Easy Choco Tacos

Choco Tacos are made with a taco shaped waffle cone filled with vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate fudge, dipped in chocolate, and finished with chopped peanuts.

This classic treat was recently discontinued, but don’t worry, we’re showing you an easy way to make a copycat Choco Taco.

What is a Choco Taco?

Choco Tacos, also known as Ice Cream Tacos, were one of the first manufactured ice cream desserts and they have been around since 1983, but they weren’t manufactured until much later.

The idea around the Choco taco is simple. You have a taco shaped waffle cone, filled with vanilla ice cream and swirls of fudge sauce, and the top is dipped in a hard chocolate shell. Before the chocolate hardens chopped peanuts are sprinkled on top. Delish!

Choco Taco Recipe

We’re going to share two ways to make Choco Tacos, both of them yield similar results to the classic Choco Taco you used to be able to purchase at the grocery store.

The first way includes making a super soft and airy vanilla ice cream swirled with fudge. The second way uses a store-bought ice cream.

When the news broke that Choco Tacos were being discontinued, people rushed to the supermarket to stock up on one of their favorite childhood treats. Since then, new rumors are spreading that they are bringing them back due to demand. I’ll update here when we know more.

Choco Taco Ingredients

We wanted to keep this Choco Taco recipe as simple as possible. We’ve included a homemade version of the ice cream; in case you want to make homemade Choco Tacos from scratch.

Waffle Cones – We are using store-bought waffle cones as the taco shaped waffle cone base for our Choco Tacos. There’s a simple trick that will allow you to reshape the cone into a taco shell shape. We’ll share that trick in a minute. The good news is that waffle cones are relatively inexpensive.

You can use store bought waffle cones or waffle cone bowls, both work in this Choco Taco recipe.

If you want to make waffle cones from scratch, go for it. They’ll be just as tasty.

Fudge Sauce – You can use your favorite fudge sauce recipe, or store-bought fudge sauce. For this recipe we’re using store bought fudge sauce to keep it simple.

Chocolate Chips – We’re going to use the chocolate chips and coconut oil to make a quick hardening chocolate coating for the top of the Choco Tacos. You can also by magic shell, if you like, but it won’t be as thick of a hard chocolate coating.

Coconut Oil – Coconut oil works best when making a hard chocolate shell, but you can use another oil if you like. Just make sure to mix it in really good.

Chopped Peanuts – You can omit the chopped peanuts, but if you’re making a traditional style Choco Taco, you’ll want to include them.

Ice Cream – For this recipe we’re using no churn vanilla ice cream and we’re swirling in the fudge sauce.

You could also use other ice creams to make Choco Tacos. Here are a few of our favorites:

Chocolate Ice Cream

Turtle Ice Cream

Pralines and Cream Ice Cream

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

Rocky Road Ice Cream

If you have any questions about making Choco Tacos, please leave them in the comment section below.

How to Make Ice Cream For Choco Tacos

You can skip making the no-churn ice cream and use a store-bought ice cream, if you like. To make the ice cream filling for the Choco Tacos:

1. Use a reusable ice cream container or line a loaf pan with parchment paper and place it into the freezer. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream on medium-high speed until still peaks form, similar to making whipped cream.
3. Gently fold the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture.
4. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan, spoon half the chocolate fudge onto the top, then pour the remaining ice cream mixture on top. Spoon the remaining fudge sauce on top. Take a butter knife or chopstick, or something similar, and swirl the fudge sauce around, making sure to mix it in well.
5. Cover the ice cream and freeze at least six hours or overnight before using.

How to Make Choco Taco Shells

Top make the taco shaped waffle cones for the Choco Tacos:

1. Run a paper towel under water to dampen it, carefully wring the water out, and wrap it around a waffle cone.
2. Microwave for 25-30 seconds. Remove the paper towel and flatten. IMPORTANT: The wet paper towel will be hot and steaming, so be careful not to burn yourself. We insist that you use a flexible oven mit when removing it from the microwave.
3. Use the edge of a cutting board to shape the waffle cone into a taco. You’ll need to work fast. Reheat if it hardens before you’ve shaped it.
4. Repeat until you have all six taco shaped waffle cones ready.

When you are ready to assemble the Choco tacos: Allow the ice cream to soften for 10-15 minutes. Then spoon the ice cream into the center of the taco shaped waffle cone.

Fill the inside completely, and until it’s filled to all the edges. Place the Choco taco on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and repeat until all six are filled.

Freeze for 1 hour or until they are firm and ready for the melted chocolate.

To make the hard chocolate shell: Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small mixing bowl on medium heat for 30 seconds at a time until they start to melt. Stir until smooth. Do not overheat or the chocolate will burn and start to clump.

As soon as the chocolate is warm and melted, pull the Choco Tacos out of the freezer one at a time and spoon the melted chocolate over the top and part of the sides, anywhere the ice cream is exposed.

Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top and place it back into the freezer. Repeat until all six Choco Tacos are made.

Store the Choco Tacos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Choco Tacos Tips

• Use a store-bought ice cream in place of the homemade ice cream and fudge sauce. This will cut down the prep time by at least six hours, and you can make Choco Tacos the same day vs. waiting for the ice cream to set.
• You can make the ice cream and the taco shaped waffle cones the day before so they are easy to assemble.
• Make sure the peanuts are chopped and ready to go.

Why Were Choco Tacos Discontinued?

Klondike reviewed their portfolio of products and felt that the Choco Taco was dwindling in popularity and sales so they decided to discontinue it. You can read more about it on CBS.

If you have any questions about Choco Tacos, please leave them in the comments below.

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