Holiday Recipe: (Grownup) Almond Joy Milkshakes
My boyfriend and I recently shared a date night at a kitschy fondue restaurant, complete with life-size pirate ship, watery moat, and live alligators. It seemed like a fun way to ring in the cold weather. Leave it to me to order a milkshake in the middle of winter…
We stuffed ourselves with copious amounts of cheese, a giant sampler of self-cooked meat, and the mandatory bottle of red wine. When the waiter hastily brought our check, however, I must have looked at him like he was crazy. I mentioned dessert, to which he responded that he assumed we must be full. Ha! He obviously hasn’t met anyone with my appetite. (Clearly I have a separate stomach for sweets. Don’t you?)
After a quick pass at the dessert menu, I quickly became more enamored with the long list of alcoholic ice cream drinks. Talk about my own paradise! I settled on a Godiva-spiked milkshake, wondering how I had never thought of something so delicious myself. While the homemade pecan pie we ordered was superb, it truly was the cocktail that had my head spinning. (And no, it wasn’t just the booze.)
It was a given I would have to come up with my own ice cream drink, but it wasn’t until I caught my boyfriend munching on a contraband Almond Joy candy bar that I knew just exactly what I wanted. Here rich French vanilla ice cream, coconut milk, and flavored liqueurs come together perfectly for the ultimate grown up treat. I served mine in little shooter glasses to make them holiday-party worthy, but I won’t tell if you decide not to share.
Next time I’ll have to make a Grasshopper with crème de menthe, or a Nut’s & Berries with Amaretto and Chambord; the possibilities for fun ice cream drinks are truly endless! So, I’d love to know what flavor milkshake would you whip up?
Spiked Almond Joy Milkshakes
Makes 6-8 mini milkshakes
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the milkshake
- 3 cups
packed French vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup
stirred coconut milk
- 1/4 cup
almond liqueur (I used Amaretto)
- 1/4 cup
chocolate liqueur (I used Godiva)
For serving
Chocolate syrup
Whipped cream
Shredded sweetened coconut
Whole almonds
Instructions
Combine the ice cream, coconut milk, almond liqueur, and chocolate liqueur in a blender and mix until smooth. Adjust ingredients if desired (I like a creamy milkshake, if you want it thicker, add more ice cream. If you like more almond flavor, add more Amaretto, etc).
Place the jar containing the milkshake back in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour to let it thicken up a bit. Puddle chocolate syrup in the bottom of serving glass (I used shot glasses) and pour the milkshake over the syrup. Top each shake with a pile of whipped cream, a generous sprinkle of shredded coconut, and a whole almond.
Recipe Notes
This recipe can be easily doubled; just make sure to adjust ingredients to your personal taste. Do not make this too far in advance, or the consistency will be icy.
(Images: Nealey Dozier)