Cherry Chocolate Chip Milkshake

This cherry chocolate chip milkshake is a deliciously easy dessert for one, and is made with sweet cherries, chocolate chips, and creamy ice cream!

I used to work as a server at Cracker Barrel, and my favorite thing ever (besides generous tips), was using the milkshake machine.

What in the world is a milkshake machine?  It's an immersion blender and a metal cup used to whip together ice cream, syrup, and milk into a cold, creamy shake.

It was always exciting when someone ordered a milkshake, because the large metal milkshake cup held just a little too much milkshake for the frosty milkshake mugs-- there was always a little bit leftover!

And that, my friends, meant that I got an itty bitty 2oz milkshake treat!  

It would've been wrong to waste it, right?

This Cherry Chocolate Chip Milkshake is inspired by my restaurant days, and is a perfect way to enjoy those amazing summer stone fruits, cherries!

Can I Use Frozen Cherries?

Of course you can! 

They'll work perfectly here.  Just make sure they're pre-pitted.

How Do I Pit Fresh Cherries Without a Cherry Pitter?

The easiest way to pit cherries is, of course, to use a cherry pitter.  But if you don't have one, here's a cherry-pitting trick!

All you need is a chopstick and an empty glass bottle.  

Pick the stem off the cherry, set it stem-side up on the mouth of a bottle, and push the pointy end of the chopstick through the center of the fruit. 

If this doesn't work for you right away, try flipping the chopstick over and using the wider end.

Don't have a chopstick either? My friend Amanda at Striped Spatula has more easy ways to pit a cherry.

Top tip: I love buying cherries when they're on sale in the summer, pitting them, and then freezing in bulk. Then I can pull them out all year long to make other recipes, like this cherry clafoutis!

How Do I Make My Cherry Chocolate Chip Milkshake Thicker?

The type of milk you use will affect the consistency of your shake-- whole milk (or if you're going all out-- whipping cream) will give you a thicker, spoon-worthy shake.  

Skim or 2% will give you a slightly thinner shake that you can drink with a straw.

Gather together your pitted cherries, ice cream, chocolate chips, and milk.  Blend them all up, and enjoy your cool and creamy summer shake!