If making whipped cream and rim:
Add the heavy cream to a bowl. Begin by whipping the cream at medium speed. Once it starts to thicken, increase the speed to high. Continue whipping until the peaks stand up straight. Place in the fridge while you make the milkshake.
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
If you want to make a rim with black sanding sugar like I did – pour sanding sugar into a shallow bowl. Brush some maple syrup on the rim of your glass with a small pastry brush or dip the rim into a shallow dish of maple syrup. Immediately dip the rim of the glass into the sanding sugar. Tap to remove excess sugar and place in the freezer for a few minutes to help the sugar adhere better.
Make the milkshake:
Add ice cream, milk, black cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla to a blender and blend until it’s totally combined and there aren’t any lumps of ice cream. If it’s too thick, add more milk until it’s however thick you'd like. Taste and add more black cocoa, if desired. Note that the milkshake may look dark grey at the beginning, but gets very close to black the longer it sits.
2 cups (475 ml) vanilla ice cream,1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 ml) milk,3 tablespoons (26 grams) black cocoa powder,2 tablespoons maple syrup,2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Top with the whipped cream and add sprinkles, if desired.