(From Joanne Fluke’s “Carrot Cake Murder.”)

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) salted butter

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream (that’s whipping cream)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the butter, sugar, and cream into a medium-size saucepan on the stove top. Turn the burner to MEDIUM-HIGH heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to stir and turn the heat down to MEDIUM. Stir for 2 minutes.

Turn off burner. Add the half-cup of chocolate chips. Stir them in, and then move the saucepan to a cold burner.

Let the mixture cool, without stirring, for one minute and then stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the frosting on the top of the cake and spread it out quickly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula.

Cool the frosting completely before you cut and serve.

https://hannah-swensen-mystery.fandom.com/wiki/Neverfail_Fudge_Frosting