Have you seen the new “freak-shake” trend on Pinterest or Instagram (or maybe even in real life—imagine that!)? It’s basically a milkshake with a bunch of added toppings like cookies, sprinkles, candy and even donuts. You basically go crazy with the sugary treats. And it’s not complete until your shake is overflowing with whipped cream. The Instagramable shakes are always extreme and look like something that is too much for one person to eat, but they are so cute and festive. And since milkshakes are such an all-American treat, I thought creating mini freak-shakes for the Fourth of July would be oh, so fun. Taking it one step further, I thought making a Milkshake Bar would be a perfect idea for all those Fourth of July barbeques.
To create the Milkshake Bar, simply put out your toppings in cute dishes and line the table like a candy bar. I also think it’s a good idea to create the sprinkle-rimmed glasses ahead of time as well. Then once it’s time to make the milkshakes, have your guests line up, you pour their shakes and then they can decorate how they like.
Some Ideas for Your Toppings
- White Frosting (for rimming your glass with sprinkles)
- Red, White and Blue Sprinkles
- Star Sugar Cookies
- Patriotic Rock Candy Lollipops
- American Flag Suckers
- Other Red, White and Blue Candy
- Whipped Cream
Adding Sprinkles to Your Glasses
- I recommend using small glasses to make “mini” milkshakes. This makes the milkshakes actually drinkable and just over-the-top enough to be cute without being too wasteful.
- I used storebought white frosting and red, white and blue sprinkles.
- Using a knife, put icing around the rim of each glass.
- Pour the sprinkles on a small plate. Then press each glass with frosting onto the plate to coat with sprinkles.
- I recommend doing this before your party and have the glasses on display on your Milkshake Bar.
- Get your kids involved! My niece helped me rim the glasses. She had a lot of fun and they turned out perfectly.
We made vanilla milkshakes, but have fun with it. Make chocolate, strawberry or whatever is your favorite. Can you really go wrong? However, if you are making vanilla, be sure to add a little Vanilla Extract to your shakes for a little extra vanilla kick. Trust me, you’ll be thanking me.
If you try this, I’d love to hear about it. I also hope you have as much fun as my niece Mackie and I had dreaming them up.
