For an agave nectar dessert home run, top an Ultimate Fudgy Brownie (page 37) with your choice of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, add this hot fudge sauce, and top it off with Agave Nectar Whipped Cream (page 113).

Ingredients

　　3/4 cup light agave nectar

　　1/4 cup water

　　1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

　　2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated butter substitute

　　1/3 cup heavy cream or soy creamer

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　In a small saucepan, bring the agave nectar to a boil. Decrease heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the water. Return to a boil and add the cocoa powder. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the unsweetened chocolate, butter, and cream and bring back to a boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To serve, warm in a saucepan over low heat, or microwave on medium setting for 1 minute. Stir well and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.