Hot Chocolate Floats upgrade regular hot chocolate by adding ice cream, hot fudge sauce, and other gourmet toppings. Hot chocolate has never tasted so good!
Three words: Hot. Chocolate. Floats. Did I just blow your mind, or what?
Maybe the rest of the world has been enjoying hot chocolate floats for years, but for some reason this concept had literally never occurred to me before. I don’t know why not—I like ice cream, I love hot chocolate, and I adore anything that I can put in a cute mug and douse in fudge sauce. This is obviously my culinary soul mate.
But I had never heard of hot chocolate floats until my friend Jane threw a party last week. I arrived, she handed me a mug filled with peppermint ice cream and rich, steaming hot chocolate, and then the heavens opened and a choir of angels sang. That Jane, she knows what’s up.
You know how, when you add marshmallows or whipped cream to hot chocolate, they melt and create a sweet, rich foam on top of the chocolate that you can scoop up and slurp with a spoon? And if you’re really lucky, the marshmallows or cream will keep producing that foam and you can get a good half-mug’s worth before it’s gone and you’re left to drink the chocolate? Well, hot chocolate floats are like that, but are so much better because the frothy foamy goodness is actually melted ice cream, which is 65% more delicious than anything else.
Obviously, the idea behind hot chocolate floats is so simple that you don’t really need a recipe. Ice cream + hot chocolate = done. A reasonably competent monkey could make them, provided they had the ingredients and the wherewithal to work an ice cream scoop. I’m sure you can figure out the logistics yourselves.
But I am sharing a recipe for a good, thick cup of hot chocolate, because I do think that they’re much improved by using a homemade version. You’re turning these into a dessert extravaganza, for crying out loud, now is not the time to use that sorry powdered stuff! If you have a favorite hot chocolate of your own, feel free to substitute it, or make it with the powdered stuff and thumb your nose in my direction. It’s cool. As long as I can enjoy another hot chocolate float of my own, all’s right in the world.
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Frozen Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate Floats
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups milk, I used whole milk
- 2-3 tbsp brown sugar, to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, good quality, finely chopped
- 4 oz milk chocolate, good quality, finely chopped
- 1 quart ice cream, vanilla, peppermint, and coffee all work well!
- Fudge sauce, see Note below
- Chocolate shavings, or other decorations, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the cream, milk, 2 tbsp brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook it, whisking occasionally, until it starts to simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolates, stirring until they’re melted. Carefully taste the mixture and add more sugar, if desired.
- Place 2-3 scoops of ice cream into mugs. Pour hot chocolate on top of the ice cream, and garnish with whipped cream, fudge sauce, chocolate shavings, or other toppings. Serve with spoons for maximum slurping.
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
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You blew my mind, and now my mind is everywhere, and I have to go clean it up. But don’t worry, coz I packed up some ice cream, and I’m on a plane to your house already, so it’s fine. Floats ahoy.
^HILARIOUS
Haha, if anyone is visiting anyone else, it is ME visiting YOU, because: Australia! And kangaroos! And super scary giant bugs! Get that couch ready, girl, we are about to be roomies.
mmmm my kids would love this! I think I’ll make it for snack today! Thank you!
Best mom ever! Your kids are lucky!
Mind = totally blown. I mean the concept of a hot chocolate float totally never crossed my mind. I mean it makes complete sense so how has this not happened before?! These little treats will be perfect for NYE!
Right?! It seems so obvious now! And YES, they’re totally a perfect NYE treat! Add some booze, if you like that sort of thing, and you’re set! Thanks Emily!
It is a Dream^^
Thank you–they were pretty dreamy!
m i n d b l o w i n g
I couldn’t be craving one of these floats more than I am now… seriously, they look too good!
Thanks Consuelo! They were pretty epic!
I never heard of this before, but now I wish I was having one for dessert tonight. Actually, I wish I was having three, because vanilla, peppermint, and coffee ice cream all sound delicious!
Haha, you have the right idea! Better try each of them to figure out which one you like best… you gotta do what you gotta do!
OMG these sound amazing. You are a brilliant woman.
Thanks Emily! I wish I could take credit, but all I did was ask my friend for permission to use her genius idea. 🙂 That’s almost as good, right?
Mind. Blown. I’m totally making this with salted caramel ice cream. And bourbon.
I like the way your mind works! Salted caramel ice cream is a stroke of genius!
You DID blow my mind! Hot and cold together?! I’m loving this. Although I suppose it’s not hot chocolate for very long. The thick kind of hot cocoa is totally my fave. I need this in my life!!!
You’re right, before long it’s lukewarm chocolate with gobs of melted ice cream–not a bad trade if you ask me!
You just made my day with this hot chocolate float! OH MY GOD! I AM SO EXCITED TO DRINK IT!
Haha thanks Nicole! Do it, DO IT!