Butterbeer, Chocolate Wands, and Pumpkin Pasties: Harry Potter treats for a fond farewell

Becky, the Music Man, and I gathered with a friend last night to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 before we see Part 2 this evening. And what would a Harry Potter movie night be without Harry Potter themed snacks?

We made Chocolate Wands, Pumpkin Pasties, and Butterbeer. Of course, none of these things actually appear in Deathly Hallows. If we were truly sticking to the themes of Book 7, we'd be more likely to make edible Horcruxes.  I can see it now - Marvolo Gaunt Donut Rings, Gummi Worm Naginis, Chocolate Lockets, and Helga Hufflepuff-Pastry Cups.

But seriously - who wants to eat a part of Voldemort's soul?  So we'll stick to snacks from the earlier, happier installments, thank you very much!

All three of these recipes are incredibly easy. The only one that actually involves baking is the Pumpkin Pasties, and even those can be ultra-semi-homemade. 

So fear not, young witches, wizards, and Muggles. While we say goodbye to Harry and the gang on the big screen this weekend, we can always return to the kitchen (and the books!) to recreate the magic we have come to love so dearly.

-Katie

Butterbeer

Our version of Butterbeer is a cream soda float with butterscotch flavoring. Since all witches and wizards at our gathering were of age, we used butterscotch schnapps, but you could certainly stir in butterscotch sauce to get the same flavor for the underage wizards.

Per mug:

1 small scoop vanilla ice cream

1 oz butterscotch schnapps, or butterscotch ice cream topping or sauce

cream soda

Chill mugs in freezer. Scoop ice cream into mug. Pour schnapps and a small amount of cream soda into mug and stir to dissolve most of the ice cream and create the signature Butterbeer foam. Add cream soda to fill mug.

Chocolate Wands

1 package pretzel rods

1 cup chocolate chips

sprinkles

Melt chocolate chips in a mug in microwave on high in 30 second intervals. Dip pretzel rods in chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles. Place wands in cups or mugs to harden.

Pumpkin Pasties

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (1 12-ounce can)
Pam or butter for greasing casserole dish
9-ounce pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts) (our favorite recipe here)

Make filling*:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Stir in pumpkin, salt, and spices. Add evaporated milk and mix well.

3. Pour filling into prepared casserole dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool filling completely on a wire rack.

Make pasties:

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

5. Make or purchase pie crust pastry. Roll pastry thin and cut into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter. Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle. Fold crust over filling and firmly crimp edges closed. With a paring knife, cut three small slits in the top for venting. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 400 degrees only until crust is a light golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

*To make this recipe even easier, skip steps 1-3, instead purchasing a pumpkin pie from the grocery store. In step 5, simply scoop out filling from the pie onto the pastry circles.