I’ve had a ton of friends and family recently visit Las Vegas, but alas, I’ve been left behind each time, so I do the next best thing – recreating famous recipes by the ultra fancy Vegas restaurants. While I don’t have the gold for Serendipity’s extravagant Golden Opulence Sundae (the Guinness record holder for most expensive sundae at $1000!), I couldn’t resist making Serendipity’s other famous dessert – their Frozen Hot Chocolate!
It’s the perfect treat for summer – it’s getting hot here in Texas, and alas, my AC has un-serendipitously broken down just now. It’s ginormous enough to share, or you can keep it all the delicious chocolate, ice, and cream to yourself – it’s that’s delicious!
Serendipity /serənˈdipədē/ (noun) – the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy way.
Mom says everyone has their “mia” or fate. You can do what you wish, but some are destined for a hard life and some are destined for a lucky life. I’m not quite sure if I believe in true serendipity; regardless, I like to think I’ve gotten more of the lucky side (not to jinx myself!).
Now is the time we’re preparing for residency applications – as I’ve looked over my CV, my personal statement, and life, everything was a result of definitely hard work, yes, but also an insane amount of serendipity. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s creating my own luck (which, I suppose, contradicts the very definition of serendipity lol).
My advice for creating luck, whether in medical school or just in life: Find what you love. Find great mentors. Find a support network so you stay sane. Then go forth [insert hard work] and conquer!
Anyway, my friends have raved about this infamous frozen hot chocolate, sadly, it remains on my Las Vegas/NYC bucket list. The recipe was once a huge secret; even Jackie Kennedy/the White House failed to get it despite begging the chef. Now the original Serendipity recipe has been released after 50 years, so here’s my adapted version!
Serendipity’s Frozen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
6 oz chocolates (I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark), chopped
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 cups ice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings and pirouette wafers, to garnish
Directions
Combine your chopped chocolate, cocoa, sugar, and milk in a small pot over medium heat, stirring until melted and blended. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In a blender, blend the chocolate mixture and ice together until smooth (like a frozen daiquiri). Pour into a goblet/bowl and top generously with whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate shavings and pirouettes wafers. Enjoy!
Is it wrong for me to be jealous that this dessert managed to make you fall in love with it in 1 day while it took me much longer? :0)
Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, dear 😉
These photos are gorgeous! That frozen hot chocolate…oh my goodness… it sounds so amazing. I *love* your advice for creating luck (: I'll keep that with me forever!
What a treat! Frozen hot chocolate sounds perfect for summer sipping.
I am sad to say that even living in NYC, I have yet to visit Serendipity! The line is always SO LONG. Guess I'll just *have* to make this frozen hot chocolate at home to make up for that!
Absolutely scrumptious!
Looks SO good. I would have that right now for breakfast, even though I absolutely shouldn't.
I love everything about this post- from what you wrote about creating your own luck, to the gorgeous photos, to the great recipe! I'm a fan of the real Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate and yours looks even better!
delicious! i've always been curious about this treat and now i can try it myself! excellent post. 🙂
Thanks Sonali – you'll be able to see how it holds up to the real deal 🙂
It's actually not as bad as it looks haha – I used fat free whipped cream (real cream, not that fake stuff), and there's very little sugar and no heavy cream at all. People drink chocolate milk for breakfast right? 😀
You can save yourself a lot of time and money this way haha. The NYC is the original one – would love to visit NYC again (sadly the last time I went was not long after 9/11 coincidentally so things were rather chaotic/lots of tourist places closed). Another a bucket list foodie city
Thanks Connie! I'm a K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) kind of person so simple advice works the best for me ^_^ Go forth and find luck!
Yeah, I know it gets hot even in NorCal (and I'm assuming no AC also in grad housing huh?)
What a fun summertime treat! I have recently treated myself to a good blender, looks like this will be on the list of things to try. Thanks for sharing!
Looks delicious, I think I'm going to have to try this recipe out, soon!
Excellent. You'll probably have even fluffier ice with your nice blender, but even with my horribly decrepit, leaking, tiny blender, it still worked out 🙂
Oh. My. Deliciousness! I'll be making this very soon 🙂
Yum, I am so going to have to make this! Thanks f or sharing 🙂
This looks amazing! I haven't tried Serendipity's frozen hot chocolate yet either, but we did try to make our own this past winter. It turned out alright, but something felt like it was missing. Definitely pinning your recipe for my second attempt! 🙂
Ah, hopefully the second time's the charm, Anna. Regardless, I bet it's better in the summer! 🙂
I love these photos!