Let’s face it; we all love a chilled, decadent, creamy milkshake every now and then. For most of us, milkshakes aren’t just delicious—they appeal to our sense of nostalgia, too. They remind us of the little joys of childhood, right down to the ritual final step of dragging your straw all over the bottom of the glass and slurping to vacuum up every last drop.
As summertime desserts go, it’s hard to go wrong with milkshakes: They need no cooking and require minimal preparation time, and they also allow for more creativity than a plain scoop of ice cream.
So what are the secrets to the perfect milkshake?
Firstly, although you can use any ice cream that you want to, for the best tasting milkshakes, use a premium quality ice cream. Ideally, choose something with natural ingredients. It does not have to be the most expensive ice cream, but the better your ice cream tastes the richer your milk shake will taste. Secondly, start with softened ice cream. By softened, I mean it should be easy to scoop, so take it out of the freezer for at least 5 minutes before you blend to ensure a smooth, silky milkshake and place your glasses in the freezer to get a nice chill on them before serving.
For a decadent treat, there is nothing better than serving freshly baked, homemade cookies with a deliciously, refreshing milkshake. They don’t have to be unhealthy either, try these pecan and quinoa breakfast cookies with my frozen strawberry yoghurt shake and you’ll know exactly what mean.
Simple cranberry cookies with banana & white chocolate milkshake
Prep time: 25 mins - Cooking time: 15 mins - Ingredients makes 18/20
125g butter, chopped
260g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scooped out
1 egg
80ml milk
300g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
2tbsp dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 180°C (355ºF).
Place the butter, vanilla seeds, sugar, egg, milk, flour and baking powder in a food processor and process until a soft dough forms.
Place dough in a bowl and gently mix through the dried cranberries. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into flat rounds and place, allowing room to spread, on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until brown. Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool. Serve with banana & white chocolate milkshake.
Banana & white chocolate milkshake
Ingredients
250ml semi-skimmed milk
2 bananas, chopped
150g white chocolate
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
A pinch of cinnamon
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Pecan & quinoa breakfast cookies with frozen strawberry yoghurt shake
Prep time: 20 mins - Cooking time: 15 mins - Ingredients makes 18/20
125g unsalted butter, chopped
200g caster sugar
75g light brown sugar
1tsp clear honey
1 vanilla pod, seeds scooped out
1 egg
80ml milk
300g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
2tbsp pecan nuts, crushed
150g quinoa, cooked & chilled
Preheat oven to 180°C (355ºF).
Place the butter, vanilla seeds, caster sugar, honey, brown sugar, egg, milk, flour and baking powder in a food processor and process until a soft dough forms.
Place dough in a bowl and gently mix through the pecan nuts & quinoa. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into flat rounds and place, allowing room to spread, on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until brown. Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool. Serve with frozen strawberry yoghurt.
Frozen strawberry yoghurt shake
200g frozen strawberries
150g plain Greek yoghurt
2tsp honey
150ml milk
Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend to smooth puree.
Banana, date & almond milk shake
Ingredients serves 2
2 large ripe bananas
6 medjool dates, stoned
350ml almond milk
1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream
½tsp cinnamon
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.