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Piña Colada Milkshakes

Ok, so you know how food bloggers always seem to have a little anecdote about the recipe they made? Maybe it was their grandmother’s favorite dish, or they made it for a holiday, but it totally burned and they had to order pizza instead, or it was inspired by their honeymoon or something? Well, I got nothing for this one! Tuesday was National Piña Colada Day … and I make over-the-top, crazy milkshakes, so I combined the two and made a Piña Colada Milkshake!Pina Colada Milkshakes // Salty Canary5

Piña Colada Milkshakes

Normally, I display all of my milkshakes in a clear glass so you can see the actual milkshake, but this one just begged to be poured into my Trader Vic’s coconut mugs! But, I still want you to be able to see the milkshake – I mean, otherwise I could just top a glass with an ornate garnish and fake it – so here it is in a clear glass. Pina Colada Milkshakes // Salty Canary5The garnish is super yummy! It’s a frozen pineapple ring dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with toasted coconut – but if you want a more detailed tutorial, click here (coming soon).

And, I tried to make coconut whipped cream from a can of coconut milk, but it DID NOT WORK! According to the internet, you can refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight so the cream rises to the top of the can and congeals while the water remains at the bottom. Then, you simply (carefully and without jostling) open the can, scoop out the solidified cream, (save the water for another recipe), and whip the cream using a mixer (or do it by hand for an arm workout) for 2-5 minutes until creamy. Well, one of my cans didn’t congeal – apparently, it’s easy to get a dud can – and while my second can congealed, it never whipped until creamy – just a lumpy, grey, blob of coconut cream. So, I took a cup of heavy whipping cream and in 5 minutes I had fluffy and delicious whipped cream! Pina Colada Milkshakes // Salty Canary5

Here’s the recipe: 

Pina Colada Milkshake Recipe, Over the Top Milkshakes, Recipe, Freakshake, Tropical Milkshake, Pineapple Coconut Milkshake, Salty Canary5

Piña Colada Milkshakes

Ingredients

  • Milkshake:
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 3/4 cup of cream of coconut
  • 4 cups vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • whipped cream (see below)
  • 3 pineapple rings for garnish
  • dark chocolate chips, melted
  • shredded, sweetened coconut, toasted
  • 3 marachino cherries
  • optional: 3 oz of rum
  • Whipped Cream:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. First, make your whipped cream by combining the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and using your whisk attachment in stand mixture with a bowl that's been in the freezer for 10 minutes, whisk on medium-high for several minutes until the peaks stand upright. Add it to a pastry bag outfitted with a fancy tip if you'd like.
  2. Next, make your toasted coconut by baking sweetened coconut flakes on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes at 325 F, flipping halfway. Set aside to cool.
  3. Next, make your pineapple ring garnish. Freeze canned pineapple rings for 5-10 minutes. Then dip half into the melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes.
  4. Then mix together the milk, cream of coconut mixer, vanilla ice cream, and frozen pineapple.
  5. Fill the glasses with milkshake, top each glass with a pineapple ring, add some whipped cream, add one straw, a marachino cherry, some pineapple leaves, and an umbrella for garnish.
  6. Enjoy!

Notes

The cream of coconut can be found in the alcoholic beverage section - it's a mixer - it's NOT coconut milk or coconut cream, but if you wanted to use coconut cream, you could, you would likely just need to add MORE to get the flavor.

I use my Ninja blender for all my milkshakes! I can’t say enough good things about the blender! It’s not super cheap, but it won’t fall apart like some $20-30 brands (looking at you, Hamilton Beach). It also doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (like a Vitamix.) If you’re in need of a new blender, I definitely recommend this one. My only tip is that even though the pitcher says it’s dishwasher safe, be sure to hand wash it. Our first one cracked in the dishwasher, but our replacement pitcher has been going strong for 3-4 years now.

Pina Colada Milkshakes // Salty Canary5

What’s your favorite tiki or beach drink? Think it could be made into a milkshake? Let me know in a comment and I’ll try it out! I might try a Blue Hawaiian Milkshake next!

Looking for more over-the-top milkshake inspiration?

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