Klondike’s iconic Choco Taco has been a staple of ice cream trucks, bodegas, and playgrounds for nearly 40 years. Now, the creative cone is retiring. Klondike confirmed last week that as a result of supply chain challenges, the Choco Taco has been discontinued. The move instantly provoked social media mayhem and misery, with fans taking to Twitter to lament the loss. For those unfamiliar (and in my opinion tragically deprived), the Choco Taco features a round cone shell folded in half, filled with vanilla ice cream, and topped with peanuts and fudge. The ice cream is the stuff of freezer frenzies, the sort of novelty dessert I remember marveling at in elementary school.
While there has been some speculation that Choco Taco’s hiatus isn’t permanent, like many ice cream-lovers who reacted to the news, I decided that despite the fact that I hadn’t had a Choco Taco in years, I now didn’t know if I could survive a single day without one. You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. It’s likely that I could have scoured the local delis, shoving aside chunks of ice, and found some of the remaining relics. But rather than take on a scavenger hunt, I decided to tackle a kitchen test, and figure out how to make a Choco Taco at home.
The first task was learning how to make the shell. If your apartment is some sort of confectionery haven, and you happen to have a waffle cone maker, by all means dust that bad boy off and do your thing, Willy Wonka. While a classic, round waffle maker likely would work for this, I made the tragic mistake of trying to be cute last year and purchased a heart-shaped waffle iron, which would just over-complicate things. I decided to attempt this recipe using what I think are the simplest ingredients and kitchen equipment, and opted for a cast iron skillet.
I started off with a very simple cone recipe. I like this one from PudgeFactor because it uses minimal ingredients, but tastes like a traditional ice cream. You can really taste that subtle hint of vanilla. This is not the stuff of styrofoam-like kiddy cones!
Ultimately, I put together a really nostalgic creation that tastes as good as the real thing! I’ll let you (and my roommate) be the judge.
How to Make Choco Tacos at Home
Ingredients
egg whites from 2 eggs
7 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pint of ice cream
STEP 1
Combine first six ingredients to make cone mix.
STEP 2
Set your stove top to low and pour in 1 ½-2 tablespoons of batter into a pan. Quickly spread into a rough circle shape and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 1 ½ -3 minutes (until golden brown). Then, simply flip like a pancake!
STEP 3
When both sides are browned, use a spatula to place the cone onto a dish towel. Using the towel, fold the disk into a taco shape. Hold for a few seconds as it hardens. I placed mine into a baking dish to cool at room temperature.
STEP 4
Once you’ve made your shells, wipe the sweat off your brow, chef! Fill each one with an ice cream of your choosing and let them rest in the freezer for an hour.
STEP 5
After an hour, melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl (timing may vary, I recommend checking every 30 seconds).
STEP 6
One at a time, dip each taco into the melted chocolate to coat. You may have to spoon out a little extra to make sure the top is completely covered. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle it with chopped peanuts (or any topping of your liking- sprinkles, crushed cookies, anyone?!) Return each taco to the freezer for another hour. Enjoy and reminisce about a time before you had student loans!