Artisanal Milkshakes Recipe

Chill equipment

Place milkshake glasses and blender jar in the refrigerator or freezer for 10–15 minutes prior to blending to help the shake stay cold and thick.

If using toasted pecans, chop and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant. Let cool.

Combine dairy and sugar

In a blender, add whole milk (2 cups), heavy cream (1 cup), and granulated sugar (2 tbs). Blend on low for 5–7 seconds to dissolve the sugar.

Add ice cream and vanilla

Add the vanilla ice cream (3 cups total) and vanilla extract (1 tsp) to the blender. Pulse 6–8 times until the mixture is smooth but thick—avoid over-blending so the shake remains dense. If too thick, add up to 1/4 cup more milk; if too thin, add a few more tablespoons of ice cream.

Taste the base and adjust sweetness with an additional 1 tsp sugar if needed.

Pour 3/4 of the base shake into chilled glasses (reserve about 1/4 to mix-in toppings). Top with whipped cream (about 1/4 cup per glass), drizzle with 1 tbs salted butter caramel sauce per glass, sprinkle lightly with sea salt (a pinch each), add a maraschino cherry and serve immediately with a straw.

To the reserved base (about 1 cup), add cocoa powder (2 tbs) and pulse briefly until fully incorporated. Taste and add 1–2 tbs more cocoa or 1 tbs sugar if needed. Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream, sprinkle crushed chocolate cookies (about 1/2 tbs per glass), drizzle caramel if desired, and serve.

To another portion of the base, stir in 1 cooled shot of espresso per 2 servings (or 1 shot for every ~1/2 cup base). Blend briefly to combine. Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream, dust with a pinch of cocoa powder if desired, and garnish with a cherry.

Fold strawberry purée (1 cup) into a reserved portion of the base and pulse once or twice to create a marbled effect or blend fully for a uniform strawberry shake. Pour, top with whipped cream and chopped toasted pecans or crushed cookies for texture.

For a textured shake, fold in chopped toasted pecans (1 tbs divided) or crushed cookies (2 tbs divided) gently with a spoon after blending so pieces remain chunky.

Drizzle extra salted butter caramel sauce inside chilled glasses before pouring for an artisanal presentation (reserve about 4 tbs total).

Garnish each milkshake with whipped cream, a maraschino cherry, and a sprinkle of sea salt if using the caramel element.

Serve milkshakes immediately for best texture. If needed, keep blended base chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour and re-blend briefly before serving. Do not freeze once blended; instead keep remaining ice cream frozen and make fresh shakes.