Dairy Free Frosty's, Frappes, and Shakes!

Nothing says summer like ice cream, and being dairy free doesn't mean you have to go without!  Since dairy free ice cream is super expensive, I came up with a shake using frozen almond milk.  We love Silk brand vanilla sweetened almond milk - the first time my son tried it he exclaimed, "It tastes like candy!"  So I decided to freeze some in an ice cube tray.

For my first shake, I added Hershey's chocolate syrup, and while trying to lick the drops surrounding the blades without injuring myself, I decided that it tastes just like a Frosty from Wendy's. After that, we tried making a mocha frappuccino, and it tasted like liquid awesome.  Dairy free has never been so good!

Chocolate Shake:
6-8 frozen vanilla sweetened almond milk cubes*
2-4 T. additional almond milk, not frozen
1-2 T. Hershey's chocolate syrup (it's dairy free)

*This recipe makes a small, child-size shake that works well in our little Magic Bullet blender.  You may want to double or triple the recipe for an adult if you have a larger blender.  

Put all ingredients in a blender.  Add enough almond milk to make it blend easily, and blend until smooth.  Serve with a spoon.  (Use extreme caution when trying to scrape all the yummy goodness off of the bottom near the blades with your finger.  It's not worth a trip to the emergency room...or is it?)    

Variations:

• Low Sugar Shake - Use original almond milk (with less sugar) and add a splash of vanilla for a low sugar treat, or to lower the sugar content when adding the yummy mix-ins below.
• Coffee or Mocha Shake - Replace additional almond milk with 1/4 c. cold coffee for a coffee shake, with or without chocolate syrup.  We tried it with chocolate syrup and it tasted like a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks!
• Vanilla Shake - Omit the chocolate syrup and enjoy a vanilla almond shake.
• Banana Shake - Add frozen banana chunks and more liquid almond milk for a tasty banana shake.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake - Add a tablespoon of peanut butter with either chocolate syrup or banana - or both!
• Oreo Shake - Crumble a few Oreos in after blending almond milk, with or without chocolate syrup, and pulse a few times to distribute cookies throughout.  We also like our Oreo shakes with coffee instead of additional almond milk.  (Kinnickinnick's KinniTOOS are gluten free, dairy free, and fabulous.)
• Mix in your favorite candy pieces or fruit - the possibilities are endless!