There you are in your favorite gourmet food market, eyeing up the sweet dessert sauces and gourmet ice cream toppings that are ever so carefully stacked on a display in front of you. You pick up some of the jars and turn them over to see the prices. $7.00 to $10.00!! So you pick another brand and see the prices are much in the same range. Are they crazy, you think to yourself? How could this little jar of ice cream topping cost so much? Is it really that much better than the well-known brands available at the grocery store? What on earth is the difference? Is this really a premium product? Isnt chocolate sauce just chocolate sauce?

Premium dessert sauces and ice cream toppings actually are premium and differ quite a bit from the widely available commercial varieties.

Some of the bigger differences to note:

Most premium sauces have very few to no preservatives. You can clearly understand what the ingredients are that are written on the label.

Top quality fresh ingredients are used such as real cream, butter and sugar in the sauces. Also, the type of chocolate used is of the highest quality, resulting in a much richer, smoother consistency. The caramels are buttery, fine and incredibly smooth, and by no means grainy.

Smaller family owned companies make many of the toppings available. Most are manufactured in the USA, and not imported. Many have won awards in fine food competitions for the quality of their products. They are made in smaller batches and tasts like you made them yourself.

Dessert sauces are looked upon as fine gourmet items that make a wonderful gift for just about anyone. You probably would not consider going to your local grocery store and buying a bottle of cheaper chocolate sauce from the store shelves to be used as a gift.

One of the biggest differences is in the variety of flavors available. In your supermarket, you have only a small handful of basic flavors to choose from, but gourmet dessert sauces come in flavors ranging from bittersweet, dark, milk and white chocolates to raspberry, cinnamon pear, and cream caramels. Also of note are the sauces that blend fruit and chocolate together, sometimes also with a liqueur to make new flavors that stand out from the crowds. Companies are continually developing new flavors and using exotic fruits that give dimension to desserts and ice creams.

Dessert sauces can be used as a topping for a much wider range of desserts than just pouring on ice cream. They area a great complement to cakes, brownies, crepes, pancakes, waffles, muffins, puddings, cream puffs, tarts, and so much more. Many are good enough to eat spooned right from the jar.

So, are they worth the higher price? Well, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If fresh ingredients, a lot of variety and full flavor are important to you, then yes, they are worth the higher price. Add a little pizzazz to the next dessert you make and see what a difference a premium dessert topping does for your taste buds and those of your family and guests.