Choosing the Ingredients
Buy an avocado. If you want to make the shake immediately, buy a ripe, brown, ready-to-eat avocado; if you plan to make the shake in a few days, buy a firmer, greener avocado. To tell if it's ripe: Hold the avocado in the palm of your hand. Gently squeeze the avocado, being careful not to press with your fingertips, as this can cause bruising. A ripe avocado will be soft and will yield to the gentle pressure, but will not be overly squishy. If it's suspiciously squishy, there's a good chance that it's beginning to go bad; when avocados are overripe, the insides decay and go brown. If it is still hard, then it is still under ripe and will take a few days to ripen. You may still opt to purchase under-ripe avocados, and ripen them at home. Store unripe avocados in a paper bag at room temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18.33 and 23.88 degrees Celsius) for up to 5 days, until they are ripe. To slow the ripening process, store the avocado in the refrigerator until you make the shake. Buy certain varieties of avocado based on their flavor profile: The Hass, Lamb Hass, Gwen, Reed, or Sharwil varieties tend to have a nutty taste, whereas the Bacon and Zutano varieties are lighter in flavor. Half an avocado makes about two servings; a full avocado makes four. If you want an especially rich, thick smoothie, use more avocado per serving--say, use the whole avocado for two people. Bear in mind that if you use less avocado, your shake will be thinner, and it may not be so rich.
Buy milk. The richer the milk, the thicker the shake. If you want an especially rich shake, use whole milk or half-and-half. For a lower-fat option, use 2%, 1%, or skim milk. Consider using almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, or any other non-dairy milk options. Nut milks, especially, may complement the naturally nutty taste of some avocado varieties. Bear in mind that these choices may not be as thick or rich as dairy milk. For an especially thick, rich shake, consider substituting ice cream for the milk. Bear in mind that this may make a shake that's too thick--you may only want to substitute ice cream for half the milk that the recipe calls for, or you may want to add an extra half-cup of ice cream to the recipe for a larger, thicker shake. If you're adding ice cream, you may want to compensate by using a lower-fat variety of milk.
Buy sugar. Any type of sugar is fine: brown, white, granulated, etc. Avocados can be bitter, but sugar will mitigate any hint of bitterness. If you're on a no- or low-sugar diet, feel free to forego the sugar and let the natural richness of the avocado shine. Consider using natural sweeteners like honey and agave nectar. These ingredients will keep your shake sweet without exposing you to processed, industrially-refined sugar. Add natural sweeteners to taste; as a rule of thumb, start with the same amount of sweetener that's listed in the recipe, and work up or down from there. Consider substituting 1/4 cup condensed milk for the sugar or sweetener. This will keep the shake rich and sweet without using pure, processed sugar.
Buy or make chocolate syrup. The brand doesn't matter: pick your favorite. The chocolate, again, is not an absolutely necessary ingredient, but it will add dimension to the taste of your shake. Consider substituting another dessert sauce--such as caramel or butterscotch--for the chocolate syrup if you cannot (or don't want to) eat chocolate. Be careful not to use too much chocolate syrup, or the shake might be too sweet. If you love chocolate, use more; if you're hesitant to rock the choc, consider adding less.
Use crushed ice. You can buy ice from a store, but it may be cheaper to make your own. If your refrigerator dispenses crushed and cubed ice, hold a measuring cup below the dispenser until you've captured 3/4 of a cup. This is not a hard, fast rule for the amount of ice. Feel free to experiment. Blended, crushed ice will give your shake a thicker consistency, and it may temper the richness of the avocado and the milk.
Making the Shake
Mix the avocado, milk, ice, and sugar in a blender. Leave the chocolate syrup aside, for now. Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, and use a knife or a spoon to scoop the fruit into the blender. The insides should be green, and perhaps vaguely yellow--but not brown. Slice away any brown bits and leave them out of your shake. Discard the lumpy skin on the outside and the hard pit in the center. Slice a grid into the avocado, crisscrossing grooves all the way through the fruit, to make the fruit easier to remove. Use as much of the avocado as you like, though as a general rule, half an avocado makes two servings. If you want to garnish the rim of the shake glasses with an avocado slice or two, then save at least a quarter of an avocado.
Blend the ingredients until the mixture is no longer chunky. Make sure to secure the lid of your blender before firing up the machine. This may take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes. Keep an eye on the shake while it's blending. You may need to hold the lid down to keep it from jostling loose. Keep checking the consistency until it's done. With the blender off, use a spoon to stir the mixture and check for lumpy bits. If you find any large chunks of avocado or ice, replace the lid and blend for another 10-15 seconds. If it's your first time making an avocado shake--and even if it isn't--sample the mixture as you go. Feel free to change the recipe to meet your tastes: add more milk for a thinner shake; more avocado, ice, or ice cream for a thicker shake; more sugar or sweetener for a sweeter shake. As you interact with the recipe and consider what you like, you'll get better and better at making avocado shakes.
Line the sides of your glasses with chocolate syrup, and pour the puree into the glasses. The chocolate syrup is optional. It will, however, lend an exciting, sweet dimension to the flavor of the shake, and it adds character to the shake's appearance.
Garnish the shake. Decorate the rim of the glass with extra avocado chunks. Scoop ice cream or cherries into the shake to make it a little bit sweeter. Consider drizzling honey or agave nectar onto the surface of the shake for an extra-sweet kick. Consider garnishing with whipped cream or cool whip. Consider sprinkling crushed nuts on top of the shake; this may work well with the naturally nutty flavor of the avocado. If you're making shakes for small children, make sure that the nut chunks aren't too large. Consider salting the shake, lightly, if you're into sweet-and-salty desserts--but don't go overboard!
Enjoy! Be sure to save any leftover avocado. If you have any leftover avocado, you can store it in the refrigerator for two or three days Keep the avocado in a clean, airtight container, and sprinkle it with citrus juice--lemon or lime--to preserve its freshness. If you don't want to use citrus (this can make for a slimy avocado), store the opened-up avocado with a piece of cut-up onion. Either option should keep an avocado relatively fresh for 1-3 days--but the sooner you eat it, the better. You can compost or discard the skin, the pit, and any other avocado bits that you don't want to save. If you want to use the pit to grow your own avocado tree, then save it, clean it, and use toothpicks to prop it with the round end half-submerged in a glass of water. The avocado pit should begin to sprout a taproot, slowly, and it should be ready to plant in 3-4 weeks.
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