When you think of breaking your diet, do you think of hot fudge?  This hot fudge sauce is legendary; or so I’m told by my Mother. All I know is it’s darned good and perhaps worth breaking your diet over, but don’t blame me…..I’m just providing the recipe. The rest is your decision.

Growing up in Muskegon, Michigan there was an old hotel in my home town called the Occidental Hotel. The hotel was an icon in our small town and in April of 1975 it came down in a well planned implosion to make way for a shopping mall. It was a bittersweet time as people were excited about a new mall but at the same time this iconic hotel was being destroyed. Fast forward now present day and that same mall was demolished 3 years ago to make way for a new culinary school. Funny the circle of life, no? definitely food for thought.

I still remember getting up that morning in 1975 to make our pilgrimage downtown to stand with many other folks behind roped off areas to watch it come down. I was told by my Mother many times during my childhood about this hotel having a famous candy shop that served the most amazing hot fudge sundaes.

This recipe had been squirreled out by someone who passed it along to my Mother. The recipe made its way around our small town.  Back then I’m sure they did not make employees sign non-disclosure agreements and recipes had a way of catching fire like a burning bush. The ingredients are so simple that most likely someone on the inside memorized it, wrote it down, and there you have it.  I learned at an early age how to make this hot fudge sauce under the tutelage of my Mother.  Like any good tried and true recipe the ingredients are simple and straight forward and just cause for spontaneous diet breaking as you know you already have all the ingredients. You can start your diet tomorrow….

Hot Fudge Sauce (Occidental Hotel)

1 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp flour

1 Cup milk

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, flour and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and continue to cook until thick. Add butter and vanilla and stir. Remove from heat serve while warm. Store cooled sauce in refrigerator.