CopyKat Hershey Chocolate Syrup

To avoid using a product that's laden with what I consider to be an undesired ingredient,  I adapted a recipe from CopyKat to make this 'copy cat' Hershey's Chocolate Syrup with the recipe listed below.  

First, why would I bother making my own when it's so readily available in store-bought containers?  Because the first ingredient on their label these days is HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP-- that's a good enough reason for me to get mixin' and boilin'!  Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I refuse EVERYTHING that has 'that kind of corn syrup' in it, but I try not to add it to anything if/when I find there's another choice.  So, having explained that, here goes....

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Hershey's cocoa (I ALWAYS sift cocoa-- and, powdered sugar, too-- because I HATE 'chasing' clumps and lumps.)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 and 3/4 cups water
• 2 dashes salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in 3 quart saucepan.
2. Add water, and whisk until very smooth/blended.
3. Over medium heat, bring this mixture to a boil, stirring/watching carefully.  (We don't want to end up with a scorched taste.)
4. Allow it to bubble/boil for 3 minutes.  Be careful/watchful because this can easily boil over.  (One who made this recipe and posted a review on a separate website said she first boiled it for the specified time, then turned the heat to really low and let it simmer for about 7 minutes to 'thicken it up' a bit.)
5. Remove from heat; after it cools a bit, add vanilla and refrigerate.  It will thicken a bit more as it cools.