Spring is in the air—at least, I hope so!—and I’m looking forward to warmer weather, walks in the park, and picnics.

I found this recipe for milk shakes that is easy to vary. If you have a blender, you can make this.

I had chocolate truffle ice cream in my freezer. The recipe calls for 1 – 2 scoops—I used 2 scoops for a single 16-ounce serving.

Pour ¾ cup of milk into the blender. Add ice cream. Next, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (or 2 tablespoons of your choice of syrup.) I love the vanilla flavor so I chose the vanilla extract.

Replace blender lid and blend a few seconds or until desired consistency.

I put a dollop of whipped cream for my husband, which he appreciated.

The shake turned out smooth and creamy. I liked it, yet 2 teaspoons of extract overpowered the flavor. All I tasted was vanilla. I’d cut the amount of extract at least in half. For a single serving, ½ teaspoon extract should be sufficient to flavor the drink without overpowering the ice cream. I’m thinking that orange extract with vanilla ice cream would be delicious!

Also, there are many syrups that you could try instead—chocolate, caramel, coffee, peppermint, strawberry, and raspberry to name a few. Varying the syrups and the ice cream flavor will make this a fun summer treat for your child’s parties, picnics, and family gatherings.

Enjoy!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Revised by Cunningham, Marion and Laber, Jeri. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1983.