Something happens when you're sick for many days. You lose your appetite, you watch a few bad movies, you entertain thoughts that you may never be well again. And then one morning, like magic, you wake up and have an appetite. The first thing that sounds delicious: a banana milkshake!
This is a true story. I rarely make milkshakes at home, but after coming out of this awful flu that seems to have taken over our circle of friends here in Seattle, the one thing I kept thinking about was a banana milkshake. And not just any banana milkshake, but a super creamy, slightly chunky one. A dessert that would taste like banana cream pie -- but in a glass.
At first I figured I could just grind up graham crackers and throw them into the blender along with my other ingredients, but I decided that it wouldn't have quite the same effect as that buttery, toasty graham cracker crust that lines the tins of so many banana cream pies. So I essentially made the buttery crumbs for the crust and used them in my milkshake instead of a pie. Because they're baked, they don't get soggy in the milkshake and they really do taste like ground up graham cracker pie crust.
As for the milkshake itself, you'll notice that the milk measurements range from 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup. Start slow with the milk; it's always easy to add more but more difficult if you end up with a liquidy milkshake. You can adjust depending on your tastes here.
I'm not sure if it was this milkshake or the simple fact that the flu had run its course, but I felt much better the afternoon I enjoyed this on our front stoop. A new magazine had come in the mail, the sun was suggesting an afternoon showing, and I couldn't help but wonder why I didn't make milkshakes much more often.
Banana Cream Pie Milkshake
Makes 1 large milkshake or 2 very small milkshakes
You will have enough graham cracker pie crumbs for 2 milkshakes, so feel free to save the remainder in a ziplock bag and refrigerate for a future milkshake. Or if you have two milkshake-loving folks at home, double the recipe and make two shakes!
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 ripe banana
3 tablespoons - 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream, to top
To make the graham cracker pie crumbs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Stir together the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Turn out onto a small baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
In a blender, combine the ice cream, banana, milk, 1/2 cup of the graham cracker crumbs, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Pour into your favorite glass, and top with whipped cream and a pinch of graham cracker crumbs.
Related: Frozen Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Milkshakes
(Image: Megan Gordon)
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Comments (24)
YUM.
How to turn "regular" food into a novelty concept:
Put it in a Ball jar.
Hey SHUT UP ALIGEE
This is a f**king BANANA. CREAM. PIE. MILKSHAKE you're blasphemizing here. I'd drink one of them out of a Ball jar, as a concept, as a novelty, I don't care. I'd drink it out of a shoe, out of a pure crystal tureen, out of a faded, half-melted-by-a-crack-pipe-lighter 10 year old Big Gulp cup, out of a dog bowl. This isn't "regular" food. It's self-actualization.
This shake looks delightful! I was actually just talking with someone who is undergoing chemo about milkshake and smoothie recipes, and this one looks like it is worth trying.
I was already very underweight when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 16 in late 2009, and I began to look like a stick figure after chemo altered my taste buds. Foods I used to love and be comforted by suddenly tasted like pennies. Smoothies and milkshakes helped me to regain my weight and vitality. I would have loved this! Sweeter foods didn't have the same repulsive metallic tastes that blander foods did, and the coolness of the milkshakes helped with the lava-like burning sensation in my mouth that had been caused by chemo. I think putting the milkshake in the jar is darling. Sometimes it's the little things that will make you smile. I will definitely make this shake! : )
Ha ha @ BX. I agree. I'm over the trend of serving everything in a jar, but who cares. I'll pour this bad boy into a regular old glass and enjoy the heck out of it. In fact, I think I'll have to recreate the 'sit on the stoop with a magazine' part, too.
One problem: no graham crackers here in Australia. Any ideas for substitutes?
@Charlie26 - you can substitute McVitie's Wheatmeals.
This sounds yummy - I've been doing this with my morning yogurt - I start with plain unflavored Greek yogurt and add different mix-in's each morning. It's easy to keep the calories and sugar very low if you're careful about choosing the mix-in's and of course the same mix-ins work with vanilla ice cream or in shakes. Maybe today it'll be banana cream pie (minus the whipped cream & butter *g*).
@SKYLARKMELODY, I'm in treatment for Hodgkin's right now, and I was going to skip sharing this story, but heck: I haven't been able to go near smoothies or shakes with banana in them ever since I threw one up. In bed. All over myself and my new duvet. Sigh. So when I read this post, it made me shudder a little. Chemo has also given me a permanent aversion to ham and cheese, so we'll see if bananas ever get a reprieve.
