10 BEAUTIFUL WAYS TO SHAKE IT

Milkshakes! What better food/drink to be thinking about during Beautiful Mothers week? Here are some gorgeous new ideas that elevate and celebrate milk.

1. BEAUTIFULNOW STRAWBERRY RASPBERRY MILKSHAKE

We whipped up this gorgeous Strawberry Raspberry Milkshake right here in our BeautifulNow kitchen. It was a tough job… but we just had to do it! ;)

BeautifulNow Strawberry Raspberry Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of strawberries
• 1-1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• ½ cup framboise
• ½ cup fresh raspberry syrup*

Directions:

1. Place strawberries, milk, ice cream and framboise in a milk shaker.
2. Shake, shake, shake….
3. Drizzle raspberry syrup against the inside edges of four glasses.
4. Pour shake into glasses, pouring into the center of each glass, allowing the shake to fill in gently against the syrup drizzles.
5. Take a chopstick or a butter knife and insert in between shake and glass surface, pour raspberry syrup into gaps.
6. Top with whipped cream.
7. Serves four.

*Raspberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. raspberries
• 1 quart (4 cups) water
• 2 cups sugar

Directions

1. Cook raspberries together with water for about 20 minutes.
2. Press cooked raspberries through a fine mesh strainer. Discard solids.
3. Cook raspberry juice together with sugar until it is reduced to a syrup. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

2. ROASTED STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

This is a knock-your-socks-off recipe, from Not Without Salt, that delivers an incredible depth of flavor, thanks to the berry roasting.

Roasted Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 8 cups halved strawberries
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed

Directions(for strawberries):

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place strawberries on a parchment lined sheet tray and sprinkle with sugar. Toss the strawberries with the sugar and vanilla seeds and place the vanilla bean on the tray with the berries too.
3. Roast for 30-40 minutes until some of the edges of the strawberries have crisped, the berries have softened and a pool of ruby red juice covers the pan.

Directions (for milkshake):

1. Place a good amount, about a pint, of vanilla ice cream into a blender or food processor along with a cup, or so, of cooled roasted berries and their juice. Blend or pulse until smooth.
2. Pour into cups and serve with whipped cream.

3. CHOCOLATE MALTED MILKSHAKE

For an old-fashioned soda counter favorite, just like mama used to treat you to, check out this yummy Chocolate Malted Milkshake from Kate at Food Babbles. Beautifully simple & sweet.

Chocolate Malted Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate syrup
• 2 tablespoons malted milk powder

Directions:

1. Add everything into a blender and mix until thick and smooth.

5. PEACHY STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE

Fruity and fabulous, this Peachy Strawberry Smoothie from The Meal Makeover Moms is like summer in a glass. Technically not a shake, but rather a smoothie, it’s close enough to make our list.

Peachy Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup frozen peaches
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 or 2 drops almond or vanilla extract
• 2 fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Place the milk, peaches, strawberries, yogurt, and almond extract in a blender, and blend until well combined.
2. Pour into individual glasses, garnish each glass with a fresh strawberry, and serve with a straw.

6. MILK & SAFFRON

So simple. So luxurious. So exotic. And so nurturing. All at once. This Milk & Saffron recipe from Bread & Elephants isn’t exactly a shake, as originally concocted, but go ahead and shake it. You might even sneak some vanilla ice cream into the mix for extra indulgence

Milk & Saffron

Ingredients:

• 8 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon saffron threads

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Allow milk to boil for 3-5 minutes, or until saffron has dissolved.
2. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to warm drinking temperature and serve immediately.
3. Milk with saffron can also be served over ice for a cool beverage.

7. BUTTERSCOTCH MILKSHAKES WITH CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER HOT FUDGE

Like a rich decadent ice cream sundae with a straw, these Butterscotch Milkshakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Fudge is a winner. This recipe does take some time. But salty, sweet, chocolately, creamy, and thick, it’s wicked good and worth it. Heck, you better get two straws ready.

