Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Are you ready for a serious confession?

I don't like pumpkin pie.

That may come as a surprise since I'm obsessed with things like this and this and this. Also a surprise when considering that this time of year, I spend about 85% of my available brain power trying to discover new ways to incorporate pumpkin flavor into everyday foods. See, while there's something about mushy orange pie that kick starts my gag reflex, there's also something entirely intoxicating about the combination of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, all strung together with sweet brown sugar and delicate pumpkin in just about anything else. So the other day when my 4 year old and I were looking for a pre-bedtime treat, I reached in to grab the vanilla ice cream and knocked my frozen pumpkin puree off the shelf. One look at my kiddo and his cute little mouth covered in graham cracker crumbs and I knew exactly what we were about to create. That was a week ago. We've had these shakes about 6 times since. So yeah, just about every day. Go ahead, call the diet police. I dare you.


Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/3 C pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 C milk
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/16 t cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 t nutmeg
2 T brown sugar
2 C vanilla ice cream
1-2 graham crackers

Pop everything but graham crackers in a blender. Start with 1/4 C milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. I used somewhere between 1/4-1/2 C.


A note about blenders: Here's the problem with making thick, diner style milkshakes at home: A lot of times you have to add so much milk to the thing to get the blender to process that it turns into a milk-slushie instead. Or you have to blend and plunge, blend and plunge, etc. You know the drill, right? So if you have any trouble with your blender, I would recommend blending everything but the ice cream first and then mashing it into the ice cream by hand (well, with a hand. Holding a fork or spoon :) If your scooped ice cream sits out at room temp while you measure the other things and get them all ready, then by the time you mash it all together it should be a good consistency.

Sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs before serving. It reminds me of DQ's Pumkin Pie Blizzard!


YUM! I could seriously have this for every meal. I think I might start some kind of pumpkin pie milkshake diet. Would you guys purchase? What about if I split it up into 9 easy payments and threw in a free wall-hanging toothpaste dispenser? Something to think about...

This makes one big ol' shake. For us, it's enough to put a little in a kiddie cup for my toddler while my hubby and I share the rest, and for everybody to give periodic bites to the 17-month-old who walks around with his mouth open saying, "Ah? Ah? Ah?" (Translation: feed me, feed me, feed me!)