One of my favorite make do recipes that has been passed down through our family is chocolate gravy. I grew up eating it on Granny’s biscuits. It was only when I started making it myself that Granny told me the story behind it.
When Granny was growing up (that’s her with her mother Gazzie) they often ate chocolate gravy. It was a family of 9 children-and when there wasn’t much milk and there was no meat to fry for grease-Granny Gazzie fed her family chocolate gravy and biscuits for breakfast.
Since there wasn’t many sweets back then-Granny said it seemed like a treat to get chocolate gravy. I’d say Granny Gazzie was pretty smart-she made them think they were getting something special-when actually it was a way of making do when there wasn’t much else to eat.
For a pretty good size bowl of chocolate gravy put 3 tablespoons of flour into a pan on medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of cocoa.
Mix the dry ingredients well. Gradually add water to the mixture-stirring constantly. Continue to add water till the mixture thickens to your liking-just like you would do any other type of gravy.
Crumble up some biscuits-pour some chocolate gravy on and enjoy!
I know chocolate gravy is common throughout different parts of Appalachia-but The Deer Hunter had never seen it till he met me. He said it sounded like an abomination to him-but after a few years of living around this bunch he decided it wasn’t so bad after all.
So now you know my favorite thing to eat on Granny’s biscuits. Have you ever had chocolate gravy?
Tipper
It’s 2024 but I came here to quickly look up your Chocolate Gravy recipe that you mentioned on your You Tube channel— I subscribe and watch ever episode from Indiana. I am 55 and husband is too and when we started dating at 18 his brother’s wife made chocolate gravy, I had never heard of it! We tried her recipe which had flour and butter and I found it to be like a watery chocolate pudding. Well,I just started making your biscuits this year and now everyone likes them better than my original recipe. I made them this morning. I loved your chocolate gravy recipe! I cut down sugar to 3 T and used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate cocoa powder. Wonderful! Thank you again, and congratulations to Grandma and Papaw and Katie. Corie so soon! Our children are 23, 25 and 27 this summer and I look forwarded to exciting adventures we have and yours, too. We may not know each other, but your family and sharing on You Tube has reached so many and impacts us all—makes the world feel smaller, happier and kinder. You add so much simple joy to my day and so many others. My grandmothers and own Mother died (I was 26 and almost married) and never got to see their grandkids. But I have my own wonderful
Memories with my parents and Mom making blackberry cobblers (grew up in country on 30 wooded acres) and Granma making dumplings !!! just like yours. Anyway I’ve heard so many of your sayings— they’re just part of how we talk and I took so much for granted. I wrote way too much but wanted you to know that even a post you wrote 14 years ago is still helpful TODAY. Also, I noticed posts Miss Cindy made here and I think
It’s the sweetest thing to see and precious. We always carry our family when they are with us. You are preserving history and family for your grandbabies and keeping cultural, language, history and family living via your snd girls’ You Tube site, too. I very much just wanted to say THANK YOU! My family thanks you for the wonderful biscuits too! Much love to your family, Missy in Indiana
Missy-you are so kind! Thank you so very much for sharing a bit about your life 🙂 I’m thrilled you enjoy what we do!!
This is my favorite breakfast. I never tried it with water I always use milk. Just when the gravy starts to thicken I throw a big chunk of butter and add vanilla flavoring. It is the bomb. So glad mom taught me how to make it.
Deb
My Granny (born in Gainesboro, TN) would made chocolate gravy as a special treat for our biscuits). Been more than 20 years since I had it. Going to make it soon. Thanks for bringing back memories 🙂
My mom never made it, but I remember my Aunt Dorothy making it. We were in east Tennessee.
MMM My grandmother used to make
“sop chocolate” for us before we went off to school. Mom and dad would leave early for work so Grandma would fix this for us.
Its the same as chocolate gravy.
Such sweet memories you bring
back for us Tipper!!
Tom in Georgia
I made biscuits & chocolate gravy for the Kelischek’s Sunday. They loved it!
Yum! Aunt Victoria used to make the best chocolate gravy! She passed away several years ago. Sadly, I never paid much attention to how she made it. My mom raised a large family and also fed us choclate gravy when sugar was available. I’m sure neither used a recipe and added milk or cream instead of water when it was available.
My cousin was a Nashville celebrity who ate in the finest restaurants across the country, but always said he would trade it all for a bowl of Aunt Vic’s chocolate gravy. She always had a big bowl ready when he came to visit.
I had never heard of it before my daughter met her husband. Still I have never eaten it.
