Dairy Free Matcha Cookie Shake

Though this is basically a dairy free cookies and cream milkshake with a little extra earthy matcha powder thrown in for good measure, I feel like this shake is totally acceptable as a dessert treat or as a breakfast shake. At least, I've been drinking them for breakfast...so there's that. ;-)

All we need is a handful of ingredients and a good blender, and we have a sweet and delicious shake in a matter of minutes!

The base of our shake is a dairy free ice cream. I know so many lactose intolerant people that are willing to destroy their tummies just for a bowl of ice cream or a delicious milkshake. So, this one's for them. I found this super delicious cookie dough coconut milk ice cream at the grocery store; and honestly, I think I may prefer the coconut ice cream now. It's sweet and creamy with a lovely coconutty undertone. So, since I was already planning on making a cookie shake, cookie dough ice cream seemed like the right move. And, I was totally right!

We're going to let our ice cream thaw for just a few minutes on the countertop before we add it to the blender so that it blends in nicely with the rest of our ingredients. To the ice cream, we're going to add in some chilled coconut milk. I typically tend to prefer lite coconut milk, but we want the full fat option for this recipe. It just helps to make everything extra thick and creamy.

We can't have a cookie shake without cookies, so we're going to toss some Oreo cookies into the blender with our ice cream and milk. Now, I was feeling a little extra nutty the first time I made this shake, so I snuck some matcha powder into blender to balance out the sweetness and to add a nice earthy tone to the shake.

Matcha powder is basically just ground green tea leaves. It's very grassy. It's very strong. And, I know that some people find it to be a little bitter. I love the stuff, so I added a generous scoop to my smoothie. If you don't like the matcha flavor, leave it out! Or if you're not ready to go full out with the matcha flavor but still want to give this unique flavor a try, feel free to add a little less matcha powder and taste as you go.

Once we have our shake all blended up, we're left with the creamiest, dreamiest cooling shake. The sweet coconut flavor from the ice cream and milk is balanced out by the natural earthiness of the matcha powder. And, can anyone really be mad when Oreo cookies are invited to the party? This is cookies and cream shake that's been taken to the next level!

Alright, everyone! Whether green tea has virus fighting properties or not, there are plenty of other natural good things that green tea can do for our bodies. So, we might as well sneak some in whenever we can...even into our milkshakes!

I hope you enjoy! And, let's drink!