The summer heat put the kibosh on so many of our summer plans. How about you? Finally, the heat seems to be breaking and there is still time for summer fun! My daughter is here for a brief respite—moving from a job in Topeka, Kansas to grad school near Washington, DC and that means family fun and special times. One night, a celebration seemed in order and we became fixated on milk shakes. They sounded cool, fun and comforting—all in one big gulp.

Thick, creamy, icy cold milk shakes—but, what flavor? Classic and familiar or a new adventure? Then, as families do, everyone had a flavor suggestion. Our compromise features a family tradition in a new chilly, smooth format. We are Girl Scouts –lots of years as scouts and as the leader, as volunteers and now even one daughter as an employee, so their famous cookies are at the top of our flavor list and the fun we had shines in our memories. Why not use those cookies as an inspiration to make milk shakes? It seemed to us that mint, caramel, coconut, peanut butter and chocolate are all on target to make the best milk shakes. We came up with three absolutely scrumptious, badge-worthy milk shakes! Have fun and give them all a try!

Caramel Coconut Milk Shakes

1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup caramel syrup
Topping: Whipped cream, caramel syrup, chocolate syrup and toasted coconut
Place ice cream, coconut milk and caramel syrup in a blender; blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream, drizzle with caramel and chocolate syrups and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Makes 2 servings
Tip: Cans of coconut milk is readily available in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. It should not be confused with cream of coconut, a sweetened product often used in cocktails.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk Shakes

1 cup vanilla or chocolate ice cream
1/3 cup chocolate syrup
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
Topping: Whipped cream, chocolate syrup and chopped chocolate peanut butter cup candies
Place ice cream, chocolate syrup, peanut butter and milk in a blender; blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream, drizzle with chocolate syrup and sprinkle with chopped candy.
Makes 2 servings
Tip: This milk shake is thick; increase milk to 1/3 cup if a thinner milk shake is preferred.

Chocolate Mint Milk Shakes

1 cup chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup chocolate fudge topping
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons green crème de menthe syrup
Topping: Whipped cream and mint leaves
Place ice cream, chocolate fudge topping, milk and crème de menthe syrup in a blender; blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a mint leaf.
Tip: Chocolate fudge topping is thicker then chocolate syrup; substitute chocolate syrup if preferred. The green crème de menthe syrup is nonalcoholic and is often found with pancake syrup or coffee syrups. The green color is not evident in the milk shake due to the dark colors of the chocolate.