What’s a Frozen Hot Chocolate? It’s an icy cold version of hot chocolate, of course. Depending on how you make it, it’s a chocolate milkshake with added cocoa powder. There are many variations of the recipe.

Some recipes start by blending melted chocolate with hot cocoa powder, milk, and ice, and garnished with whipped cream (like this recipe).

Others are minimalist, blending ice with cocoa powder, sugar, powdered non-dairy creamer, and milk (like this Hershey’s recipe).

The original Frrrozen Hot Chocolate [not a typo] from Serendipity 3 in New York City uses a recipe similar to the one below but with chocolate ice cream, sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry (the recipe).

The following recipe is our go-to.

It uses a packet of hot cocoa mix, milk, and ice, plus the added richness of vanilla ice cream.

> National Hot Chocolate Day is January 31st.

> National Milkshake Day is September 12th.

> The history of hot chocolate.

> The history of frozen hot chocolate is below.
 
 
RECIPE: FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE

You can opt to make this recipe with a no-sugar-added cocoa mix and no-sugar-added ice cream.

In our opinion, if you want to shave calories, it’s better to lose the sugar than the richness of whole milk.

If you use mini marshmallows, use your kitchen torch to brûlée them as in photo #3.
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the milk and ice in a blender and process just until the ice is crushed.

2. ADD the hot cocoa mix and ice cream. Blend until ice cream is combined into a milkshake consistency.

3. GARNISH as desired.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate has long been on the menu at Serendipity 3 in New York City (founded 1954). Back in the 1960s when we met the owner, Stephen Bruce, he told us that he invented it.

As noted earlier, he (or his chef) added cocoa powder to chocolate milkshake ingredients.

Today the restaurant serves 13 different flavors of Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, including Birthday Cake, Peanut Butter, and Salted Caramel.

While many celebrities have graced Serendipity’s tables, one, Selena Gomez, became a partner and investor in 2021 (which should make it Serendipity 4*).

If anyone knows a different origin, speak now or forever hold your peace.

We have seen references that:

 
While Herrell may have had Frozen Hot Chocolate on the menu, Bruce beat him to it by a decade or more.
 
 
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*The Serendipity 3 founding partners were Stephen Bruce, Patch Caradine, and Calvin Holt. The “desirable discoveries made by accident” include not just frozen hot chocolate, but a foot-long hot dog and a caviar omelet (the latter created by chef James Beard).

[1] The original Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. Here’s the recipe from Chef Joe Calderone (photo © Serendipity 3).

[2] This version doesn’t use ice cream but does use high-quality melted chocolate. Here’s the recipe (photo © Lauren Allen | Tastes Better From Scratch).

[3] Surprisingly, Hershey’s version is the most spare: no ice cream, but powdered dairy creamer. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Hershey Company).

[4] How about a Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate? Here’s the recipe (photo © Chocolate Moosey).