Healthy Cookie Dough Milkshake (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

There are two types of people in this world: those who prefer the cookie, and those who prefer the dough.  While I ADORE cookies, I fall definitively into the latter camp.  In college, I kept a log of Tollhouse chocolate chip in my dorm room fridge, available whenever I needed to pinch off a bite (or three).  In my later, more healthy years, I’ve been known to keep a glass container full of this stuff in my freezer, digging into it with a spoon on Bachelorette nights (anyone else Team Luke?) or even a few sneaky mornings.

And now, in the spirit of summer, I’ve translated my addiction into a milkshake.  A completely vegan, paleo, refined sugar free, healthy cookie dough milkshake.  You could call this a smoothie and drink it for breakfast, if you wanted – it’s that good for you.  But the flavor – the flavor is all decadence.  It’s rich, buttery, filled with vanilla smoothness and bursting with bites of chocolate.  Beyond freezing a bit of nondairy milk in ice cube trays the night before, the whole thing also comes together in about two minutes flat.

There are a few secret ingredients here that give it that supreme cookie dough flavor.  Almond butter brings that rich butteriness, while an abundance of vanilla extract ensures that chocolate chip cookie essence.  I also swapped chocolate chips for cacao nibs, which are completely unprocessed crushed cacao beans and thus retain more of chocolate’s amazing nutrients.  You know when people talk about chocolate being a super food?  They’re talking about raw cacao, which is packed with theobromine, magnesium, and antioxidants that give you a mellow energy and loads of immune-boosting power.  They completely satisfy my chocolate cravings, and I love the faint crunch they give when pulsed into the milkshake, but if you prefer, you can also use dark chocolate chips or shavings.

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Healthy Cookie Dough Milkshake (Vegan, Paleo, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Rating  5.0 from 3 reviews

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups non-dairy milk of choice (I prefer homemade coconut cashew but store bought canned coconut milk would be my second choice - the thicker your milk, the thicker and creamier your milkshake will be)
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla powder (can sub 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 6 tbsp raw cacao nibs (these can be found online, at most Whole Foods and other natural grocery stories, but you can sub dark chocolate chips or shavings if desired)

Instructions

1. Pour 3/4 cup milk into ice cube tray; freeze 6 hours, or until completely solid. Blend remaining 3/4 cup liquid milk with almond butter, vanilla, sea salt and maple syrup until very smooth. Add milk ice cubes and blend until just smooth and no ice cube chunks remain (don't overblend, or the ice will begin to melt, and you'll lose that delicious milkshake consistency). Pulse in cacao nibs until they're evenly distributed and flecked throughout milkshake, but not completely incorporated. Serves 2.

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