Making Your Own Dessert Fondue

Fondue is a perfect upscale dish for social gatherings or a special night home with your sweetheart. Making your own dessert fondue can satiate a sweet tooth while sticking to a dining budget. Though it requires a bit of preparation and patience, making your own dessert fondue can be a quick and simple last course for any dinner party or special occasion.

Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the quintessential ingredients for making your own dessert fondue. Start by warming a double boiler to a low-heat setting and adding your favorite kind of chocolate melting wafers. When the chocolate has liquefied, add a splash of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla to taste. Dip fruit, pieces of cake, miniature cookies or any other baked good and enjoy.

Caramel

Though chocolate is a common dessert fondue, caramel also can serve as a sweet ending to a fancy dinner. Use a double boiler to heat:

• 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• 2 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. light corn syrup
• 1 c. butter (plus a bit of vanilla extract if you like)

Stir to incorporate all the ingredients until it thickens into a sauce. While still warm, dip apple slices, jumbo marshmallows, slices of donuts or any other dense, firm fruit into the mixture and eat. (Use leftover sauce to make caramel apples for later.)

Marshmallow

If you are a more advanced chef interested in making your own dessert fondue, try marshmallow fondue. Because marshmallow melts at lower heat settings, it is important to watch your mixture constantly to ensure it doesn't burn. Requiring only two ingredients-a package of mini-marshmallows and a half cup of heavy cream-this dessert fondue is light and fluffy and goes well on graham crackers, crispy rice cereal treats and your favorite fruits.

Other dips

Once you get used to making your own dessert fondue, you can mix and match ingredients to customize your own flavors. Butterscotch, coffee, mint chocolate and turtle fondues are popular variants that involve simple modifications of existing fondue recipes. You can even add nuts or sprinkles to your favorite fondue for added texture.