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I came across the recipe for this Palm Springs Date Shake in a recent issue of Bon Appetit magazine, and I immediately ripped out the page from the magazine so I could try making it at home!
This is a very unique and very delicious treat! A Palm Springs Date Shake is essentially a thick and creamy vanilla shake that has been flavored with chopped, pitted, dates, and our recipe today gets an extra depth of flavor from toasted walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon.
After seeing this particular date shake recipe in the magazine – which the author attributed to a local shop called Palm Springs Fudge & Chocolate – I did a quick online search and learned that date shakes are considered an iconic drink in the Palm Springs area.
Ninety percent of the world’s dates are grown in the California desert region around Palm Springs, and thanks to the abundance of local dates, just about every bar and restaurant in the Palm Springs area makes their own version of the date shake.
Credit for creating the first date shake goes to Russ Nichol, proprietor of the Valerie Jean Date Shop, who came up with the idea for the date shake as a way to use up their large surplus of this sweet, edible fruit.
I have to say – neither Jack nor I have ever had anything like this Palm Springs Date Shake, but it is fantastic and a must-try recipe! (I’m also thinking we need to plan a trip to Palm Springs very soon so we can taste even more delicious date shakes!) 🙂
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Palm Springs Date Shake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup shelled walnuts
- 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup hot water
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup vanilla ice cream
- 3/4 cup cracked ice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place ¼ cup of walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes – tossing the nuts midway through the cooking time – until slightly darkened in color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- While nuts are cooling, place dates and hot water in a small bowl and soak for 10 minutes.
- Place dates and their soaking liquid, walnuts, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a mini-food processor. Pulse, then process until a coarse paste forms.
- Place ice cream, ice, and the date paste into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
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This looks delicious! What a perfect drink to serve at brunch.
Thanks Amelie!