My Jamocha Shake Addiction

I’m a vegetarian, so there’s not much for me on the menu at most fast food joints. But I confess: I frequent the roast-beef outpost Arby’s on a regular basis. I’m not defying the vegetarian credo and sneaking beef sandwiches on the side, I’m just addicted to those Jamocha shakes. I must use an Arbys coupons or two a week – its embarrassing, but some of the people there actually know me and know my order. One medium Jamocha shake, please!

            If you haven’t had one, you’re missing out – it’s a chocolate-y, coffee-y ice cream dessert that’s a grown-up take on its plainer counterparts. It’s been a favorite on the Arby’s menu since its introduction in 1964 – which means Arby’s was pioneering spiffed-up coffee drinks long before McDonald’s even came to the scene. Can you tell I spend a lot of time thinking about these shakes?

            I decided it was time for me to break free of my Arby’s addiction by learning to make my own Jamocha shakes. After a bit of trial and error, I’ve come up with the following recipe: .

            3 cups vanilla ice cream
            1 cup cold coffee
            1 cup milk
            1 tablespoon sugar
            3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
Combine the coffee, milk, and sugar in a blender.  Add the ice cream and chocolate syrup and blend until creamy.

            The flavor of this recipe is spot-on, especially if you use a good strong coffee. I’ve found that blending too long can make the shake too watery, which is woefully un-Arbys. Part of the Jamocha magic is that those shakes are always so thick and creamy that you almost need a spoon to eat them. If you’re patient, you can wait for the ice cream to soften up a bit and then mix it all together by hand to get the right texture.  If you don’t want to bust out the blender, you can still get your Jamocha fix with these Arby’s coupons – tell them I sent you :)