Introducing The Coconut & Raspberry Milkshake

Most of my daydreaming revolves around coconut, no surprises there! In my opinion coconut and raspberry is one of the all time best flavour combos, as evidenced by the coconut and raspberry cupcakes I've made before and the coconut and raspberry brownies.  So in my mind a coconut and raspberry milkshake needed to be created! I say created because you go and search on google, pinterest and wherever else you choose and I'm pretty sure you won't find one - I certainly couldn't! which is shocking to me! So here making it's debut, is one of the tastiest milkshakes ever...perfect for this summer we're finally beginning to experience!



I loved the coconut flavour of this shake so much I'm already dreaming up the next variations - coconut and pineapple? coconut and lime? coconut and chocolate...hmmm! the possibilities are endless!

I like to think that because I added coconut yoghurt to this milkshake that it's slightly healthier...but if you take into consideration the 6 scoops of ice cream it's probably not! but we all know if you want healthy recipes you don't come to my blog!



If you love coconuts and raspberries then what are you waiting for! I buy my coconut yoghurt from Tesco, it's their own brand and it's pretty tasty - it has little flakes of coconut throughout it.  If you don't happen to have any coconut yoghurt on hand but fancy whipping these up then just add a little bit more coconut milk for a stronger flavour and it should work just the same.




Coconut & Raspberry Milkshake:

Serves 1

From Cupcake Crazy Gem

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut yoghurt

1/3 cup fresh raspberries

Add ice cream and coconut milk into the blender.

Add coconut yoghurt and then the raspberries.

Have a taste, if you want to add more raspberries for a stronger raspberry flavour then go ahead but if you want the coconut to shine through with just a hint of raspberry then pour into an ice cold glass and enjoy!
Sprinkle with shredded coconut and top with 3 of the juiciest raspberries!

S'mores Milkshakes! The best brainwave I've had in a while!

You may or may not have noticed that when I get excited about things I reeeeeally get excited about things! This often leads to me using the phrase 'I'm obsessed with' more frequently than most! I'm obsessed with America...I'm pretty sure you've heard that one before, I'm obsessed with polka dots (in a previous office job I had one summer a co-worked nicknamed me spot because every day I happened to wear something polka dot!) and I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention that I'm obsessed with CUPCAKES!

So it brings me great pleasure to tell you about one of my latest obsessions...no, it's not the colour purple (although that is a valid one!) but it is in fact S'MORES! How I miss those s'mores toasting days back when we lived in the Caribbean! 

Seriously s'mores are amazing! Why we don't have this little gem of an invention this side of the Atlantic is totally beyond me! I've even devoted a whole board on pinterest just to s'mores, how is that possible? is what my husband asked...oh it's possible! There are s'mores layer cakes, pizzas, cookies, whoopies, pops and so the list goes on! but you know what I have never come across anywhere on the internet or pinterest or blogging land?

A s'mores milkshake! and for those who know me well you will know I'm a huge milkshake lover! So when we were taking a beach stroll on an unusually sunny Welsh evening this week I had a brainwave. I have seen the toasted marshmallow milkshake doing the rounds lately, and I was keen on trying it out...but that just sounded a little too boring on it's own and that's when it hit me ...throw some chocolate in, and some graham crackers and surely we are talking s'mores heaven! 

Now if you're the kind of person to be counting calories...back away from this recipe, it's just not for you! if like me, you appreciate the tasty treats in life and throw caution to the wind with the calorie count then please whip some of these up, you can thank me later :) 

S'mores milkshakes 

(Makes 2)

2 cups semi skimmed milk

8 generous scoops vanilla ice cream

18 marshmallows

2 graham crackers (if you're English you could substitute with hobnobs/digestives)

24 squares of dairy milk (approx 180g)

For decoration:

Duff S'mores sprinkles or

Crushed up graham crackers and a marshmallow

Let me say before I start I like my milkshakes thick, in my opinion it's the only way! but if you prefer yours thin maybe leave some of the ice cream above out!

1. Add 1 cup semi skimmed milk and 4 scoops of ice cream into your blender.

2. Add 9 marshmallows, 12 squares of dairy milk and 1 graham cracker

3. Blend everything together

4. Add the other cup of semi skimmed milk, 4 more scoops of ice cream and the remaining graham cracker, 12 squares of dairy milk and 9 marshmallows.

5. Keep blending until everything is completely mixed.

6. Pour into delightful milkshake glasses, and top with S'mores sprinkles, a single marshmallow and a piece of graham cracker.

7. Drink and enjoy! 

I will say that I started out trying to toast my marshmallows, we don't have a garden so I couldn't strike up a bonfire and toasting them on the naked flame of our hob was getting a little bit sketchy so I gave up after a while but for that authentic s'mores taste I do think toasting is the way to go!

I added my chocolate in whole but I think next time I would melt the chocolate first before adding it to give it a richer chocolate taste.

Those two things aside, these were some amazing milkshakes! and accompanied with some homemade meatball hoagies it was certainly the best dinner I've had in a while! 

p.s did you know I brought those milkshake glasses all the way back from the Caribbean?! Out of a set of 6 glasses we only had one casualty which, if you think about how badly your luggage gets thrown around at airports, isn't bad going at all!

I'm sharing this over at Chef in Training for Tuesday Talents.

Mint Oreo Madness...and why I love America!

So I have fantastic friends! like my friend Nikki who went on a little East Coast trip last week and asked me what I wanted her to bring back for me...it wasn't hard to decide - I asked for mint Oreos and it's what I ask for everytime I get asked that question! They are simply impossible to find here in the UK...occasionally US food websites get them in for a split second and then they go out of stock again, and they are just an absolute fave of mine! One of our traditions in my 2nd year of Uni when I was back in halls was to get together and make Oreo shakes! and one time we were able to make mint Oreo shakes (after another kind American friend had sent me some in the post!) so when Nikki came to visit I knew what we were going to make, to relive our uni days:

Mint Oreo Shakes - Absolutely delish

I forgot how good they tasted...it had been that long! So I have just one box and a half left and I must use them wisely, I've been browsing through all my mint Oreo recipes that I have been storing up in preparation for when I could get my hands on some of these! so watch out later in the week for more mint Oreo baking! but for now I leave you with a Sundae Sunday:

Layers of chocolate fudge brownie, in between mint ice cream and chocolate ice cream, with crushed up mint oreo in between and hot fudge sauce to finish

I also have a fantastic husband, who allowed me to spend far too much this week ordering these goodies from The Stateside Candy Co which is an amazing website selling the best variety of American groceries, sweets and baking supplies that I have seen...and at the best prices too! So I was ridiculously excited when my box of goodies arrived on Friday, I found these Lucky Charm fakes for half the price of original Lucky Charms and whilst I was dubious about how they would compare I was pleasantly surprised to find they tasted just as good as General Mills' version!  I also bought a few baking bits and bobs that are going to help me make these Peanut Butter Brownies and these S'mores Bars so watch out for some yummy baking coming your way over the next few weeks!