Comfort Food Recipes

This is the homemade mocha sauce I use to make my mochas each day. I adapted it from a recipe I found online. I’ve played around with this quite a bit and finally found what works best for me.

The ingredients you choose will make a big difference in the final result. Because there are only three ingredients, every choice is magnified.

Baking Cocoa

You can certainly use any kind of cocoa you choose. I have settled on Rodelle’s Organic Dutch Processed Cocoa. I find the Dutch Process cocoa much smoother and works better for me.

Pro Tip: If you order this from Amazon, do not order anything else with it. If the bags are not carefully packed in the box, you will open your delivery to a complete mess. Cleaning up baking cocoa off your other purchases is not fun. I now order two at a time to get the free shipping and nothing else with them. I have had no problems with packages breaking or being torn by other items in the box.

Coconut Milk

You will want to use regular coconut milk. I would not use any kind of low fat version because I don’t think you would get a good result.

I’ve used two different brands to make my sauce. The sauce is quite different depending on which you choose.

One is the Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk.

This one contains guar gum which means your final sauce will tend to be thicker. Sometimes it will even end up pudding-like if you cook it long enough. That’s actually really nice because it makes it easier to scoop out the sauce and plop it in your cup. However, guar gum can cause gastro problems (like bloating) which is common among people who eat gluten free.

My Meijer carries Thai Kitchen so it’s easy to get. I do use this one although I am trying to use it less and less now that I realized the guar gum was bothering me.

The other option and the one I prefer is Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Milk.

This brand only has two ingredients – no guar gum. Because of this, the final result tends to be more like a sauce. Trader Joe’s coconut milk also gives much more of a coconut taste in the final product. Sometimes it’s like drinking a Mounds Bar in terms of the flavor.

The other plus about this one is it is generally at least fifty cents cheaper per can. The downside is that Trader Joe’s is about 20 minutes away so it’s not convenient. When we do get to that part of town, we make a point of stopping in and buying several cans at a time.

So Trader Joe’s is my preference.

Cooking

The other factor that will impact your final result is how long you cook your sauce. I set my timer for 5 minutes but it’s more of an art than an exact science. I think the contents of the cans can vary a bit in terms of the fat versus the liquid. That will naturally impact your final result and how long you need to cook it. Don’t just rely on your timer. Use your cooking experience to get a feel for when to pull it off the heat.

Vanilla

The original recipe called for a tablespoon of vanilla. I have not included it, but you could definitely add some in if that interests you.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to help!

Enjoy!

Homemade Mocha Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 13.66-oz can of coconut milk
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, baking cocoa, and coconut milk in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook for five minutes over medium-low to medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Bring the sauce to just the beginning of a low boil and continue to cook carefully until desired consistency, continuing to stir with whisk.
4. Remove from heat and pour in glass bowl to cool.
5. Store in refrigerator.

You can see all of my recipes under Sallie’s Favorite Comfort Food Recipes. If you do try one of my recipes and like it, please come back and let me know in a comment. I truly do appreciate it when people do so!

Chocolate Cherry Bars is a recipe my mom started making many years ago. I’ve served it countless times to company over the years and people almost always ask for a second piece (especially men!). No, these are not healthy. But they are a delicious treat! If you like the flavor of chocolate covered cherries, you will like this!

The other great thing about this recipe is you can easily keep all of the ingredients on hand so it makes a quick dessert in a hurry.

Cake mix names change all the time, but you want something rich and full of a dark chocolate for the base.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Bars

Cake Ingredients

• 1 pkg Pillsbury Devil’s Food or Fudge Cake Mix
• 21 oz can cherry fruit filling (pie filling)
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 eggs, beaten by hand

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 Tbsp butter (salted)
• 1/3 cup milk (whole or 2%)
• 1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using Crisco or Pam, grease and flour 15×10 jelly roll or 13×9 pan.
3. In large bowl, combine cake ingredients. Stir by hand until well mixed.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake jelly roll pan 20-30 minutes; 13×9 pan 25-30 minutes.

While bars cool, prepare frosting.

1. In small sauce pan, combine sugar, butter, and milk.
2. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.
4. Pour over partially cooled bars and spread evenly.

Allow frosting to set before cutting.

Enjoy!

You can see all of my recipes under Sallie’s Favorite Comfort Food Recipes. If you do try one of my recipes and like it, please come back and let me know in a comment. I truly do appreciate it when people do so!