Sweetness in a glass: The date shake
When I stumbled across this recipe on Epicurious last year, I immediately ran out to buy the ingredients to make the date shake. I guess I was craving something sweet and refreshing, because normally reading about what is basically a vanilla milkshake made with almond milk wouldn’t have been something that would have prompted an “I must have it now!” response from me. Whatever the reason, I’m glad it did, because this is now one of my favorite sweet pick-me-ups to have in the middle of the day.
I decided if I were going the route of almond milk, I might as well make this recipe dairy-free, so I picked up a pint of Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island instead of opting for the vanilla gelato called for in the recipe. I also decided to simplify the recipe by simply pureeing the dates with all the almond milk, because the staged timing of the ingredients seemed to result in the same size chunks of dates still being in the shake – which I actually like – little chewy sweetness in my shake!
Date shake
adapted from Epicurious
Makes 1 12-ounce drink
4 Medjool dates, chopped & soaked in warm water for 10 minutes (reserve water)
3/4 cup almond milk (I prefer Califia Farms Original almond milk)
3/4 cup Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island ice “cream”
Place the soaked Medjool dates in a blender with 1 tablespoon of their reserved water and the almond milk. Blend on high speed until the dates are pureed into small bits, scraping down the sides of the blender once or twice if needed. Add the ice “cream” and blend to combine. If the mixture seems to thick, add more almond milk, too thin, add more ice “cream”. Serve in a frosty glass with a straw and enjoy!
