This tastes like you’re drinking a sugar cookie.
Ok, that just sounds weird… but this is really good!
Ensure? No thanks!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably know I don’t really like being as skinny as I am. Although I create recipes that can be very low in calories, I usually take advantage of the higher-calorie options if making them for myself. To keep weight on, I pretty much have to eat 24/7, which works out perfectly since my job entails lots of taste testing! 
In high school, I often drank vegan “weight-gain shakes” called Power Dreams. However, two things happened: the company discontinued the shakes, and I bought a Magic Bullet. So now I make my own shakes! (I wrote more about my weight-gain efforts at the very bottom of this link.)
Big thanks to reader, Kate, for inspiring this milkshake.
A few months ago, she left a comment on my Cake Batter Milkshake recipe, suggesting I experiment with adding cream of tartar to my smoothies for a fun cake-like taste. Of course, as soon as she said it, I had to try it. Thank you, Kate!!
Sugar Cookie Milkshake
(serves 1)
- 2/3 cup milk of choice (try canned coconut milk for an ice-cream-like shake)
- 1 frozen, over-ripe banana or 1/2 cup of your favorite ice cream (see nutrition link below, for my many substitution options!)
- scant 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1-2 tbsp raw cashew butter (I like to add this)
- optional: add cinnamon for a snickerdoodle shake!
- optional: 1 scoop protein powder, if desired
Blend everything together until very smooth. Don’t add ice; it will dilute the flavor. Feel free to crumble an actual sugar cookie into the shake as well! (My “healthy sugar cookie” recipe is linked at the end of this post.)
Also shown in the milkshake photos: Healthy Sugar Cookies.
What is your favorite milkshake flavor?
According to an online poll, the most-loved milkshake flavor is chocolate. Surprisingly, people chose strawberry over vanilla. My favorite was fourth: mint-chocolate-chip!
I’m half-Costa Rican, and my mom makes a milkshake known as “horchata.” It’s milk, cinnamon, oatmeal, and some brown sugar all blended into pure yumminess! You should try it!!!
Looks so fantastic! Lately I’ve been loving a chocolate banana shake – frozen banana, cocoa powder, almond milk, and a few scoops of chocolate pudding! I will definitely try this kind!
I want! I’ve been in a baking/making food mood for about 2 weeks now, it’s insane!
Yum, dessert in a glass, yes please!!!
Katie, I just made this (with the banana, unsweetened original soymilk, and without the cashew butter), and it really does taste like a sugar cookie!! Crazy! Never would have thought to add baking soda and cream of tartar… I really liked it! It did have a slightly “tart” aftertaste, however… is that how yours tasted or did I maybe go a little heavy-handed on my 1/2 tsp of tartar?
Did you really put in 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, or did you mean to say 1/4 tsp? If you really put in 1/2 tsp, that’s definitely the problem! The recipe only calls for 1/4 tsp ;). But if you put in just 1/4 tsp and it was still strange… hmmm well then I will have to think more about what might’ve been the problem :-?.
Hahaha, you caught me!! I can’t believe I did that!! Shame on me for goofing up your recipe! Ok, now I know it will be perfect when I actually make it the right way, because it was still pretty dang delicious even with my recipe-reading-mishap…
Bahaha, yes, you definitely caught me! Can’t believe I did that! User error, right? Lol can’t wait to try it the real way now! I know it will be great because it was still pretty dang delicious even with me reading messup. Sorry!
yummy! I love the suggestion of a crumbled cookie on top. I love cookies!!!
My favorite milkshake is a date-yogurt-shake 🙂 but i’ll try this one…
Oh my gosh, peanut butter milkshakes all the way. There was a diner at Penn State that made them (they also had poodle skirted waitresses and jukeboxes in every booth). So good!
I worked in an ice cream parlor for several years, so I had plenty of time to experiment with making different shakes and malts (and everything else). My favorite, which I made again and again, is a cookies and cream shake, with a little extra chocolate syrup… I miss my shake… Fresh banana shakes are a close second.
True, chocolate-mint ANYTHING is awesome and almost always the best, BUT the one flavor that may trump that for me is chocolate-peanut butter-malt thickshake.
There is an 50’s style diner here in Eugene (Buddy’s) that makes them and I swear I practically lived on them when I was pregnant with my first son – before lactose intolerance set in and now they are off limits 🙁
Try CCK’s peanut butter cookie dough shake with cocoa powder and malt! I haven’t tried adding malt for myself, but the chocolate PB version is my favorite shake recipe on here. It’s so incredibly thick even with almond milk, and probably even thicker if you use coconut milk!
Nice glass drinking straw!
This looks awesome! Question: When you make it for yourself, would you put canned coconut milk? It is fun to hear from the blogger themselves about their preferences too 🙂 I usually go from vanilla bean, but you got me wanting a mint chip one now.
Depends on my mood and what I have on hand. Often, I don’t just use one type of milk for a shake; I’ll mix different ones (or even some coffee) together.
Any of the following are acceptable in my book: Pumpkin, Coffee, Strawberry, Peanut Butter. Pumpkin ANYTHING is always welcome!
Sounds really yummy! I’ll definitely give this a try one day!
I read about your weight gain efforts before, and I thought it was really interesting, just because I’m very different from you, haha. I’m eighteen, female, almost six feet tall, have very thick bones, and have always been heavy (my parents were young and didn’t know how to properly nourish a child, and I’m still working hard to get the excess weight and negative health effects from way back then under control.) I’m just… big!
It’s really interesting to me to see that while I’ve always wished to be slimmer, there are people out there who would like to be less slim. When you’ve spent your whole life thinking one thing, different points of view can be very intriguing. Regardless, rest assured you look lovely at any weight!
I love that even though your personal goals are not low-calorie eating, you create so many light recipes for readers like me (gluten/sugar/dairy free, watching calories) and it really increases our qualities of life! Everything in moderation, but I no longer feel like if I want a dessert I have to withstand awful stomach pain or weight gain, because your blog as provided me with so many lovely alternatives to traditional stuff. I feel like I can make a dessert and not pay a price. That’s so much stress off my mind!
You’re a fantastic blogger and seem like an utterly lovely person. I’m so happy for you, that you’ve found a job that is so in line with your goals and makes you happy! I’m also happy about it for selfish reasons 🙂 Lots of love from Canada!
<3
Aw Mandie, thank you! I’m sending lots of hugs back from Texas.
Can you possibly send us some cooler weather? 😉
Drinking a sugar cookie- I’m game!
Chocolate Peanut Butter <3
Chicago Diner has some delicious vegan milkshakes – and I’m sure they would help in any weight gain efforts! The last time I was there (nearly three years ago 🙁 ) I had a peanut butter-cookie dough shake that was fantastic. yum…
Cookies n Cream is the all time best i think 😉