At Halloween, the ghost milkshakes were such a hit that we thought we'd do it again at Christmas but this time try making Santa and a Snowman. One of my daughters had fun making these with me, but during the photo shoot was getting impatient because she wanted to try the milkshake and the whipped cream kept melting and dripping causing the candies to fall. She won, and I gave up on getting a better picture. Fun and delicious and quite possibly a new Christmas tradition at our house!

Recipe: Santa and Snowman Milkshakes

Ingredients:

For Santa's belt or Snowman's buttons:
4 tablespoons chocolate chips (we used semi-sweet, but you could use bittersweet or milk chocolate)

For the Milkshake:
2 cups vanilla ice cream (our favorite brand is Häagen-Dazs)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Raspberries or strawberries for Santa
Whipped Cream (homemade is our favorite, but we used chocolate whipped cream from a can for this version)

For the Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Red food coloring for Santa

Instructions:

For the belt or buttons: Melt the chocolate either in a double-boiler or in the microwave. With a toothpick or paintbrush, paint a ghost face on the inside of a clear glass. Put the glass in the freezer while you make the milkshake and whipped cream.

For the milkshake: In a blender, combine ice cream, milk and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
For the whipped cream: Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until cream holds peaks. Put into a piping bag. (I have a Whipped Cream Dispenser which makes making and piping whipped cream easy.

Take the glass out of the freezer. Fill with the milkshake. Top with the whipped cream. Serve with a spoon and a straw.

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