Unless you've been living under a rock or hate social media, you've probably heard of Black Tap milkshakes. They're those giant, crazy, over-the-top desserts that have been blowing up all over Instagram and Facebook, with entire slices of cake and sparklers shooting out of donuts on top. They've become world-famous and pretty much singlehandedly started this latest food trend of ridiculous milkshakes.
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I visited New York City a couple weeks ago and was determined to try one, but when I got there (only about half an hour after it opened), the line was already hours long and no one else was willing to stick it out with me for one of those amazing shakes. I was more disappointed than a normal person would have been, but when I got home, I realized it probably wasn't actually too hard to make one myself. I did a little research and some experimenting, and now have a step-by-step recipe to share on how to make a homemade Black Tap milkshake and totally impress your friends with your culinary artistic skills!
1. Start with the ice cream.
The actual milkshake is almost forgotten underneath all of the towering toppings Black Tap uses. Blend a couple scoops of your favorite flavor of ice cream (I used Ben and Jerry's mint chocolate chip) with about 1/2 cup of milk and keep frozen until ready to use.
2. Prep the inside of the glass.
These milkshakes are meticulously put together, so you can't forget dousing the inside of whatever glass you choose to use (Black Tap uses tall, thin mugs, but you can be artsy and use Mason jars, milk bottles, etc) with chocolate fudge sauce and any other sweet syrups you want, like caramel or marshmallow. Just squeeze the syrup along the inside of the glass's rim and let it drip down to the bottom. It'll look pretty rad when you pour the ice cream inside.
3. Prep the outside of the glass.
Black Tap's shakes are famous for their toppings, starting with the ones that aren't even on top of the glass. Smear a generous amount of frosting around the top of the glass (I made mine about two inches wide) and use it as glue for small decorative toppings, like chocolate chips, sprinkles, or tiny candies. I went hardcore and stuck balls of cookie dough around mine. You can also get even more into this sugar explosion and use something like Nutella or cookie butter in place of the frosting.
4. Start topping.
This is the super fun part. Once you've assembled the outside and poured the actual milkshake into the glass, you can start building. For this part, you can use literally anything your imagination comes up with; Black Tap's toppings have ranged from cupcakes, cotton candy, caramel apples, chocolate-covered pretzels, giant lollipops, even entire slices of cake. I had decided on this experiment somewhat spontaneously, so I just had to go through my kitchen and find whatever looked like a dessert and stick it on top. I used an Eggo waffle, homemade peanut butter cookie, Ghirardelli chocolate caramel square, Reese's cups, chocolate pretzels, a Milano raspberry cookie and a ton of whipped cream. If you're having trouble making everything stay in place, try using more frosting as glue or thin wooden food skewers to keep things from falling.
5. Eat!
You've done all the hard work, now you get to enjoy! This is my final masterpiece, in all of its glory.
I ended up giving it to my brother after he bet that he could finish the whole thing, and at about 10:00 at night, he somehow managed to consume over 2,500 calories in less than 10 minutes. And literally not gain a single pound. But he did say it was the best milkshake he'd ever had, so I guess I can't be too upset.
It took a lot of time and my mom wasn't too happy with the big mess I left behind in the kitchen, but I didn't have to stand in line for hours or drop $15 for diabetes in a cup, so I'd say this homemade Black Tap milkshake was definitely worth it. Next time I decide being healthy is pointless, I'll make sure to have even more ridiculous toppings ready. Maybe I'll just throw an entire box of donuts on the top; that seems like something Black Tap would do.
