Feb 10, 2015 The secret to that shell effect is coconut oil, which is composed of 86% saturated fats – the kind that are solid at room temperature. Adding this to chocolate makes the sauce eager to solidify with a temperature drop, and it becomes instantly solid upon contact with ice cream. (I LOVE SCIENCE.) I buy deodorized coconut oil for this purpose – it is heat-treated to eliminate the strong coconut smell present in virgin coconut oil. I kept the servings to two with Valentine’s day in mind, but if you feel compelled to make this in much, much larger quantities – I understand (nodding empathetically). You can scale up, just maintain the same ratio of chocolate to coconut oil. So that’d make 6 tsp (2 tbsp) coconut oil per 6 oz (1 cup) chopped dark chocolate. Be sure to melt your chocolate using a low and slow method – 50% power in the microwave, or in a heat-proof bowl set on top of a saucepan of simmering (not boiling) water. If chocolate is heated to quickly, it will seize. I recommend serving it with top-quality ice cream (I’m partial to Hagen Dazs Vanilla Bean – nothing but ingredients you’d find in your kitchen!) and chopped salty peanuts. Or if you really want to impress, make your own Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream.
