PORTLAND, Ore. — If you are a fan of ice cream treats odds are you mourned the passing of Klondike's historic Choco Taco, which was discontinued during the summer.
So when Portland's own Salt & Straw announced that they would be giving it a limited revival — people were excited. The "Chocolate Tacolates" were only available via their online shop and sold out within minutes.
A post on the Salt & Straw Instagram page read, "For those who were unable to get them, we hear you.... gotta hit the drawing board to figure out how we might bring these limited time offerings to more of you, stay tuned." Implying that the limited edition treats might be made available once again in the near future.
The "Chocolate Tacolates" debuted on October 4th as a promotion for National Taco Day.
A big part of why they undoubtedly sold out so quickly was due to the void left by the departure of the Choco Taco. But the rest of it can be explained by the sheer painstaking process of making the Salt & Straw versions.
For starters the process for making "Chocolate Tacolate" takes four days at a minimum. This means that all the tacos had to be produced ahead of time, and once they were gone — there was no making more on the spot.
How Chocolate Tacolates are made
Day 1: Hand mold waffle cone batter into tacos.
Day 2: Fill taco shells with "cinnamon ancho ice cream topped with candied pecans."
Day 3: Dip the tacos into "single origin dark chocolate" and sprinkle with salt.
Only on day four are they finally packed into individual pouches and sealed into boxes of five, according to Salt & Straw.
Not only do they take long to produce — they also cost those who were able to snag them a pretty penny.
Retailing at $65 a box, each taco is worth approximately $13. A steep increase from Klondike's original that cost just under $3 a piece.
How are they different
The Salt & Straw versions depart from Klondike's original vision in many ways. From the exotic cinnamon ancho ice cream, to the delicate single origin dark chocolate, Salt & Straw is offering a more elevated and refined take on the summer mainstay. Where the originals featured chopped peanuts their version features flaky sea salt for an added splash of flavor.
The Portland based creamery isn't alone in capitalizing on the catastrophe. Since Klondike's announcement, boxes of Choco Tacos have been listed for as much as $1,000 on resale sites like eBay.
In an Instagram post Salt & Straw said ahead of their release that "when one freezer door closes another one opens."
Let us hope that another will be opening soon.
How to make your own
However if you are impatient, here is a pretty good Choco Taco recipe that is super easy. No mixing ingredients or letting things sit overnight, in fact this recipe can hardly be called cooking at all.
You will need:
- 6 store bought waffle bowls
- 1 pint of ice cream of choice
- 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts (or exclude if allergic)
- 6 oz. of any chocolate candy that can be melted — or — 4 standard Hershey's bars
Simply wrap a waffle bowl in a warm damp paper towel for about 20 seconds. At this point gently bend it into the familiar taco shape. Let the assembled tacos sit for about five minutes so they can reharden.
Fill with ice cream and freeze for fifteen minutes. Once they are pretty frozen feel free to pull them out and dunk them in whatever melted chocolate you have got.
Waffle bowls can be found in stores in a pack of six. Melting four normal sized Hershey's bars provides more than enough chocolate to dip all six tacos. Then sprinkle them with peanuts before the chocolate hardens, and place back in the freezer.
Tacos can be enjoyed after cooling for another 20 minutes or they can wait in the freezer to be served on a warm day.
