Name: BA's Best Hot Fudge
Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients: 1¼ cups heavy cream; ⅔ cup (packed) dark brown sugar; ⅓ cup brown rice syrup or dark agave nectar; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped; ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; A candy thermometer

Image may contain Food Creme Dessert Cream Confectionery and Sweets

Photo by Stephen Lewis

Chocolate can burn, which would ruin an otherwise impeccable sauce. Make sure to stir all the way down to the bottom of the pan after adding the chocolate and cocoa. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Recipe notes

Chickpeas With 40 Garlic Cloves

Braising canned chickpeas in chicken stock and olive oil makes them unbelievably tender and buttery. This is worth the effort of peeling 40 cloves of garlic.

Tiramisu Basque Cheesecake

Two of our all-time favorite desserts, now in one new classic.

Double-Chocolate Flourless Brownies

Nutty and deeply chocolatey, these brownies just so happen to be gluten-free.

Millionaire’s Shortbread

Our ultimate version of the luxe chocolate-caramel bars.

Dark Chocolate Flax Bark

Crunchy, seedy flax crackers get topped with dark chocolate and a showering of sea salt for the ultimate sweet and salty snack.

Now-and-Later Roast Chickens

An easy technique that results in juicy, tender roast chicken. Cooking two chickens at once is the secret to easy meals throughout the week.

Blended Pastina Soup

A blended soup for kids who don’t want to “see” their vegetables—or anyone else looking for a steamy bowl of chicken soup comfort.

Coffee Cake Scones

Sour cream scones get treated to a cinnamon-sugar swirl and crunchy streusel crown.