What could be better to enjoy on a hot summer day than a milkshake? By changing up the ice cream flavor and mix-ins, you can customize your cool treats!

The end of a school year always makes me nostalgic. I think back to my own school years, as well as my children’s. We’re completing our 18th year of home education. So many thoughts flood in with these checkpoints of life.

Looking back to my youth, the end of school actually meant MORE work. We were dairy farmers when I was a kid, and the first day of summer vacation found us in the hayfield with Dad. We put up wagon-load after wagon-load of square hay bales. It was hot, grueling work. Two bright spots in the hot days? A break after lunch to jump in the pool and ice cream.

Mom made ice cream treats for us to cool off and enjoy. One of her favorite creations combined two beloved treats- her famous Chocolate Chip Cookies (well, famous in our family!) and ice cream. She’d combine the two and make us ice cream sandwiches.

For my children, the end of the school year typically means a cookout and ice cream treats outside. Late spring in Tennessee beckons us outside. We want to soak up the gorgeous days before the heat of summer sets in.

Milkshakes – A Classic Summertime Treat:

One of our favorite treats is milkshakes. It’s such a simple one to make, and we can tailor each one to our tastes.

The fun begins with a trip to the grocery store to stock up on ice cream and supplies. We are loving the new packaging for Blue Bunny® ice cream. The clear containers entice us with their creamy concoctions and yummy mix-ins. We were swayed by these containers to purchase three varieties for our milkshake-a-thon.

We chose Cherry Pickin’ Chocolate™, Vanilla Bean, and Salted Caramel Craze. My choice was the Salted Caramel Craze. Seriously, the genius who paired salt and caramel together has my vote for the best invention ever. 😉

Once we had our ice cream choices made, we wandered over to the ice cream toppings and deliberated over all of the options available. After some discussion, we chose Smucker’s Sundae Syrup Caramel Flavored Syrup, Smucker’s Microwaveable Hot Fudge Topping, whipped cream, peanuts, maraschino cherries, and waffle cones.

It was hard work, waiting for the perfect time to pull all of those delicious ingredients out for a milkshake night. But, we persevered and were rewarded with the most satisfying of milkshakes the other night. I’d like to share with you two of our favorite creations!

Milkshake making isn’t really all that difficult, but it sure is fun! We use a very old milkshake maker that was a gift from my folks, long ago. If you don’t have one, you can also make these in a blender, on low speed. The milkshake maker just adds to the uniqueness of the treat, so I like to pull it out and use it. I don’t have many uni-taskers in my kitchen, but this one stands the test of time.

One way that we save time in making milkshakes is to pre-scoop the ice cream. By having it pre-scooped, the ice cream in the carton isn’t melting while you’re making the milkshakes. It also makes judging how much ice cream to put in the shake cup something that anyone can do, not just Mama. I can just say to put 10 ice cream cubes into the cup and add a splash of milk.

If you’re scooping from the carton, it’s easy to be a bit heavy-handed and add way too much ice cream into the cup, with no room left for milk or add-ins. (I know, too much ice cream isn’t really a thing, is it?! But, when it comes to making milkshakes, it can be!)

Before milkshake night, put the serving glasses into the freezer. This will keep that tasty milkshake cold even longer. Pull it out just before filling it up!

The first milkshake we made uses Cherry Pickin’ Chocolate™. Add the ice cream cubes to the milkshake cup, then add a splash of milk.

Start with less milk than you think you need. You can always add more. Turn the cup around to ensure the mixture is thoroughly combined. Pull the cup off the machine and stir to check the consistency.

For this milkshake, we didn’t add anything to the milkshake mix. I mean, it’s cherry ice cream packed with cherries and chocolate. What more do you really need?!

For this one, we painted three wide stripes of Smucker’s Microwaveable Hot Fudge Topping inside the glass, then poured in the milkshake, topping it off with whipped cream a few cherries, and a broken up waffle cone. Add a straw and indulge!

This next one is my favorite, obviously, since it is made with Blue Bunny® Salted Caramel Craze ice cream!

The only addition that we made was a bit more caramel ice cream topping mixed in with the ice cream and milk. We carefully squirted the caramel on the inside of the glass before adding the milkshake, then topped it with whipped cream and some more caramel topping. One can never have too much caramel.

There are so many new flavors of ice cream to choose from, I’m sure that our next milkshake night will be graced with new creations. I do believe that salted caramel one will be making a comeback, though. Both of these were great, but salted caramel is my most favorite.

Now that we’ve had our end-of-the-school-year milkshake night, we need to get started on our summer bucket list. Since our children are older, our bucket list looks a little different than it did a few years ago. Gone are the days of catching fireflies and the library’s summer reading program. We now add things like reading a book outside and driving without a destination.

I find that a summer bucket list gives us something to do on those days when there is really nothing to do. Things that we can do as a family. Things to look forward to and plan.

With work schedules for some of us, our days aren’t as carefree and simple as they once were. But, with a bit of planning, we can make some memories, all six of us, together. That’s the very best part of the summer. And milkshakes, of course. 😉

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What’s your favorite milkshake combo? Share it here! You might just inspire our next treat!

Need more summertime snack inspiration? Here you go!

Super Easy Summer Salads and Sippers

Easy Summertime Entertaining Recipes

I’m thrilled to partner with Collective Bias and Blue Bunny® to share our two favorite milkshakes!  All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #TopYourSummer #CollectiveBias