Butterscotch Milkshakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Fudge

Ingredients:

Butterscotch Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon scotch or whisky (optional)

Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce

1. 1/4 cup butter
2. 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
3. 1/2 cup chocolate chips
4. 1/4 cup peanut butter
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla

Milkshakes

• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butterscotch sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon scotch or whisky (optional)
• peanut butter fudge sauce, for drizzling

Directions:

1. Make the butterscotch sauce. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and scotch, if using.
2. Place 2 tall glasses in the freezer.
3. To make the ice cream, take the blender jar and add 1/3 cup of the butterscotch sauce (let the rest sit on the counter for later), 1/2 cup of milk (start with less if you like really thick milkshakes), 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon of scotch or whisky (if desired). Place the blender jar in the freezer.
4. Then scoop out 3 cups of the vanilla ice cream and place it in another bowl. Place the ice cream back in the freezer. Freeze both the ice cream and the ingredients in the blender jar for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
5. While the ice cream freezes make the peanut butter fudge sauce. In a microwave safe bowl add the butter, sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and microwave another 30 seconds, stir and if needed microwave another 30 seconds.
6. Once everything is melted and combined together stir in the vanilla. Set aside.
7. When ready to serve, remove the two glass from the freezer and add the warm hot fudge sauce to the bottom of each glass, then add a drizzle of the butterscotch sauce.
8. Remove the ice cream and the blender jar from the freezer. Add half of the ice cream to the blender and blend on high until smooth. Add the remaining ice cream and blend until chunky or smooth (your call).
9. Layer the milkshake in the glasses with the butterscotch sauce and the peanut butter fudge sauce. Serve immediately.

8. COFFEE BOURBON MILKSHAKE

This milkshake, from Boozed & Infused, is double-spiked -- the bourbon and with coffee.  It calls for a genius ingredient, coffee-infused bourbon, which you can easily make at home. It’s thick, creamy, and so deep. It just might be the best milkshake you’ve ever had!

Coffee Bourbon Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 2 c. Vanilla Ice Cream
• 3 oz.  Coffee Bourbon

Directions:

1. Blend in a blender, food processor, or with a hand mixer until very well blended and creamy.
2. At this point, it will be pretty runny. Return it to the freezer, and allow to cool for several hours or longer if possible.

9. TOASTED MARSHMALLOW MILKSHAKE

Sour cream in a milkshake? Yup! The Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake from Good Stuff Eatery is full of surprises. The sour cream works as a luscious foil to the thick vanilla ice cream, hand-spun together with charred marshmallows.

The Good Stuff Eatery is a bit of a nostalgia trip, originally founded in Washington D.C., but it’s creative approach is anything but old and stuffy. If you can’t visit in person, you can fire up your own hearth and give this beautiful shake a nice spin at home.

10. BOOZY MILKSHAKES

Milkshakes get a new shakeup -- they’re spiked -- at The Original, a funky retro diner in Portland, OR. Their roster of Boozy Milkshakes include:

• The Salty Jim (vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, bourbon)
• The Grasshopper (chocolate ice cream, crèmes de menthe and cacao)
• The Berry Boozy (vanilla ice cream, berries, vodka)
• The Pick Me Up (vanilla, espresso, Bailey’s)
• The Knight Rider (chocolate ice cream, Oreos, Kahlua, crème de cacao)
• The Triple B (bacon maple ice cream, bourbon)

If you don’t live near Portland, you might try to whip one of these up at home. Since we don’t have the exact recipes, you’ll simply have to play around with it -- should be fun!

BONUS RECIPE: CHOCOLATE ALMOND BANANA MILKSHAKE (VEGAN)

If you love milkshakes, but aren’t into drinking dairy milk, say hello to your almond “mama.” This Chocolate Almond Banana Milkshake, from Linda Wagner, calls for stevia as a sweetener, which we’ve included here, however we prefer the shake without it. The bananas are sweet enough.

Chocolate Almond Banana Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1/2 – 1 cup almond milk
• 2 heaping Tbs Chocolate Powder
• 2 squirts of Vanilla Stevia

Directions:

1. Add everything together in a blender and blend until smooth

Read more about Beautiful Mothers, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 Beautiful Mothers Books and 10 Beautiful & Wild Mothers Now.

Enter this week’s BN Creative Photo Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Mothers. Deadline is 05.11.14.

Photo Credits:

1. Photo: by Adrien Mogenet. Strawberry Milkshake.
2. Photo: Courtesy of Not Without Salt. Roasted Strawberry Milkshake.
3. Photo: by Kate of Food Babbles. Chocolate Milkshake.
4. Photo: Courtesy of The Meal Makeover Moms. Peachy Strawberry Smoothie.
5. Photo: Courtesy of Bread and Elephants. Milk and Saffron.
6. Photo: Courtesy of Half Baked Harvest. Butterscotch Milkshakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Hot Fudge.
7. Photo: Courtesy of Boozed and Infused. Coffee Bourbon Milkshake.
8. Photo: Courtesy of Good Stuff Eatery. Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake.
9. Photo: Courtesy of The Original. Boozy Milkshakes.
10. Photo: by Linda Wagner. “Healthy Milkshake.”
11. Photo: Courtesy of Concierge Preferred. Spiked Milkshakes from 25 Degrees Chicago.