thick & creamy candy cane milkshake

creamy-candy-cane-milkshake-vegan-soy-free-from-bring-joyYou know what I love during the Christmas season?

Candy cane milkshakes.

Also, I love how ambitious kids get.

Like, take a look at my 7 & 8 year old’s letter to Santa.

 

letter-to-santaA Wii? An x-box? (I laughed out loud when I read that.)

I know for a fact they’ve never played an X-box before, it’s just something they’ve heard kids at school talk about. And I think they played the Wii once or twice at a cousin’s house.

2,000(!) red, blue & dark green long Lego pieces? 40 Lego goblets, 20 Lego chickens, 30 Lego pics, 4 big Lego trolls? And the list goes on.

My boys know what they want & they’re not afraid to ask for it.

I remember writing letters to Santa as a kid & then never getting what I asked & being severely disappointed. Though now, as I parent I understand why “Santa” didn’t always deliver on my wishes. I’m pretty sure, like my parents, I won’t be able to fulfill this lengthy & specific wish list.

But whatever failings I may have as a parent, I make up for with delicious food.

Like candy cane milkshakes.

Recently, I’ve been struck with the memory of going through the McDonald’s drive-thru with my family, on a cold & dark December night as a kid, & getting a peppermint milkshake & french fries.

So the other day, I decided, why not recreate the milkshake from my childhood?

And since I have an amazing blender (you know I can’t stop talking about my Blendtec–which by the way, if you have don’t have one, you should seriously consider getting one–especially since right now, you can get $100 off a certified refurbished blender), I can make the smoothest, creamiest milkshake in a snap.

{Looking for another festive-y milkshake? Try my pumpkin pie milkshake.}

vegan candy cane milkshake

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 1/3 cups

Calories per serving: 188

Fat grams per serving: 10 g

vegan candy cane milkshake

vegan, soy-free thick & creamy candy cane milkshake

Ingredients

  • 1, 15 oz. full fat, unsweetened coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen)
  • 6-7 c. large ice cubes
  • 4-5 candy canes + more to crush for topping
  • 1/4 c. agave nectar | or 1/3 c. plain ol' sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. mint or peppermint extract
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. A few notes: I like my milkshakes so thick you can eat it with a spoon. Since my blender can handle blending a lot of ice, I can make mine thick. If you have a regular blender, I'd recommend reducing ice to 4 cups & reduce mint extract to 1/4 tsp. If you do reduce the ice, the flavor of your milkshake will be a bit stronger & creamier. The reason I use full-fat coconut milk is because you need something that strong (soy or almond milk will not do) because so much ice is used. The fat in the coconut milk keeps it from having that icy texture/flavor, & keeps it creamy.
  2. To make:
  3. Unwrap candy canes & break into chunks.
  4. In a blender, pour milk, then add ice cubes, candy cane chunks, agave, mint & vanilla extracts. Blend on high until creamy & smooth (I did two cycles of the ice cream function on my Blendtec).
  5. For the topping:
  6. In a ziploc bag, place additional candy canes. Using a rolling pin, crush candy canes into small pieces. Sprinkle crushed candy over each serving.

Additional nutrition info: 23 g carbs, 1.3 g protein, 11 g sugar, 15 mg sodium; WWP: 5 points

♥♥

What do you love about this time of year? Also, if you have kids, what sort of ambitious things are they asking for?