One of South Africa’s finest culinary offerings, alongside biltong, bobotie and bunny chow – The king of hot chocolate sauces, the legendary, one and only, Bar-One sauce!
Bar-One chocolate bars are a timeless classic in South Africa. They are very similar to Mars Bars, with layers of malted nougat and gooey caramel, all wrapped up in a thick blanket of chocolate.
If Bar-Ones are not available in your country, fret not. Mars bars (UK) or Milky Way bars (USA) will serve as perfect substitutes for this chocolate sauce.
Despite our best efforts, we have yet to discover a chocolate sauce that rivals Bar-One sauce.
It’s a symphony of molten, caramelised, chocolaty, sticky and thick perfection – simply a heavenly concoction! (esp cold from the fridge the following day, eaten with a teaspoon).
The process couldn’t be simpler: Add the chocolate to a pot with cream and vanilla, melt and voilà – an unforgettable sauce ready to elevate any plain vanilla ice cream, or double down on the decadence with chocolate ice cream.
What’s to love about this recipe
- Thick, sticky, gooey, caramel-ey, nougat-ey, chocolate-ey, perfection-ey.
- Simple to make and takes no more than 10 minutes.
- Only three ingredients needed.
- Enjoy it hot, or for a thicker, stickier consistency, let it cool to room temperature or enjoy it cold (you might need a spoon if it’s fridge-cold).
Ingredient notes and substitutions
*Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.
Bar-One chocolate bars
Bar-Ones are unique to South Africa, and you may have difficulty finding them outside of SA borders.
However, Mars bars (UK and elsewhere) and Milky Way bars (USA) are excellent substitutes as they have a similar composition to Bar-One.
In fact, we use Mars bars all the time!
Double cream
We are big advocates for using double cream (heavy cream in the US) in pretty much everything!
Its higher fat content delivers a richer flavour and a thicker, velvety texture.
However, single cream or whipping cream will work perfectly fine.
Step-by-step instructions:
1. Slice the chocolate bars into small bite-sized pieces.
2. Add the heavy cream, chocolate pieces and vanilla extract to a medium-sized saucepan. Set the heat to medium-low and begin gently stirring as the cream warms up.
3. Initially, the chocolate will melt, followed by the caramel, which may leave behind some clumps of congealed nougat centres – this is expected.
4. Continue stirring the mixture, ensuring it stays below boiling point. Use a spatula to squish down any remaining clumps of nougat. They will gradually break down as you stir.
5. Once the sauce is velvety smooth, remove it from the heat. If you still encounter any stubborn nougat pieces, a quick blend with a stick blender should help smooth them out (or just leave them).
6. Transfer the sauce to a serving jug and let it cool slightly before serving. (The longer it sits and cools, the thicker it will become.)
Variations
You can enhance the sauce with these delicious additions:
- Chopped up nuts like hazelnuts.
- A shot of whisky or rum (reduce the cream by the same amount)
- A shot of Amarula, Baileys or Kahlúa (reduce the cream by the same amount)
- Other flavour extracts like coffee or caramel.
- Mini marshmallows.
- Sea salt flakes.
Storage
Store the Bar-One sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It will thicken up quite a bit when cold. To loosen it up, just microwave it for a few seconds until it’s the right consistency and temperature for you.
More recipes from South Africa
Bobotie and yellow rice
Bar-One Sauce
Ingredients
- 200 grams bar-one or Mars bar (UK) or Milky Way (US)
- 200 millilitre double cream or single cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Slice the chocolate bars into small bite-sized pieces.200 grams bar-one
- Add the heavy cream, chocolate pieces and vanilla extract to a medium-sized saucepan. Set the heat to medium-low and begin gently stirring as the cream warms up.200 millilitre double cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Initially, the chocolate will melt, followed by the caramel, which may leave behind some clumps of congealed nougat centres – this is expected.
- Continue stirring the mixture, ensuring it stays below boiling point. Use a spatula to squish down any remaining clumps of nougat. They will gradually break down as you stir.
- Once the sauce is velvety smooth, remove it from the heat. If you still encounter any stubborn nougat pieces, a quick blend with a stick blender should help smooth them out.
- Transfer the sauce to a serving jug and let it cool slightly before serving. (The longer it sits and cools, the thicker it will become.)
Notes
Variations
You can enhance the sauce with these delicious additions:- Copped up nuts like hazelnuts.
- A shot of whisky or rum (reduce the cream by the same amount)
- A shot of Amarula, Baileys or Kahlúa (reduce the cream by the same amount)
- Other flavour extracts like coffee or caramel.
- Mini marshmallows.
- Sea salt flakes.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
What a classic! I’m in the UK and was so happy to find out from your post that you can use Mars bars – I think I like it even more than Bar-ones! Brilliant, recipe.
Hey Ollie,
I didn’t want to say it out loud, but we kind of prefer the Mars bar version too! 😀