Butterbeer, like I promised.

Today has a theme of Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter. But most of all I love Slytherin house. Let me tell you something. I knew I belonged in Slytherin house from the moment I first read about it. My obsession with Slytherin is borderline embarrassing. My first pair of glasses? Green. My favorite color? Green. My favorite Harry Potter character? Green. Just kidding. My favorite character is (and always has been) Draco Malfoy. Anyway, enough about Slytherin because what this is really about is Butterbeer.

If you don't know what Butterbeer is, you are probably living under a rock and are thus incapable of using the internet or something because, seriously? You don't know what Butterbeer is? It's what Harry Potter (and Draco Malfoy) drinks, that's what. And you should know this by now. Shame on you.

I've wanted to taste the sweet buttery goodness that is Butterbeer since I read the first HP book when I was eight. I've come across a few recipes in my internet travels and so I think mine is the heavenly amalgamation of the good parts from every one of them. Most of it comes from a recipe over at The Pastry Affair, which is a wonderful, wonderful place to find yummy things to bake. Hers calls for apple cider vinegar, which I thought was a bit too strong, and serves it kind of cold and I just think Butterbeer is supposed to be hot. Also, it didn't have enough of a butterscotch taste to me. Anyway, here it is:


Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 ¼ cups heavy cream, divided
3 12-ounce  bottles of your favorite cream soda (I suggest Stewart's brand or IBC)
½ cup of butterscotch pudding mix
3 teaspoons apple cider


Combine brown sugar and two tablespoons of water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat after it boils for about one minute (make sure it doesn’t get any hotter-- you might have to take it off the burner). Set aside four tablespoons of this syrup to add to the whipped cream.

Next, add butter, salt, butterscotch pudding, apple cider, cream soda, and ¼ cup of heavy cream to the syrup. Stir over medium to high heat until the mixture is smooth and the carbonation from the cream soda is gone. It will look kind of like Jupiter:

For the topping, whip two cups (or more!) heavy cream (also don't forget to add sugar because apparently you have to add sugar when you whip cream... this is something I was unaware of and thought I would share. I added like a fourth a cup and it turned out well, so... yeah.) with the four tablespoons brown sugar mixture, which should be about room temperature but still a syrup (don't let it harden).

Serve hot with lots and lots and lots of whipped-brown-sugar-cream topping. It makes about 10-12 servings.

Now pretend you are Harry Potter.

The end.

P.S. It's super beautiful and perfect-looking, see:

P.P.S. Next I'll put up the directions for a fog bubbler and also my secret-y project that you can learn a clue about here.