I'm Elyse. Some of my most vivid and cherished memories are around a table with friends and family, and I want that for you, too.
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When I am left home alone at night, I turn feral, and my eating habits change with the tides. Sometimes I really treat myself—drinking a glass of wine while I make something fancy for dinner, like scallops. Other times, I order an irresponsible amount of french fries, make myself a boozy milkshake, and plop in front of the TV to rewatch episodes of Bob’s Burgers. What can I say, I’m a multi-faceted being.
A Boozy Milkshake for One
What Is Inside a Snickers Milkshake?
While I love making large desserts for tons of people to enjoy, an alcoholic milkshake is one of my favorite solo late-night treats. Pair it with a salty snack like popcorn or french fries and you’ve got yourself a NIGHT! Plus, there are so many stellar combinations of booze and dairy that you can customize to your specific tastes, making the options truly endless.
This one takes only a few minutes to throw together and tastes exactly like a Snickers. We are combining malted milk powder, homemade caramel, and chunky peanut butter to imitate the filling, and drizzling the inside of the cup with chocolate sauce to recreate the coating. To make this milkshake extra indulgent, I add some bourbon. Because, duh. I am a big bourbon fan, so I use a full 2oz. However, if you only want a subtle hint of booze, feel free to stick to a single ounce. I’m not here to tell you how to drink.
You can absolutely use store-bought ingredients for everything, but I love making homemade caramel because to me, it is magic. We are literally transforming sugar into a deeply amber-colored liquid within a matter of minutes. It’s incredible. It also tastes heads and shoulders better than a lot of big-brand caramels. I easily make caramel once every other month and keep a batch in my refrigerator to enjoy whenever I need a sweet and slightly salty pick-me-up. I want that for you too, so the recipe below makes about 2 cups of caramel.
I have posted about caramel in the past and I will make it again in the future, because again—It. Is. Magic. For this version, I am using butter that was a byproduct of fat washing. This simple process results in a browned-butter infused bourbon and bourbon-flavored butter. The definition of two birds with one stone.
What Is Fat Washing?
A Bonus Brown Butter Bourbon Recipe
Fat washing sounds pretty gross, right? But, it creates GOLD! It is the process of infusing a fat, like butter or bacon, into a liquor. Fat washing doesn’t take much energy, and imparts a richness to your spirit without making your drinks feel heavy or greasy. Some infusions I’ve made in the past are peanut butter bourbon, brown butter scotch, and for this recipe, I had some brown butter bourbon on hand. Just to let you know, this process is totally optional for the milkshake, but if you want to give it a try, here is how I do it.
1C unsalted butter
8oz bourbon (I use Bulleit)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring continuously, heat the butter until it begins to froth and the milk solids start to brown in the bottom of the pan. Stay close to the butter, because it can go from brown butter to burnt butter very quickly. Once the butter is a beautiful light brown and gives off a nutty aroma, take it off the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
To an airtight jar, add the butter and bourbon. Close the lid and give the mixture a vigorous shake. Leave it out on the counter for a couple of hours (at least 2) and periodically shake it to ensure all the bourbon comes into contact with the butter.
Pop the jar in the freezer for at least an hour. I tend to leave it in there overnight. The butter will rise to the top and solidify. Scrape the butter out and put it in a container in the refrigerator to be used in caramels, popcorn, or chocolate chip cookies. Bourbon butter ftw!
Using a coffee filter or cheesecloth, strain the bourbon into a new jar. This will ensure no large butter chunks get in. Keep the jar in the refrigerator and use it for cocktails or…this milkshake.
To me, milkshakes (especially alcoholic ones) should be thrown together without much fuss, so I highly recommend making the fat-washed butter and caramel a few days before if possible. Whether you decide to fat wash or not, I hope you give this tasty solo treat a try. Enjoy!
Boozy, rich, sweet, and containing exactly ALL the dairy, this milkshake has it all!
Ingredients
Scale
For the caramel (makes 2C):
3T unsalted butter (I used the cooled browned butter from the fat washing spoken about above)
1C granulated sugar
1/4C water
3/4C heavy cream
1/4t kosher salt
For the milkshake:
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream (about 2C)
1.5 – 2oz bourbon (I used the fat-washed version I talked about above)
1/2C whole milk (skim milk works too)
3T malted milk powder
2T caramel, plus more for drizzling
2T chunky peanut butter
Chocolate sauce for drizzling (I used store-bought)
Whipped cream for topping (optional)
1 Snickers bar for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make the caramel:
Add the butter, sugar, and water to a small saucepan and mix until the sugar is giving you a wet sand vibe. (If the sugar doesn’t look completely moistened, add an additional tablespoon of water.)
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring. (If you get antsy about stirring, you can give the pan a gentle swirl, but otherwise, hands-off!) We’re heating this until it becomes a dark honey color. Once you are happy with the color, take off the heat and immediately add the cream and salt. (Stand back, because it will steam.) Whisk everything together.
Let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge until you need it. For a minimum of 30 minutes.
Make the milkshake:
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and malted milk powder until you no longer see any big chunks. Add the caramel and whisk again until it melts into the milk. We’re doing this so we don’t end up with bits of good stuff stuck to your blender.
To your blender add the ice cream, peanut butter, bourbon, and milk mixture. Blend until it looks like everything is incorporated.
To your glass, drizzle in some chocolate sauce. Pour in your milkshake and top with whipped cream, caramel, more chocolate sauce, and chopped-up bits of Snickers (if using).
Keywords: alcoholic milkshake, boozy milkshake, bourbon and snickers