guest post by ashley schuering - https://confessionsofagroceryaddict.com

The classic combo of milk and cookies is hard to resist, especially when served as a frosty Cookies & Cream Milkshake. In just 5 minutes, you can whip up a batch of a perfectly thick, decadently creamy, craveably chocolatey dessert in a glass.  One serving of nostalgia, coming right up!

Here at Chuao Chocolatier, we can’t help but shake things up—in this dreamy twist on the scoop shop favorite, we swap out the traditional chocolate sandwich cookies for our new Milk & Cookies bar. The result is a magnificent glass of slurpable vanilla ice cream flecked with salty-sweet milk chocolate studded with crisp cookie bits. YUM!

Ingredients & Equipment Needed

Here’s what you need to make two large ice cream shoppe-worthy cookies and cream milkshakes:

• Vanilla Ice Cream (1 Pint) - Use high-quality, full-fat ice cream for the best results. 

• Milk (½ - ⅔ Cup) - You’ll only need a little bit to help thin out the ice cream to make it drinkable. We think whole milk yields the best, creamiest results, but use what you’ve got!

• Malted Milk Powder (1 Tablespoon) - Optional, but great for bringing out that quasi-toffee-butterscotch flavor of the non-chocolate part of chocolate chip cookies.

• Chuao Milk & Cookies Chocolate Bar (1 bar) - Creamy milk chocolate and crispy, salty cookie bits are a match made in heaven—especially when swirled into a milkshake. Chop into approximately ½ inch pieces.

• Whipped Cream, Cherry, & Flaky Salt (Optional, to taste) - While optional, these garnishes will take your cookies n cream milkshake from good to great.

• Blender or Milkshake Maker - Using some machinery makes short work of this simple recipe.

• Old-Fashioned Milkshake Glasses - Optional, but cute. Feel free to swap in the tall serving glasses (e.g., hurricanes or collins) of your choice.

How To Make a Cookies and Cream Milkshake (Without Oreos!)

This cookies and cream milkshake recipe comes together in just a few minutes:

Step 1: Freeze your serving glasses 15-20 minutes before you plan to serve the milkshakes. In the meantime, chop 1 Milk & Cookies bar and set aside. Pull the ice cream from the freezer 5-10 minutes before assembly to help with scooping—it should be soft enough to give when you squeeze the sides of the container.

Step 2: Blend. Add 1 pint ice cream, ½ cup milk, and 1 tablespoon malted milk powder (if using) to the base of a blender or milkshake maker. Blitz on low speed, moving slowly up to medium speed until the mixture is uniform and there’s a “tornado” in the center—this should take about 1 minute. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the chopped chocolate, pulsing about 6-8 times until fully mixed in and the pieces are small enough to fit through a straw, but not so much that they’re blended into oblivion, which can make the texture grainy.

Step 3: Assemble & Serve. Pour the cookies and cream milkshake into your prepared serving glasses. Top with whipped cream, a cherry, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (if using), and the remainder of the chopped chocolate bar. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Optional Variations

One of the best things about making milkshakes is there are tons of ways to tweak them. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Mint Cookies & Cream Milkshake: Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract or 2-3 drops of food-grade peppermint essential oil to the blender with the ice cream and milk. If you want a natural green hue, you can also add 1 teaspoon of matcha powder.

• Chocolate Cookies & Cream Milkshake: Swap in your favorite dark chocolate ice cream for the vanilla, or add 1 tablespoon of Dutch process cocoa powder.

• Coffee Cookies & Cream Milkshake: Swap in your favorite coffee ice cream for the vanilla, or add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the blender (depending on how much coffee flavor you like).

Expert Tips

• Use real glass for your serving glasses—plastic won’t get as cold and frosty, which means your milkshake will melt faster.

• Use less milk than you think you need—about ½ - ⅔ cup milk per pint of ice cream is all you need to get the blades of your blender whirring. You can always add more milk if you like your milkshakes thinner.

• Blend on low, then slowly move your way up to medium speed and STOP as soon as you see the tornado swirl in the center. You don’t want to create too much friction, which can cause the ice cream to melt—this is especially pertinent for high-speed blenders like Vitamix or Blendtec.

The way we see it, life is always better when you end the day with something sweet. Ready to have the best dang cookies and cream milkshake around? Don’t forget to order Chuao’s Milk & Cookies Bars today!