Covers & Cocktails: Fangirl

Bitchery, I’m turning thirty next week and I definitely need a cocktail. Not just any cocktail, but something celebratory, with whipped cream and everything. Buckle up everyone because we’re making a boozy, chocolatey milkshake!

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting is the inspiration for this alcoholic milkshake. The cover is adorable with bright colors and—well, look at that—a milkshake. And yes, the characters do partake in the book.

Meet Cute
A | BN | K | AB
Drinking a milkshake is fun. I’ve never had a bad time when milkshakes are involved. They’re part drink, part dessert. A lot of Hunting’s books have this quality, as the heroes and heroines found themselves in outlandish situations. In Meet Cute, the heroine Kailyn winds up going to law school with her teenage heartthrob crush, Daxton Hughes. They form this really lovely, easy friendship until Daxton screws her over on an assignment.

Years later, they reunite at the law firm where Kailyn works, but things have gotten increasingly complicated for the both of them since their law school days.

For Meet Cute, I’ve made a chocolate peanut butter milkshake. Instead of using liqueur, I chose to go with a beer as a nod to Daxton wanting to be this normal, everyman sort of guy, despite his fame. Kailyn also goes a little nuts once she realizes her celebrity crush is now firmly in her orbit. And come on, chocolate always pairs well with romance.

I give you…the Fangirl chocolate peanut butter milkshake!

Ingredients for a chocolate peanut butter milkshake

Shopping list:
Chocolate ice cream
Peanut butter
Milk
Peanut Butter Porter

Proportions:
2 cups ice cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup beer

Directions:

  1. Stick everything in a blender or in a cup, if you’re using an immersion blender.
  2. Blend until combined.
  3. Pour into glass.
  4. Top with whipped cream, if you feel so inclined.

Modifications and notes:

  • You can use whatever milk you have on hand, or even half and half to thicken things up. However, I used chocolate milk to boost the chocolate taste.
  • If you’re vegan or lactose intolerant, you can easily modify this with dairy-free ice cream and milk. My favorite chocolate milk is the Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
  • Don’t drink? Just leave out the alcohol!
  • If you aren’t a beer person, you can easily substitute with a chocolate liqueur. The shake will be sweeter if you go that route.
  • I had planned to garnish it with a Reese’s Egg, but I’m on my period and I was desperate. So I ate it.
  • Definitely use creamy peanut butter. It’s what I thought I had at home, but I was wrong. I was too lazy to go back to the store and I just made do with my chunky peanut butter. I don’t really recommend it.
  • My beer selection is Phone Home from Night Shift Brewing in Everett, MA. If you’re outside my area, you probably won’t be able to get it. Please substitute with any peanut butter dark beer (stout or porter). And, if you’re so inclined, talk beer with me on Untapped!

A chocolate peanut butter milkshake next to a copy of Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

Happy drinking!

Comments are Closed

  1. Sandra says:

    Not a peanut butter person, but I make a wicked White Russian milkshake… vodka, Kahlua, Baileys, half & half, coffee ice cream. Substitute Bushmills for the vodka and it becomes Irish coffee.

  2. Amanda says:

    @Sandra: As someone who loves White Russians, that sounds amazing!

  3. Jenny says:

    Happy birthday for next week, Amanda 🙂 That is a seriously decadent looking cocktail! Have you come across Difford’s Guide (https://www.diffordsguide.com/)? It’s the most amazing cocktail resource, I spent a happy afternoon plugging in the (extensive) contents of our bar and now it provides cocktail suggestions based on what we have in the house.

  4. denise says:

    I’ve made milkshakes like this before, sans beer. Yum!

  5. Holly says:

    That beer looks right up my alley! I’m 100% a dark beer person, cannot abide super hoppy IPAs (hops taste like soap to me, which is unfortunate as they seem to make up 99% of the craft beer market). About to crack into a lovely chocolate and coconut stout by Left Handed Giant which would also be amazing in this cocktail I reckon, cheers to the weekend!

  6. Elaine D. Lerman says:

    Happy 30th Birthday Amanda,(next week)!
    The milk shake looks and sounds amazing! If someone doesn’t like peanut butter, you can substitute chocolate syrup or more ice cream. Also instead of the beer, why not vanilla vodka which brings out the chocolate flavor (especially if you sub the p.b.). Cheers!!

  7. Kareni says:

    Wishing you a wonderful birthday, Amanda!

  8. Ashley M. says:

    And for anyone out there wanting a slighter low calorie option, use those low calorie ice creams (like Halo Top or Englightened which are around 300-400 calories a pint) in your milkshake! Once in milkshake form, I don’t notice the weird, off-putting (to me) texture of the low cal ice creams, and it makes my milkshakes a little lower in calories. Which I probably immediately erase with the sheer amount of hot fudge I also put in, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

    Also, adding a little bit of an instant pudding mix will help your milkshake thicken up if you like the real thick types.

  9. Zuzus says:

    I love beer milkshakes but have a hard time convincing anyone else that they are awesome. I thought I was the only one. Thanks for semi-normalizing my habit.

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