But you can bet I will be.
I’ve never had chocolate gravy. It must be delicious especially on your granny’s biscuits! I was just wondering if you could have this on ice cream as well.
I’ve never had chocolate gravy but all my friends here in N GA talk about it.
I saw Ms. Barb mentioned tomato gravy. Yeah boy! We thicken up our bacon drippings and brown it till it looks like peanut butter. Then we add crushed tomatoes, a little salt, black pepper and let it simmer. Add back some of the cooked bacon (nice size chunks) and pour over hot biscuits!
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Oh, sorry! My slobber shorted out the keyboard!
I have never had chocolate gravy, but know others in the area who have. It doesn’t appeal to me, I don’t even like honey on my biscuits, but so many people can’t be wrong. Maybe one day I will get brave and give it a try!
Love chocolate gravy, But my mom added a bit of butter (i think). Any way my favorite way to eat biscuits is plain old buttered with fresh cantaloupe. MMMM
Somehow chocolate gravy just doesn’t seem like it is something to “endure” like you would expect from a make do sort of situation. But that is the miracle God gave us, Moms, who could make tight times seem alright somehow.
I have to fall into the “never heard of it” group. Maybe its just the term “gravy”. A chocolate sauce, chocolate spread? I don’t know, sounds funny to us in Missouri, ha ha! Sure looks good though.
Gosh, that looks delicious!
Chocolate gravy wasn’t handed down in my family, but Mitchell’s mama fed them so much of it (there were THIRTEEN kids) he can’t even look at the stuff!
Never, ever heard of chocolate gravy, but me thinks it’s gonna become a favorite! Yum, yum!
Now this is a new one on me.
With love.
God bless.
RB
<><
This is something I’ve heard of but never had —
A lot of people are blogging about food (chocolate) today and I’m trying to lose weight. I’ve never heard of chocolate gravy before, I think it would be good on ice cream.
Tipper, I am so glad to have your recipe! I had never heard of chocolate gravy until we stopped at a place for breakfast last spring in Savannah, Tennessee. It was a buffet and they served it! I couldn’t believe it! I am such a chocolate lover and I thought I was in chocolate heaven!
tipper you continue to amaze me with all the things you know and that have been passed down.. i adore hearing all of this.. and that gravy looks delicious.. and would be perfect on this cold drizzly day…. and chocolate.. wow a treat no matter what its poured on 🙂
hope all are well and loved in your corner of the world
big ladybug hugs
lynn
This is a new one on me! Never, never heard of chocolate gravy till today! Thank you for sharing!
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it, but…anything chocolate HAS to be scrumptious! 🙂
Tipper, I never heard of Chocolate Gravy till you talked about it. It always sounded odd to me. But I’ll try anything so when you made it, I tried it…..and found it very good!
It would have to be good though, it has chocolate and sugar in it.
B.Ruth my mother made pretty good fudge but once she was talking on the phone and let it cook too long. This particular batch of fudge was for a Fair at school and she really needed it.
She looked in the refrigerator for something to save it. Her eyes fell on a jar of apple jelly. She dumped the whole jar in the fudge and it worked. It softened it and added a very nice flavor. From then on she always added a jar of apple jelly anytime she made fudge because it added such a nice flavor.
I remember her fudge fondly. It was good before the apple jelly and better after!
I like to remember her fudge fondly….because she wasn’t much of a cook and fudge was one thing she could do really good. lol
Have heard others talk of making it but i never did. When money was short I’d water down the milk and make gravy. Might have to try the chocolate gravy now after reading all the comments.
you got me on this one tipper, never had it or even heard of it. all new to me. i do know that gravy was on the menu for all 3 meals when we lived in KY, it was a way to stretch and i love what Miss Axie called chicken gravy, made with some of the grease she fried her chicken in, and it was so thick we could pick it up on a spoon and it would sit there and jiggle.
Ive not heard of chocolate gravy til now, but I will try it. When Mamaw’s family didn’t have syrup(surp as she called it,) and if they had sugar, they made some with sugar and water and had that with their bread.
Tipper,
I ate chocolate gravy just about
every morning when I was little
and going to school. Sure made you
perky for about 3 hours, musta been the sugar. My brothers called
it ‘lick em’, but it sure was good.
And I got to say something about
Pap, he sure knows how to pick ’em. Your mom is gorgeous!
…Ken
Never had Chocolate gravy..sounds good though! I have had a milked based tomato gravy and that is the most delicious gravy ever. My Dad makes it for us..another make do gravy from his childhood. It is a special treat to us too!
