Give Santa this bourbon-pumpkin pie milkshake instead of milk and rake in the presents

This is part of Southern Kitchen's 12 Days of Cookies and Cocktails series, which runs daily through Christmas Eve. Each day, we'll pair fun and festive cocktails with classic cookie recipes.

This pumpkin pie shake would be ridiculously decadent served with bourbon bacon chocolate chip cookies, especially since you can use the leftover bourbon from the cookie recipe to make this shake. 

Who needs a boring old glass of milk? This milkshake recipe is boozy, creamy and satisfying, though not exactly slimming. 

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Who cares? It's the holidays. 

This cocktail, which also works perfectly for Thanksgiving, celebrates the seasonal abundance of winter squash this time of year. It also uses quite a lot of whiskey. You may add or subtract booze as you wish. 

This recipe is for one milkshake, but it's big enough to split. You may also adjust the liquid as needed, and use lower-fat dairy if you'd like. 

This recipe is courtesy of Happenstance Whiskey, distilled in Nashville. More about Happenstance at happenstancewhiskey.com.

Ingredients

2 cups vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup cream or half-and-half

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

2-3 ounces bourbon

Pinch of cinnamon

Frosting and sprinkles, for rim garnish (optional)

Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until combined. Rim glasses with a light coating of frosting then dip in sprinkles. Pour milkshake in a glass and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

For an extra festive look, you could also roll the rim in frosting, and then dip the rim in sprinkles. Happy holidays!