True confessions here. I have never had a Shamrock Shake. Living in the UK for all those years, Shamrock Shakes were not something they ever had at McDonald's and to be honest in England they don't celebrate Saint Patrick's Day either for the most part.
It is largely left up to the individual I guess. They had a lot of other tasty stuff at McDonald's which we don't get here at home, but no Shamrock Shakes. I have always wanted to taste one. They look so refreshingly indulgent.
I found this recipe online and it is purported to be a copycat recipe for Shamrock Shakes. I can't give you any one link because all the copycats are the same and are on a host of different pages.
For my own purposes I used lactose free ice cream and milk and I made half a recipe because I am only one. But even half a recipe was very generous in its size. So although it says two servings in the recipe, I would say it would easily please three people with smaller servings, or if your children are really young, four.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SHAMROCK SHAKES
Only 4 simple ingredients, excluding the topping and garnish.
- 4 cups (2 pints) good quality vanilla ice cream (that's two containers of Hagen Das)
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp green gel food coloring
To finish:
- whipped cream
- colored sprinkles to top
This is a fun dessert for the kids or even for adults. A bit indulgent perhaps, but what a treat!
First of all use the best ice cream that you can afford. One which uses real milk and cream, and vanilla. Nothing artificial.
As I said I used the lactose free products because of my IBS.
The danger here is in using too much green coloring and or peppermint extract. You don't want it to taste like toothpaste.
You can adult them by using some crème de menthe in the place of the peppermint extract. In that case you could use a bit more than 1/2 tsp. How much is up to you! Just remember you don't want to water down your shake too much!
You can also use liquid food coloring. How much depends on how green you want it to be! I used squirty cream, but the real whipped squirty cream not the artificial. The brand I used was Gay Lea. If you want the cream to hold up longer, do whip your own cream from scratch.
My sprinkles came from Sweetpolita. They are actually Christmas ones. I picked out any reds and pinks, so that I just had greens and variants of green. I thought the yellow stars were cute!
HOW TO MAKE SHAMROCK SHAKES
Nothing could be easier, but you will need a blender, or a stick blender for this fun Saint Patrick's Day dessert!!
These really are fun and delicious, but do be warned that each serving packs in a wallop of calories, over 600 per half recipe. Another good reason you may want to cut down the serving sizes and serve them to more people than just two.
Place the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring into blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust the flavor. If you want it to be a bit greener you can add a bit more food coloring and blend again.
Divide between two tall glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve immediately.
But if you aren't worried about that sort of thing, by all means tuck in, indulge and enjoy! Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone!
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Shamrock Shakes
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
Something fun for Saint Patrick's Day!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (2 pints) good quality vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 tsp green gel food colouring
To finish:
- whipped cream
- coloured sprinkles to top
Instructions
- Place the ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and food coloring into blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the flavor. If you want it to be a bit greener you can add a bit more food coloring and blend again.
- Divide between two tall glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve immediately.
I've never made one either! I might have to try this for Rick today!
ReplyDeleteBe warned Jeanie, its REALLY tasty! Happy Saint Patrick's Day! xoxo
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