This article, entitled Fondue night comes from Mary Cornforth Cawood at fruitamoms.com

There’s nothing quite like dipping your food into hot, melted, gooey goodness, especially when it is chocolate!

A three-course fondue meal generally includes a cheese-based fondue, followed by a broth-based fondue, ending with a sweet fondue.

With a little prep work, you can create your own fondue night for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant bill! Kids (as well as the grown-up ones) love to dip, so fondue nights make for fun family dinners.

• Cheese-Based Fondue: This is the first part of your three-course meal. Use the cheese dip for bread or vegetables.


• Broth-Based Fondue: Dip meat or seafood into your broth for your main course. For a more laid-back approach, your main course "fondue" dip can be as simple as ketchup, barbecue sauce or ranch dressing.


• Sweet Fondue: Your family will love to dip bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels and anything else they can think of in a pot of melted chocolate.

No fondue pot? No worries! Melt your fondue in a saucepan on the stove, pour into individual bowls and dip with bamboo skewers.

Here are a couple of my favorite dessert fondue recipes (both are gluten free), and yes, I even am including one for you non-chocolate lovers!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fondue
(adapted from bettycrocker.com)

• 2/3 cup whipping cream


• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1 bag (12 oz.) semi or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

In fondue pot or 2-quart saucepan, mix whipping cream, raspberry preserves and honey. Heat over warm/simmer setting or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally; just until bubbles rise to surface (do not boil). Add chocolate, stir with wire whisk until melted. Keep over warm/simmer setting. If using saucepan, pour into individual serving bowls.

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Peanut Butter Fondue
(adapted from bettycrocker.com)

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/4 cup whipping cream or half-and-half


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Heat brown sugar, cream and honey to boiling in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour into fondue pot or individual serving bowls.

Mary Cornforth Cawood is a Fruita mom who is married with two daughters. Read her Tuesdays on Fruita Moms.