The Store-Bought Hot Fudge Brand You Should Never Use

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day is July 25. If you missed it, don't fret. This iconic treat tastes fabulous any day of the year! You can dress up your sundae by swapping in your favorite ice cream for the usual vanilla, building it on top of a fresh-baked brownie, adding a smattering of strawberry sauce, and more. But, if you stick to the basics, it's just vanilla ice cream, warm hot fudge topping, whipped cream, a cherry, and, optionally, toasted almonds or peanuts. Because the ice cream and hot fudge are the stars, grab a container of the best vanilla ice cream and a jar of hot fudge that ticks all the boxes in terms of flavor, consistency, and value. Chowhound even ranked seven store-bought hot fudge brands to help you make the tastiest decision.

The top three options hailed from brands you may recognize: Hershey's and Smucker's. But there had to be a loser; in this case, it was Mrs. Richardson's. The main problem with this hot fudge is that it was overloaded with sweeteners — high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and sugar — so the chocolate flavor got lost when eaten alone. It was simply too sweet. Eaten with vanilla ice cream, the flavor improved. The texture wasn't bad, although it pooled at the bottom of the ice cream rather than coating it evenly. At $4.88, it wasn't cheap enough to make up for its deficiencies.

Hot fudge isn't the only sauce in Mrs. Richardson's portfolio. The brand was launched in the 1980s under the Richardson Corporation (established in 1915) before the larger business was eventually bought by Baldwin Ice Cream Company in the 1990s. The more poetic version of this origin story is that pharmacists Alick and Dirbin Richardson opened a soda parlor together and, wanting to help their creations stand out from the crowd, developed sauce recipes that soon became a nationally recognized brand. Unlike some brands that may spread themselves too thin, Mrs. Richardson's focuses solely on ice cream toppings. In addition to hot fudge, the company makes dark chocolate, strawberry, butterscotch, sea salt caramel, and regular caramel sauces. It's worth noting that some of the other options are made without high fructose corn syrup, and none of them use artificial flavors.

Mrs. Richardson's has some ideas for using its hot fudge dessert sauce, if you do end up with a jar. In addition to topping a hot fudge sundae, you could melt it on top of a pound cake or blend a spoonful into a mug of hot cocoa. Since the cocoa provides its own chocolate flavor, perhaps the lack of a strong chocolate flavor in the hot fudge sauce isn't as noticeable. But, if you truly want the best, sometimes you have to do it yourself. If you're ready to make your own chocolatey sauce, here's an easy hot fudge recipe to try.