It's interesting that cold and sweet things tasted less metallic to you, because I've had the opposite experience. I thought the taste difference was most noticeable for those things and I tried to eat foods as strong and spicy as I was able in order to mask the taste.
@ Rucy - thank you!!
This looks awesome! I love milk shakes, but my hubby is lactose intolerant (or as I call him, a lactard :) and it's just not as fun to make a milkshake for yourself. Have you tried making a milk shake with coconut milk or other dairy free based ice cream before? I'm wondering if the consistency would still be nice and thick and creamy.
Charlie26 you don't have graham crackers in Australia?? WTF? That's just not right. I was going to suggest crumbling up Nilla Wafers instead but I don't suppose you have those either, if you don't even have graham crackers.
for those who can't do dairy: if you use frozen bananas, you might not even need ice-cream. they are super creamy and delish. add in a touch of almond or coconut milk to get the right consistency.
@charlie26 you could use Butter Nut Snaps, but I'd play around with whether you'd need to add extra butter or not - Butter Nut Snaps = good old fashioned heaven IMO.. or even Hobnobs perhaps too, oh the chocolate covered ones, that could be DELICIOUS!
@charlie26 If you are really ambitious, you can make your own graham crackers. I use this recipe
http://penniesonaplatter.com/2011/07/07/graham-crackers/
Such a cute milkshake and it puts a smile on my face. :)
Thanks for all the ideas!
@Devo13: Nope, no graham crackers *or* nilla wafers. The horror! ;-) (But actually, it does make things tricky when you frequent a lot of U.S.-based cooking sites.)
@Kate: Butternut Snaps is a great idea! I can no longer eat the chocolate ones...I ruined them for myself with a bit of an, umm, addiction when I first discovered them.
@ Emily by the Bay: Oh wow! That really *is* dedication...I might give it a go, but not sure I can be bothered just to smash them up in a milkshake. Then again, I've often wondered what actual graham crackers taste like...
I'm not in treatment for any medical condition, however I am in treatment for extreme physical and mental abuse. My situation doesn't compare in any way, but I wanted to say that as I strive to regain my life this recipe makes me smile. Thanks!
My sister suffered through chemo and radiation for five years before she lost her battle at age 49......... About all she wanted, when she could still eat, was pasta salad made with oil, no mayo. She said everything tasted dry and like cardboard. That was 20 years ago and I still miss her, everyday!
@Charlie26 - a packet of Hobnobs chocolate covered or otherwise doesn't last long here either :D & I completely understand your addiction of chocolate covered butter nut snaps! YUMMMM Love it!
@devo13: We don't get 'Nilla Wafers in Canada. But we get Smarties!
Re: COURTNEY @ BAKE.EAT.REPEAT
My fiance is also a lactard. :-( We have found that Breyers makes a really yummy lactose free vanilla ice cream and makes great milkshakes. Instead of milk you can use coconut milk or Silk vanilla. You will hardly tell the difference, and you both can enjoy!
@Courtney, I'm a "lactard" myself and have recently re-discovered the joys of milk-less-shakes. I use either soy or coconut ice cream, rice milk, and whatever else strikes my fancy - strawberries, chocolate syrup, frozen bananas, etc. They are DELISH and I find it actually masks the non-dairy aspects of whatever ice cream you use (for instance, I'm not a real fan of the soy-ish flavor of soy ice cream). They are just as creamy and fantastic as dairy versions.
Coconut milk makes great shakes and smoothies; soy milk is awesome as well. You can freeze both as ice cubes and drop them into the blender with whatever milk substitute you're using to make things thick and frosty. Also, coconut milk makes incredible ice cream (and pina colada popsicles).
@ Akay,
I'm sorry you had such an intensely unpleasant reaction to bananas! We all have unique tastes buds and experiences with chemo, and it takes a bit of trial and error to discover what is palatable and what to avoid. I couldn't tolerate blander foods, but others loved them. One of my nurses recommended sucking on frozen pineapple cubes to help with the penny taste and the hot sensation in my mouth caused by ABVD, and it really worked. Pineapple soon became to me what shrimp was to Bubba Gump. I added it to everything. She also suggested marinating meat in something sweet or spicy to help with the taste, but since I'm a vegetarian I never tried it. Maybe you could see if it helps you.
I never had an issue with bananas during chemo, but I didn't make them the focal point of a dish / dessert then either really. The first time I made a banana milkshake was after reading this recipe. I substituted the ice cream and whole milk for So Delicious coconut ice cream and vanilla soy milk, and I thought it tasted great. Maybe you could substitute bananas for another type of fruit.
Take good care!