All you Harry Potter fans out there, this one’s for you! For lovers of all things super sweet, this recipe will give you one heck of a sugar rush and is perfect for the Halloween season.
This week: Butterbeer (courtesy of Dine & Dish)
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The Ingredients
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 liter cream soda
Making the Mixture
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Note: You don’t need a candy thermometer. Instead, just wait for the mixture to start bubbling
Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. Set aside and let cool to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes. Note: I thought making the whipped topping was unnecessary. The foamy top of butterbeer forms when you add the cream soda to the mixture. Also, the drink is already extremely sugary without adding more sugar. I ended up scooping the topping off because I couldn’t get to the actual drink.
To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, and then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.
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Final Product
The drink was very, VERY sweet, even for a person like me who loves sugar. I can see how it would be an instant hit among kids. It was almost like drinking bubbly butterscotch syrup, however for those of you over 21, fellow Her Campus BC member Mary Lou Ponsetto came up with a solution…
For those of you over 21: Divide one glass butterbeer into two glasses and fill the remainder of the butterbeer with British Ale (keeping with the Harry Potter theme). This decreases the sweetness, but keeps the characteristic taste of the Butterbeer.
Total time spent in the kitchen: 20 – 30 minutes
Rating: 4
21+ Rating: 7
Overall, this was a simple and fun drink to make and it is perfect for a Harry Potter movie marathon. Be sure to check out my post next week to see what spooky treats I cook up for the Halloween weekend!
Peace, Love, and Pinterest
-Katherine