Never had that up here. Mom used to make chocolate sauce for ice cream using a Jiffy frosting mix. If she had known about chocolate gravy she definitely would have made it. She loves chocolate!
I have never seen such a thing! It sounds delightful though! I will try it!
I would like to share w u that my Dandy Jelly was Amazing! Thanks for all your posts!
— Amy Jo Phillips
I had never eaten, never heard of, chocolate gravy until 1983–when I was 31 years old! I was visiting with some people up on the Tennessee-Kentucky border and they served it with breakfast. I tried it. Once. I’m with the Deer Hunter on this one. For me it’s just a good way to ruin a biscuit!
I have never heard of this! Sounds super interesting! And it looks awesome!
I’ve never had it, but grew up with a lot of people that loved it. Your recipe looks easy–I may talk my gang into trying it! Thanks, Tipper!
Now Tipper, I love chocolate and I love gravy but have never had the combination! So today, guess what Jim is going to get surprized with this morning – after YOGA!!!!
Thanks! Eva
oh I just love chocolate gravy also it was such a good treat for us growing up and now my daughter’s know how to make it. It’s hard to explain though to others – I just say it’s like pudding.
vickie
This is a new one for sure. I think I’ll stick good ole red eye gravy or sausage gravy and biscuits.
That looks delicious! I think I will try it on my ice cream, though:)
Stacey
SWPA
Tripper
I am a baby boomer born in the 40s but I grew up hearing stories.
Appalachian folks and flatlanders alike struggled through those bad times. As a child all of us children heard stories of hoover carts, milk and cornbread, biscuits and syrup. Anything that could be used to feed a large family. Chocolate gravy was what a friend used to treat a family of 9, they grew up thinking that it was a luxury they were amazed that everybody didn’t have it.
Most of these thing were grow on the land. A local store took chickens and produce in trade for sugar, flour, cocoa the bitter unsweet kind, coffee, and more. Barter was revived and was a way of getting things they could not grow.
The children of the depression are getting older, thanks for looking back on their struggle.
When I’d visit my adoptive granny in Arkansas, she’d make chocolate gravey – hers we very thin and oh so sweet – we kids would eat it up! 😀
Never did hear of it either, but sure would be good. Just think if you could crumble some bacon over it… Course, I think bacon goes with everything.
This sounds like what my Gramma used to make to put on pancakes when I stayed at her house. We used to beg for it. I didn’t know about the flour though I thought it was cocoa, water and sugar.
I’ve never heard of it either… but after reading this and seeing that picture I WANT SOME.
You just never know when hard times will hit and sometimes it’s something you foresee. In any case it’s always a good idea to be ready, be prepared. Not too long ago I bought a large bag of cocoa to keep in my pantry in case prices get so high I can’t afford it.
I will copy this recipe & keep it on file for those hard times when everyone is feeling a bit down. Of course that’s AFTER I try it real soon 🙂
Clint-it would be interesting to see how many Jenkins grandkids had eaten it before. And you-should for sure try it : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
B.-one of my best friends growing up-her Mother made chocolate gravy too-but it was indeed more like a syrup than Granny’s gravy.
Blind Pig The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Bradley-it’s really like gravy : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper,
Never had chocolate gravy but, just from the ingredients, it would have to be good. Wonder if it thickens once it is poured over the biscuits so as to become a sort of light fudge?
Bradley
Tipper,
I have heard of Chocolate Gravy but have never eaten it…However, Mom made a chocolate syrup, we thought,when I was growing up and we ate it on bread, biscuits, toast. She never called it Gravy, Now after thinking about it, I wonder if this was really Chocolate gravy? She cherished her cocoa and used it for chocolate cakes, icing and fudge..but she could’nt make good fudge. She would get after us for slipping in and making cold cocoa and sugar milk! My Father was the fudge maker..to this day I can’t make it like his nor could my mother..It was just old-fashioned cocoa, milk, butter and sugar and vanilla always made in an iron kettle. He would whip it with a spoon until it started to set. It was always smooth and delishious…
So, I guess I must have eaten Chocolate gravy and didn’t realize it..but Mom called it syrup…
This is a new one on me, but it sounds like it is right up my alley!
have heard many stories about it, but never have had any. how is that possible?
I never had it and up until a couple of months ago, I had never heard of it. I doubt that Mama knew of it either — she has an 85 year old sister and a brother in his late 70s still alive — when I see them this summer I will ask if they know of it or not. It sits twists the brain a bit to think about it.