Milkshakes

At the milkshake bar, Millions of Milkshakes, celebrity customers design their own milkshakes from a choice of over 50 toppings, including candies, chocolates, and fruits.

I actually prefer malts to milkshakes and you can turn any of the recipes below into a malt just by adding malt powder to the mix.

When “drinking out” Eddie Lakin at Edzo’s in Evanston makes the best malts ever – I am sure of it. Eddie says it’s the old-fashioned Multimixer spindle machine and swears that these old machines blend more slowly than modern blenders, which yields a smoother, creamier finished product, due to less air being whipped in.

I tried to find some out of the ordinary recipes and honestly, I couldn’t tell you my favorite. From one milkshake aficionado to another - I loved them all!

Bon Appetit!

Mini Buttermilk Berry Milkshake Recipe

3 big scoops of top shelf vanilla ice cream

1/3c.-1/2c. buttermilk

A cup or so of berries

A splash of Creme de Cassis

Let your vanilla ice cream soften up a bit before scooping three XL scoops into a big sized glass or cup. Mix in the buttermilk using a milkshake machine, an immersion blender, or by hand. I like my milkshakes extra thick, so I don't like to over mix them or thin them out with too much liquid.

Puree berries with an immersion or regular blender. Incorporate a small splash of creme de cassis.

Spoon or pour a bit of the vanilla milkshake into each serving glass, add a bit of the berry puree, more of the milkshake, more puree, and so on.

Give the milkshakes a bit of a swirl with a spoon and serve immediately.

Makes enough for about 4-6, depending on serving glass size.

Watermelon Milkshake

4 cups coarsely chopped seeded watermelon (from a 3-lb piece, rind discarded)

1 cup (1/2 pint) vanilla ice cream

Blend watermelon and ice cream in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 (20-ounce) glasses.

Cherries Jubilee Milkshake

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cup fresh cherries, rinsed and pitted

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons Kirsch (cherry brandy)

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons vanilla ice cream

In a medium sauté pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add cherries and sugar and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and add kirsch. Carefully ignite with a long lighter. Leave off heat and cook until flame extinguishes. Return to heat and cook until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool.

When cooled, add cherry mixture to a blender along with milk and ice cream. Purée until smooth. Place milkshake in serving glass and place in freezer for 20-30 minutes, until thickened (you can drink it right away but if you can wait, it will thicken more in the freezer).

Creamy, Dreamy Orange Milkshakes

¼ cup vanilla frosting, plus additional for decoration

2 cups of orange sherbet vanilla swirled ice cream

¼ cup orange punch

Layer the ingredients as follows: orange punch, ice cream, vanilla frosting. Blend until thick and creamy. Place additional vanilla frosting in a squirt bottle and line the inside of chilled glasses. Serve with a straw and a spoon.

Brandy Alexander Milkshake

2 Tbsp. brandy

2 Tbsp. brown creme de cacao

2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

About 1 c. (half of a one-pint carton) good-quality chocolate ice cream

Optional garnish: Lightly sweetened whipped cream

In blender container, combine brandy, creme de cacao, and chocolate syrup. Cover; blend at medium speed until well-mixed.

Now, soften the ice cream, and add it in large chunks. Cover; blend at high speed just until smooth. Pour into wine or other glasses. If desired, garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Serve immediately.

I made this one with just a little bit of ice cream to cut down on the calories.

Makes about 1-1/3 cups; 2-3 servings