Hot Chocolate Fig Sauce with Sea Salt

When I was developing this recipe I was looking for an easy way to make a creamy, vegan chocolate sauce without lots of ingredients.  Once I thought of using a vegan ice cream (I used a vanilla coconut milk based one) as the sauce base the rest of the recipe came together very fast.  I like it with the kiss of sea salt, but feel free to leave out if you'd like.

This sauce is good hot on your ice cream or other dessert, but it's amazing chilled eaten right out of the container or spread on toast or pancakes.  I didn't try this, but I think it would work.  Make sauce and chill until solid.  Dust hands with cocoa. Roll by the teaspoon or tablespoon in hands until rounded, roll in additional cocoa until covered.  Keep chilled until serving. Quick, chocolate-fig truffles!  (You could even get fancy and slice a dried fig almost in half, stuff with a truffle and serve like that.  You know I think I have to whip up another batch!)

Hot Chocolate Fig Sauce with Sea Salt

Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup fig preserves

1/2 cup non-dairy vanilla ice cream

4 oz. vegan semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 tsp. finely ground sea salt

Put fig preserves in pot on low heat. Stir until syrupy. Add ice cream and chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in salt.

Chocolate Fig Sundaes: For each serving, drizzle 2-3 Tbs. of warm sauce over 1/2 cup of non-dairy vanilla ice cream. Garnish with sliced fresh figs.