Easy Chocolate Fondue
Looking for a fun dessert for either a holiday party or just a quiet night with the family? This Easy Chocolate Fondue is always a hit!
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This Easy Chocolate Fondue recipe has its roots in Nashville, Tennessee. Rewinding back about 10…err, maybe 15…years (where does the time go!?), I was living down in south Louisiana and my younger sister was finishing up college in Nashville. She had a semi-formal event coming up, and she asked me if I’d come up and take one of her friends to the semi-formal. Sure! Why not? It was a chance to visit my sister and explore Nashville a bit more. (My sister and I used to fight like cats and dogs…but now we’re best friends!)
So off I went to Nashville to go to the semi-formal. And that’s where I discovered this Easy Chocolate Fondue. The caterers had set up a chocolate fountain for dessert, and they had a plate of sliced fruit and other dippers that must have been 4-feet tall. But one of the things that impressed me the most was the pineapple Christmas tree.
Sliced pineapple is a great option for dipping into an easy chocolate fondue, but the caterers had found a way to use the tops of the pineapples as decoration. Now I’m normally not a fan of using food as decoration, but this one is just too cool! You basically cut the top off of the pineapple, flip it over, stick a cherry on top and sprinkle shredded coconut all over so that it looks like snow.
Yes, my sister and I totally snuck over to the dessert table at the end of the semi-formal and took apart one of the pineapple trees to see how it was made. We’re weird people like that.
Now my version doesn’t do justice to this cool idea, but hopefully you get the point. Don’t toss out the top of the pineapple. Use it as the centerpiece of a plate loaded with fruit and other dippers for your easy chocolate fondue!
What are some dippers for Easy Chocolate Fondue?
Pretty much anything you can think of! If it goes well with chocolate, then it will probably be a good dipper. My favorites are fruit (pineapple, apple, bananas, strawberries, oranges, etc.), marshmallows, pretzel sticks, pound cake bites, brownie bites and even small cookies. Just keep in mind that the dippers should be fairly solid. You don’t want to end up with cake crumbles floating around in your fondue! (That’s why pound cake bites are a better choice than yellow cake bites.)
Can you add liquor to Easy Chocolate Fondue?
Can you add liquor to Easy Chocolate Fondue?Absolutely! I find that a splash of liquor can really bump the flavor of the fondue up another level. Of course, keep in mind that the alcohol does not burn off, so omit the liquor if you’re serving this Easy Chocolate Fondue to kids. Some liquor options here are Frangelico (hazelnut), amaretto (cherry) or Irish cream. I used a bit of Frangelico in this batch as I love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut.
If you’re looking for a fun dessert for holiday parties, then keep this Easy Chocolate Fondue in mind! It’s great for cocktail parties where guests serve themselves. It’s also great just for families if you want a fun after-dinner dessert. I mean it’s the holidays. Eat some chocolate! And if you have kids (or grandkids) around, I promise they’ll enjoy dipping all sorts of things in the chocolate…even things that weren’t meant to be dipped in chocolate. Haha!
Enjoy, my friends, and happy holidays!
Love chocolate desserts? Check out some of these other favorites:
Easy Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Fondue
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 oz. good-quality semisweet chocolate chopped
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- {optional} 2 tsp liqueur Frangelico, amaretto, Bailey’s, etc.
- {for dipping} pineapple bananas, marshmallows, pound cake bites, pretzel rods , brownie bites, etc.
For the Pineapple Christmas Tree
- 1 pineapple
- 1 long wooden skewer
- 1 maraschino cherry
- coconut flakes
Instructions
For the Chocolate Fondue
- Using a double-boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, add heavy cream and chocolate. Let heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has fully melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add vanilla or {optional} liqueur; stir until smooth. (Note: If using liqueur, then omit the vanilla extract as it will be too much additional liquid.)
For Pineapple Christmas Tree
- Slice off top of pineapple (i.e. leaves). (Note: You want to slice as close as possible to the leaves while still leaving enough of the pineapple for them to stay attached together.) Trim any excess pineapple off of the base.
- Invert leaves and insert toothpick into top. The toothpick should stick about ~1” out of the top of the leaves. Stick maraschino cherry on the end of the toothpick. Sprinkle coconut flakes around the pineapple leaves.
