How to Master Frozen Hot Chocolate

Frozen Hot Chocolate was made famous by Serendipity on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The signature dessert–a cross between a chocolate milkshake and icy chocolate milk–drew tourists in masses, waiting hours to score a sip.

Luckily, making a good frozen hot chocolate isn't all that complicated. It's success, like many recipes, relies mostly on high-quality ingredients -- particularly the chocolate.

Go ahead and skip the lines. Here's how to make frozen hot chocolate at home.

Start by making very rich hot chocolate. Choose your favorite chocolate bar -- semi-sweet or dark (or a mix of both) work best. Chop it into small pieces and place in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. The trick to melting chocolate without getting that granular texture is to keep the saucepan on very low heat, to avoid getting any drops of water in the mix, and to stir constantly -- not letting it cook a moment beyond its melting point.

Remove the melted chocolate from the heat. Add cocoa powder (or hot cocoa mix) and sugar to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Slowly stir in a half cup of milk (depending on your recipe) until smooth. Cool to room temperature. If the chocolate starts to firm up, return the saucepan to a low heat, whisking the mixture until it melts again.

Off the heat, stir in the remaining cup of cold milk, which should make the chocolate base cold. If it is still warm, let it chill in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process.

Check out our frozen hot chocolate recipe.

In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice -- you want about twice the amount of ice as there is liquid. Blend on high speed until smooth and slightly slushy (think: the consistency of a daiquiri). Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Serve with a straw and a spoon.