Pumpkin Milkshake With Boba Inspired Mini Cookie Balls

I know this is not the perfect time of the year for a milkshake, but I live with a half-lizard boyfriend who keeps the whole house hot all year around. Personally, I think pumpkin drinks shouldn't be restricted to lattes, so if you are like me and don't mind drinking milkshakes in front of a fireplace, this recipe is for you.

This Instructable might seem a bit too time-consuming with all the baking and ball cutting, not to mention cookie decorating, but I don't indulge in desserts very often, so when I do, I try to make it look extra special.

I didn't just want a regular milkshake, I wanted a liquid pumpkin pie of sorts, hence the cookie balls. I got inspired by tapioca pearls and those special wide straws used for boba tea. Those straws are optional, you can omit them altogether or use whatever straws you have at hand (as long as cookie bits fit through). Same goes for baking, you can just use store bough cookies and just crumble them into small enough pieces.

INGREDIENTS

Sugar cookies (small batch)

3TBS butter (room temperature)

6TBS sugar

pinch of salt

few drops of vanilla essence

1/2 egg white (you can reserve remaining 1/2 egg white for royal icing)

1TBS cornstarch

1CUP plain flour


Milkshake (2 servings)

1CUP milk

1CUP vanilla ice cream

1/2CUP pumpkin puree (or more)

3-4 TBS sugar/ honey/sweetener (to taste)

gingerbread/pumpkin pie spice mix (to taste), I made my own: 1tsp cinnamon, 1/4tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8tsp gloves

You can make those tiny cookies or go the easy route and get some pre-packaged ones and crumble them small enough to fit the straw. I'm using boba tea straws which are much bigger than regular straws.

There are only two people in my household, so whenever I bake I try to down-size it as much as possible. Baking a full batch of cookies is easy, but then you end up with three full plates and next thing you know, you can't zip up your jeans. This recipe is for a small batch of dough, enough to make the balls and a few pumpkin cut-outs. It uses 1/2 egg white, the remaining 1/2 egg white was reserved for royal icing to decorate (optional of course).

Sugar cookie recipe is the easiest thing out there. No need for fancy tools, just a bowl, wooden spoon and your hands:

• Cream butter with sugar and salt.
• Add vanilla essence and egg white.
• Mix in flour and cornflour.

At this point you will have to use your hands to combine the whole thing and shape it into a ball. Flatten the dough, cover in cling film and put in the fridge for 30-60min.

Once the dough is chilled, roll it out so it's about 3-4mm thick and cut a few pumpkins first. Reshape the dough and flatten it so it's 5-6mm thick, pop it back in the fridge for 30min or 10min in the freezer. Cut as many balls as possible using whatever tools you have at your disposal. I used a 6mm straw, a piping tip would work as well. Alternatively, you can roll the dough into a long slim snake and cut it with a knife.

To make the pumpkin cookie an over-the-rim cookie you have to cut out a big enough slit before baking. I recommend baking one to start with, to make sure the cut is big enough. This particular dough holds its shape pretty well and doesn't spread in the oven.

Bake at 180°C.

10 min for pumpkin cookies

4-6 min for cookie balls

Decorating pumpkins is optional, royal icing is pretty easy to make with your remaining egg white. Whip 1/2 egg white with 1/2 cup powdered sugar using a handheld mixer, add food colouring and get creative.

Ice cream melts fast, so make sure you have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go, prepare your glasses, straws, pumpkin cookies nearby. I had some leftover whipped cream and caramel sauce at hand, so I used those for garnish.

Blend milk, ice cream, pumpkin and spices first. Add sugar/sweetener/honey to taste and blend again.

This recipe is for 2 servings, I like mine with more pumpkin, so I poured half into a glass for my boyfriend and blitzed additional 2TBS of pumpkin puree into my portion. Last step is adding cookie balls, I ended up using about 1/4 cup per glass. Don't use a blender, just stir them in with a spoon.