- Place “tree” on large serving platter and fill platter with fondue dippers (pineapple, bananas, marshmallows, pound cake bites, brownie bites, etc.)
I’m so glad you included pics of the pineapple Christmas tree. I was having trouble visualizing it, but your pics showed it perfectly. Cool idea. You just can’t go wrong with chocolate and I’m sure this chocolate fondue would be a hit with everyone!
Yeah, that pineapple Christmas tree is a bit odd, but I still remember taking that thing apart with my sister so we could figure out how they did it. Haha! And you’re right about chocolate. You can’t beat chocolate…especially with a splash of liqueur added in! 🙂 Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, Kathy!
That “Christmas tree” is TOO CUTE! And chocolate fondue is too delicious. . .actually any fondue is too delicious but I think you know how I feel about chocolate :). Pound cake is my favorite dipper but I’m including pineapple next time just so I can make that tree!
Chocolate fondue seems almost too easy to post…but I just had to go for it. I mean it’s chocolate that you can drink. Not that I’ve ever actually drunk chocolate fondue. (Well, not that I’ll admit to at least…) And pineapples dipped in chocolate are a fun flavor combo, too. Thanks, Kelsie!
Hi David! This fondue looks luscious! And that pineapple tree is so cool, I love using foods as vessels for food or decorations. My favorite dippers are pound cake, strawberries and shortbread cookies. I know you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine could have been better as I took a header off the back steps the night before and got a concussion and I broke my collarbone. This too shall pass. 🙂
Oh my goodness, Dorothy…broke your collarbone!? Man, you just can’t catch a break lately can you? (No pun intended there. Seriously!) I do hope you’re able to get around ok, though. A concussion, too? Hang in there, my friend! Perhaps some chocolate fondue will help?? 🙂
What a fun recipe. I’d love to be a guest at a party where this is the star of the dessert table!
Then come on over, Valentina! I’d be happy to whip up a batch of this chocolate fondue for you. I’m always looking for an excuse to make fondue! 🙂
I’ll be honest, when I saw your pineapple tree I immediately thought of all those old school cookbooks (the ones where there would be a recipe for a jello mould dessert with fruit inside and whipped cream on top)! I think it was the cherry on top lol. Clever! Also love the easy fondue idea. I never think about fondue because I would think that means I would need to buy a fondue set. My kids would love it. I’ll add the booze when they go to bed 🙂
Oh man, this pineapple tree totally harkens back to the days of those jello-mold desserts. It’s a bit old-fashioned to use food as a decoration, but then again I just think it’s so cool to turn a pineapple into something festive for the season. Plus, I love the pineapple + chocolate combo! I hear ya on the fondue vs fondue set, too. But they’re pretty inexpensive, and they would be a fun holiday activity with the kids! Perhaps on Christmas Eve? 🙂 Thanks so much, Matt! Hope you’re doing well, my friend.
Oh, I love that little tree pineapple! How cute is that?! And anything that involves chocolate is a good thing, in my opinion. Because of all that fruit, it’s practically a health food, don’t ya think….that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it, lol 😉 Super fun for Christmas!!
I agree with you, Dawn! Anything that involves chocolate is a win…especially during the holidays. 🙂 And I like your logic about fruit making it a health food. Haha! Pineapple + chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combos!
We love Nashville and chocolate fondue. My favorite dipper is bananas and licorice. Breadsticks are good too.
Licorice in chocolate, eh? Now that’s one I’ve never tried! And breadsticks, too. I’ve done breadsticks in cheese fondue, but never chocolate. Clearly I need to branch out a little bit here. Thanks for the ideas, Ron! 🙂
This does indeed look like a fun dessert David. It’s been ages since I had chocolate fondue. And I think you make a pretty good effort of that decoration. It does look like a Christmas tree! I think my favourite dipper for this chocolate fondue would have to be marshmallows!
Chocolate fondue is always a favorite dessert around here during the holidays. One of the reasons I like it so much is that it’s slow and communal…so it encourages conversation while you’re dipping and eating! The pineapples are my favorite, but marshmallows are a close 2nd. Thanks so much, Neil!