The Powdery Secret Ingredient In Serendipity 3's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

Serendipity 3, home of the infamously expensive Frrrozen Haute Chocolate which will set you back a not-so-cool $25,000 and the $1,000 sundae, is synonymous with decadent, desserty excess. The regular version of the Haute Chocolate, the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, is slightly more manageable but still not exactly budget-friendly at $19.95. The sticker shock that gold flakes bring to the table is among the things to know about eating gold. In this case, those flakes are part of the reason why the Haute Chocolate is so pricey. This indulgent mix is reached by combining several different types of one vital powdery substance; cocoa powder.

Close examination of canisters of their Frrrozen Chocolate Mix reveals a fairly sparse list of ingredients: sugar, non-fat dairy milk, dextrose, and cocoas. Note the plural there; not cocoa, cocoas. At almost $44 for 32 ounces, however, this option isn't exactly ideal either, especially because they're not often in stock in the first place. Luckily for us, we can always try and replicate that taste at home.

The exact mix of cocoas used isn't specified or elaborated on but that hasn't stopped innovative folks from trying to figure it out. Take Todd Wilbur, copycat recipe specialist, for example. In his version, he uses three different cocoas: two tablespoons of Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder, one tablespoon of Hersey's unsweetened cocoa powder, and one tablespoon of Sharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder. This mix, when blended with sugar, milk, ice, and a pinch of salt, makes enough for two copycat Frrrozen hot chocolates.

Wilbur doesn't specify why he chose these specific powders but it may have something to do with the way they've been processed. Because the cocoas in the official version are processed with alkali — the Dutch processing method where the cocoa solids are treated with an alkalizing agent that reduces the cocoa's acidity — that precise taste probably can't be replicated unless you're already using Dutch-processed cocoa. Well, that's exactly what Wilbur does. The Ghiradelli powder is also processed with alkali. When combined with the heavier tastes from the Hershey's and Sharffen Berger powders, the synergy results in that perfect mixture of sweet and bitter.