Balsamic vinegars seem to be gaining in popularity, especially the thick, rich varieties that you can drizzle on top of almost anything like a delicious condiment. Some of them are very acidic and have a strong bite to them, but some of them are sweet and can almost be used in place of a chocolate syrup. You see where I’m heading with this?

You can definitely buy your own chocolate balsamic vinegar at a tap room, but if there isn’t one close by, making your own will work just as well.

I adapted a recipe I found at the Kitchn and thought it was rather unique.

The original recipe was a little too tart for my taste, so I added about 1/2 cup of sugar more and an additional 1/2 cup chocolate chips (to melt). If you use the chocolate chips, I recommend getting true dark chocolate without any milk.

It turned out spectacular – sweet and tangy. It’s thick and syrupy like a true balsamic reduction.

I made this chocolate balsamic vinegar for my boyfriend’s sister. It has to go on a plane, so I wasn’t able to package it nicely. However, mason jars work just fine. I bought a drizzling bottle for it to go in.

One day I’ll focus on making pretty labels. Until then, my cursive is all I’ve got.

chocolate balsamic vinegar

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This recipe creates a balsamic reduction with chocolate and sugar. It's perfect for drizzling over fresh fruit or on ice cream. This recipe yields 16 oz.

Author: heidi

Ingredients

• 2 cups balsamic vinegar (If you have a really high-quality vinegar that is already thick and syrupy, you can skip the reduction and use 1 cup of vinegar).
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup unsweetened chocolate chips
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Reduce the Vinegar

1. In a saucepan, reduce the vinegar by cooking over low heat for about 20 - 30 minutes. It should become thicker and reduce some of its volume, so you're left with about a cup of vinegar.

Create the Chocolate Sauce

1. In a separate saucepan, use a medium heat to dissolve the sugar and salt into the water. Stir constantly until it begins to thicken.
2. Reduce the heat to low and add the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips, stirring constantly until it becomes thick and syrupy.
3. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
4. Wait until the chocolate sauce and vinegar have cooled before you mix them.
5. Stir until well-combined and smooth.
6. Pour the vinegar into a sterile jar.

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Be warned, this will create a really strong vinegar stench in your house. But it’s worth it! Just to play it safe, I’d store this one in the fridge after it’s opened.