Hot chocolate fudge sauce

Makes about 18 very large truffles

• 1 tin sweetened condensed milk
• 125g brown sugar
• 25g cocoa
• 50g golden syrup
• 100g milk
• 125g unsalted butter
• 275g dark chocolate
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 0 Homemade fresh mint truffles
• 1 large handful washed mint leaves
• 100g double cream
• 400g white chocolate
• 50g unsalted butter
• 0 tsp peppermint extract
• 25g brandy
• 300g dark chocolate

Step 1
You can thin it, reboil it, cool it, reheat it with more liquid and still end up with a rich, luscious, intensely chocolaty sauce.

Step 2
Prepare two 450ml jars with tight screw-top lids, all washed in hot, soapy water and left to dry.

Step 3
Just before the sauce is ready, put the lids to one side and sit the jars in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Step 4
Put the condensed milk, sugar, cocoa, golden syrup and milk in a saucepan, and heat, stirring all the time, almost until boiling.

Step 5
Add the butter and broken pieces of chocolate, stir, bring to a boil and cook for four to five minutes.

Step 6
If it gets too thick, thin the sauce with more milk; if the sauce is too liquid, just boil it longer.

Step 7
When the consistency of the sauce is to your liking, take the pan off the heat, leave to cool slightly for a few minutes, then pour into the prepared hot jars.

Step 8
Immediately screw on the lids tightly – use a cloth, as the jars will be scalding hot – then stand the jars upside-down on to a tea-towel and leave for five minutes.

Step 9
Turn the jars the right way up and leave until cold.

Step 10
To serve, just scoop some of the sauce into a saucepan, add a little milk to thin it, bring to a boil and pour over vanilla ice-cream.

Step 11
With a sharp knife, very finely chop the mint leaves so they're almost minced, then add to a saucepan with the cream and bring to a boil.

Step 12
Break the chocolate into small pieces, then over a very low heat leave them to melt into the cream.

Step 13
Spoon into a bowl, chop up the butter, then leave this to melt through the chocolate.

Step 14
Once the mixture is only barely warm, add the extracts and brandy, beat gently until it looks slightly creamy, leave to cool, then chill until very firm.

Step 15
Scoop the mixture into balls, place on a tray lined with nonstick paper and freeze.

Step 16
Once frozen, melt the dark chocolate (over a bain-marie or in the microwave), then, using two forks, dip the truffles once or twice into the chocolate, drain off any excess and leave to set on a tray lined with nonstick paper.