Starbucks quietly rolls out a cookies & cream hot cocoa for winter

Starbucks added a new drink to its winter lineup called Cookies & Cream Hot Cocoa, giving fans another choice in its seasonal hot chocolate collection. This new drink follows the release of the Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate and aims to please those who enjoy the taste of cookies and cream.

You won't spot the Cookies & Cream Hot Cocoa on the menu boards at Starbucks stores. Instead, it is offered as part of their hidden app menu.

Customers who got a push notification were taken to a page explaining how to customize the drink, so only those in the know can order it.

The Cookies & Cream Hot Cocoa can be ordered from any Starbucks location if customers request the right ingredients. To get a 16-ounce Grande, start with a standard Starbucks Hot Chocolate, then add four pumps of White Chocolate Mocha Sauce, Cookie Crumble Topping, and whipped cream.

Since these extras are added, there’s an extra customization fee for the drink.

According to the pricing data, the customization costs approximately 50 cents, and that's why the price of Grande Cookies and Cream Hot Cocoa is about 5.25, but it can be different depending on the location.

The drink can be redeemed using 200 stars by the Starbucks Rewards members. The drink will come in varying sizes, beginning with the 8-ounce Short or Kids size up to the 20-ounce Venti.

Starbucks uses app-only customization to introduce cookies & cream hot cocoa

Starbucks usually has a variety of seasonal beverages, so this particular customization may be a bit lasting.

Cookies and Cream Hot Cocoa is prepared using White Chocolate Mocha Sauce and Cookie Crumble Topping, which are not special menu items created seasonally but standard menu items.

It implies that customers would be able to continue to order this drink right after the winter season as long as the ingredients are available.

This approach shows how Starbucks keeps using its app to test and share creative drink ideas without changing their physical menus.

These secret menu-style creations are getting more popular allowing people to try fresh flavors just by following certain ingredient combinations instead of ordering official menu options.

With winter coming and more people wanting warm drinks, the Cookies & Cream Hot Cocoa gives Starbucks fans another choice in their hot chocolate selection.

To try it, customers need to customize their order since baristas use the recipe instead of the drink’s name to make it.