient you may not immediately expect: instant coffee. (Whether or not you drink the stuff, it's always a good idea to keep a jar on hand for baking purposes.) Brookes explains the reason for using it: "Adding a little hint of coffee to the gravy really helps to enhance the chocolate flavor without giving an overpowering taste of coffee." So don't worry; this addition won't suddenly transform the sauce into a mocha-flavored one. It'll just add a subtle depth you wouldn't get from chocolate alone.

The chocolatey component of this sauce (or gravy) is supplied by cocoa powder, with a flavor boost from the aforementioned instant coffee. Other ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, milk, vanilla extract, and butter.

While Brookes likes to use whole milk for this sauce, you can, of course, substitute 2% milk or even a plant milk. The sauce may end up slightly thinner in this case, but you can always cook it an extra minute or so if needed.

Put the dry stuff -– the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, and salt -– into a pot. Dissolve the coffee in a teaspoon of hot water, then add the coffee and milk to the dry ingredients.

Turn the burner to medium and simmer the sauce until it thickens, stirring it frequently so it doesn't stick or burn. The sauce will probably need about 8 to 10 minutes of cooking to get it to a gravy-like thickness. Once it does, turn off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until the former has melted.

This gravy can be used the same way you'd use any other chocolate sauce. You can eat it warm or cold. Try spooning it over ice cream, a slice of cake, or biscuits (a particularly Southern specialty), or use it on pancakes or with fresh fruit. If you're not using it right away, store it in the refrigerator in a jar or airtight container.