In the midst of all that is happening in the world, it seems like there are no rules anymore. This is the perfect time to share this completely ridiculous Southern recipe. This was one of my favorite breakfast treats growing up, and I still make it for myself once every month or so. However, for people who did not grow up eating it, the amount of sugar and carbs is a bit overwhelming. I have yet to make it for a person who is already an adult and have them want to eat it again. Fair warning. You must truly live this to appreciate it.
What is it? This is a quick and easy, very uniquely Southern dish. We all know that Southerners love some gravy. In most states, you can go to Hardee’s or Carls Junior and find a biscuit and gravy platter, with a sausage-y sawmill gravy. This is a staple of the Southern diet. Sawmill gravy goes on everything from breakfast biscuits to country fried steak to fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s a versatile condiment. There are delicious variations, made with tomatoes, served in summer when tomatoes are ripe and juicy. There’s brown gravy and onion gravy and… well, the list goes on. There are many delicious, salty, savory gravies. But to my knowledge, this is the only sweet gravy.
As a small child, my mother had a recipe for chocolate gravy that was made in the microwave, and involved powdered or confectioner’s sugar. There was always excitement in the house when the tell-tale sign of the bag of special sugar was in the cabinet. I never learned this recipe, as I was far too young to cook. Eventually, she had a friend who taught her a new recipe, and this is the one I learned to make as a teenager and the one that I still use today. It’s much easier, and doesn’t require any terribly special ingredients.
The gravy itself is dark and chocolatey, thick and velvety. It is delicious poured over freshly baked biscuits. Any biscuit recipe will do…. From making Alton Brown’s from-scratch recipe, to just picking up some plain buttered biscuits from Hardee’s, to the satisfying pop of canned biscuits. My preference here is actually the Pilsbury flaky layers biscuits, but that’s probably nostalgia more than taste preference. I usually just serve the biscuits, covered in gravy, and a glass of milk. But a couple of pieces of salty bacon are a good contrast to the chocolatey sweetness.
How to Make It
Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- BYOB – bring your own Biscuits – any style, any recipe
The first step is to melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. It doesn’t need to be bubbling, just melted.
Once the butter is melted, add the sugar. Stir until coated. This will make a gritty sugar/butter paste.
Add the cocoa powder and stir it in until there is a dark brown gritty paste. Be sure there are no cocoa lumps.
Add milk. Stir until all ingredients are combined and turn the heat up to medium-high. The butter acts as an emulsifier and helps coat the cocoa so that it will dissolve easily in the milk. If you add all the ingredients at once, the milk and cocoa don’t mix. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently with a whisk. Be careful, as the milk will double in volume when it starts boiling. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and let the gravy cook until it reaches the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. I like it a little more runny, but it can be reduced down to a thick, viscous gravy.
Once the desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract.
Slice warm biscuits in half. Place a pat of cold, salted butter on each half. Then drizzle on the chocolate gravy.
2 Comments
Tim
That looks pretty good, but you need some big ol’ cathead homemade biscuits like your grandmother made!!!!
Tina
You should absolutely send me her recipe! I’ll make that asap 🙂