Copycat Chick-Fil-A Cookies & Cream Milkshake Recipe

Milkshakes are one of those fast food restaurant favorites that just seem to go better with a hamburger (or chicken sandwich) and fries than any other treat out there. But, you don't have to swing through the drive-thru to pick up your favorite creamy and delicious dessert. Making this copycat Chick-fil-A Cookies & Cream Milkshake recipe at home only takes 10 minutes total — and that includes making your own whipped cream.

The best part of all? Recipe developer and private practice registered dietitian, Kristen Carli, even has a suggestion for turning it into a dairy-free dessert if you're trying to cut back on regular milk products. Simply use a cashew-based, dairy-free ice cream to keep the flavor a little closer to the original, along with a dairy-free milk, and skip the added whipped cream. Keep in mind that this will change the flavor, but if you have an intolerance or a dietary restriction that makes the traditional option off-limits, it's good to know there's a workaround so you can still satisfy your milkshake craving.

To whip up this decadent cookies and cream milkshake in your own kitchen, all you need is Oreo cookies, vanilla bean ice cream, whole milk, vanilla extract (It's important to really capitalize on the vanilla flavor here!), heavy cream, sugar, and a maraschino cherry to top it all off. When everything's combined, your ingredients will make the equivalent of a "small" version of the Chick-fil-A favorite, although it's very easy to double the recipe and make enough sweet treats to share with everyone in the house!

The first step in whipping up this delight? You need to crumble those Oreo cookies. The quickest way to do this is to put the Oreos in a blender and pulse until they're nice and crumbly. It should only take a few seconds to do. You'll end up blending them with the rest of your ingredients in the next step, so they don't have to be completely broken up, but by giving them an initial pulse, your final product will end up nice and smooth.

Next up? It's time to add your ice cream, milk, and vanilla extract to the blender. To really mimic the flavor of the Chick-fil-A version, Carli says it's important to use vanilla bean ice cream, as that's what the restaurant uses. Plus, the vanilla flavor will taste more authentic, as vanilla bean ice cream is made with the beans, rather than an extract. That being said, if you only have regular vanilla ice cream available, there's no reason you can't sub it in. Simply blend all the ingredients together until they're nice and smooth.

The final step — making homemade whipped cream — is incredibly simple, but it actually takes up the bulk of the time needed to prepare your milkshake. So, if you're particularly short on time, you can always use a pre-made whipped cream in place of homemade, although homemade does taste better.

All you have to do is add your cream and sugar to a stand mixer (You can use a hand mixer if needed. It just requires you to hold the mixer as the cream whips.), and use the whisk attachment to whisk for about eight minutes. Ultimately, you're waiting for a stiff peak to form.

When your whipped cream is ready, simply add it to the top of your waiting milkshake, and top the deliciousness off with a bright red cherry! And, if you happen to have a few extra Oreo cookies on hand, you could always crumble a few of those on top, too, for extra sweetness.