I hear you loud and clear… “Hey Sherri, Purim is over and I’m out buying matzo, what’s with you and the hamantashen already?” My answer… I still have about 10 pounds of hamantashen crumbs to reinvent! So why not make a crazy hamantashen milkshake? Last year was the hamantashen ice cream sandwich so this isn’t so crazy – right?

Now to answer the burning question, why all the crumbs, I first need to give you a little backstory. I’m a member of a Jewish culinary group called the P2G Culinary Connection. Over the past several weeks, we had been putting together Shaloch Manos baskets (gifts of food given during Purim) for holocaust survivors in our area. Of course hamantashen are the star of any basket, but with everyone’s busy schedules we didn’t have time to all get together and bake so it was my job to find a way to buy them.

I reached out to Lilly’s Baking Company in Brooklyn, NY. I have ordered from them in the past and know their baked goods are absolutely delicious. Living in Columbus, we often need a black and white or rainbow cookie fix and if you’re not a baker, Lilly’s is the perfect place to order from. They have been my go to since we moved here because everything they make is reminiscent of our favorite bakeries in New York. Needing a very large quantity, I was hoping they would be able to give us a big discount. I emailed them our intentions, and the amount we needed (around 460). What happened next was unexpected. One of the CEO’s wanted to support our mission by donating the product and the cost of shipping! I almost started to cry; the generosity was overwhelming.

Sadly, the shipping company didn’t do such a great job getting them to us. All 3 cases were severely damaged and while we were able to salvage about 80 of them, the balance was all broken. What Lilly’s did next was even more generous, they shipped out more the very next day overnight air. The new ones arrived perfectly intact; we placed them gingerly on top of each basket.

Now the question was what to do with all of the crumbs? I couldn’t just throw them away. Any good Jewish mother would never let something like that go to waste! Ideas were spinning through my head: strawberry shortcakes, magic bars, dirt cups, yogurt parfaits, a trifle, mini cheesecakes, the world was my oyster (or in this case – my hamantashen)! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I made amazing yogurt parfaits and cookie pops. Then it hit me – a hamantashen milkshake.

To quote my son, “Mom, only you would think of making a hamantashen cookie milkshake – it’s amazing and I can’t believe it tastes like hamantashen ice cream!” This was the grand finale of my week and was so amazingly good; I suggest you drink it until you can’t tell the difference between Mordechai and Haman! That’s what we did. With these words I say drink and Enjoy! This recipe makes 2 servings.

First make the chocolate ganache:
½ bag of semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
3/8 cup of cream or half and half
pinch of kosher salt
dash of vanilla extract

Add the chocolate chips to a narrow bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it just comes to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for about 3 minutes then whisk it together until smooth and shiny. Instead of making ganache (which I highly recommend) you can use a good quality hot fudge.

While the cream is heating, get all of your add-ins together. For me it was mini M&M’s, sprinkles, chocolate candies, KitKat bars, whipped cream of course, and one of my mini birthday cake hamantashen. Plus the crowning glory, a perfect Lilly’s hamantashen. You could also add pretzels, licorice, or other favorites you might have.

To assemble the glasses: take two tablespoons of the ganache and spread it inside the glass. Then, dip the rim into the ganache about 1” deep. Holding the glass over a cookie sheet or bowl to catch the overage, sprinkle with whatever adornments you want until it looks just right. If you want to stick things to the glass such as larger candies, you have to paint the candy with the ganache and hold it in place for a bit until it firms up.

Now for the shake: (this recipe makes 2 servings)
2 cups good quality vanilla ice cream plus an additional 2 scoops to float on top (one for each glass)
¾ cup of milk (any kind will work, I used 2%)
1 ½ cups hamantashen crumbs (including the filling pieces)

Blend together until well combined and pour into the glasses. Depending on the ice cream you use, and how thick you like your shakes, you may need more or less milk. Top each glass with one scoop of ice cream, add whipped cream, sprinkles and whatever treats you want to add. Then finish it off by topping it with a hamantashen. WARNING: These are addicting! Hamantashen lovers, BEWARE!