Chocolate gravy recipe
A friend and I were comparing notes about our favorite childhood treats. As I was raving about my grandma’s chocolate pie, my friend said, “So how’s your grandma’s chocolate gravy?” Huh? Chocolate gravy—is that like mole, I asked. Nope, it’s spooned on biscuits, she said. I had to admit that I’d never heard of chocolate gravy; clearly I’d been deprived.
Curious why I had been denied the joys of chocolate gravy all my life, I called my grandma and demanded an explanation. “Why don’t you make chocolate gravy?” I asked. She replied, “Because I don’t know what it is.”
I see. Apparently, my grandma was in the dark on this secret as well. My only consolation? At least I wasn’t alone.
So what’s the provenance of chocolate gravy? Because I know everything, I assumed that if I hadn’t heard of it, then it must not be Texan.
I was wrong.
I poked around and not only had my friend—a long-standing Texan—grown up eating it within slapping distance of Dallas, but other Texan friends had been eating it all their lives as well. I heard chocolate-gravy stories from friends as far west as Midland and as far south as Houston. Though friends who had grown up in Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia had also indulged, so it’s not particular to just Texas. But no matter, my family had been missing out on a very good thing.
I needed to make up for lost time. A little research revealed that there hadn’t been much chocolate-gravy recipe evolution over the years. The biggest schism I found in the chocolate-gravy community was whether to use milk or water as your liquid. I was surprised that no one had thrown some chipotle or bacon into their gravy, but actually this pleased me as it proved that chocolate gravy was indeed a classic that didn’t need any tinkering. But enough about thinking, it was time to eat.
I made my first batch and it was a deep, dark concoction—smooth, creamy and thick. I sliced a biscuit in half and plopped some chocolate gravy on each half. My first bite revealed this gravy’s pleasures. Its pudding-like consistency is pure comfort on a cold, winter morning. And while biscuits are in no way virtuous, their texture and heft prevents the gravy from sliding into total decadence, which is important as this is a breakfast treat after all, not dessert.
Does chocolate gravy and biscuits replace my beloved chocolate pie? No, but I certainly wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to pass an occasional morning with it poured on top of a biscuit. And am I the only one who didn’t grow up eating this? No matter, I am very, very pleased to finally make its acquaintance.
Chocolate gravy
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Biscuits, for serving
Instructions
- Mix together in a pot the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon (can sift if it’s too lumpy). Add the milk and while stirring cook on medium heat until it thickens. Stir in the vanilla and butter and serve immediately with biscuits.
Chocolate Gravy was a classic treat for my family growing up in western Tennessee. Then we moved to Kansas where everyone talked funny. But all of our friends growing up wanted to spend the night at our house on the weekends. My Dad would whip up some homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy. So good it would make you want to slap your mamma!
My Dad grew up poor in Arkansas and chocolate gravy was always a special treat that my Granny would make for him.
We've always made it with milk and water and used self rising flour. We don't add the butter to the gravy. Instead, we open that steaming hot homemade biscuit and put a couple of pats of butter down and pour the gravy over it. My brothers always crumbled their bacon on top of theirs too.
You don't hear of it often, but chocolate gravy is fabulous! A definite must try and I love the thought of adding cinnamon or hot pepper.
Oh Yes! An Arkansas, this was a favorite treat my grandmother would make when all the cousins were together. Made for breakfast, we ate ours spooned into a bowl with a pat or two of butter melting on the top. We would tear our biscuits into pieces and drop on top of the bowl of chocolate gravy. It is one of those great memories. The only person who ever made it in my family was my grandmother. My mother did not carry on the tradition, nor have I. But I might revive it. Especially if I ever have grandchildren. I am totally a foodie and gourmand, but chocolate gravy is sacred. I'd say leave off the chili powder and even the pecans. All you need is butter and biscuits.
i grew up in oklahoma, and our elementary school would serve chocolate gravy for breakfast occasionally (i only had one friend who's mom made it, though, and there's a diner in my hometown that had it on special, as well).
i'm happy to have a recipe for it now, though!
We were both deprived as children! I too can't believe I missed out on this growing up. But I do like the cinnamon in your recipe — a Oaxacan touch (or "Oax-exan"?)
Great post!! I love chocolate gravy! I grew up in Mississippi, and chocolate gravy was common for Sunday morning breakfasts. It's usually quite thin, made with natural (as opposed to Dutch processed) cocoa. Milk or water work, and the old timey way (as my greatgrandmother would do) is to make it with grease, such as bacon or other pork fat or even shortening, not butter, but butter is more common now. I recently made some with Valrhona cocoa powder bc that is what I had, but it did not taste right. Too rich, more like chocolate sauce than chocolate gravy. My mother always used Hersheys, but any natural cocoa should work. We still have it often at my mother's house and my own. There is a MS recipe for the gravy and extensive background on it (including linking it to the tri-racial Melungeons) in "Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon," which I highly recommend.