Harry Potter Treats!

Every few years I make a big batch of Cockroach Clusters, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, and Acid Pops. I always throw in a few Jelly Slugs (Gummy Worms or "Slugies") and 'Berty Bots Every Flavor Beans' (Jelly Bellies), and usually brew up a batch of Butter Beer.

With the release of the new and final movie last week, Griffin and I recently made up a bunch to share with friends. He helped me dip the frogs in chocolate, crack the eggs, pour all the pre-measured ingredients into the bowl, and even turn on the Kitchenaide mixer (he learned that when he was 2!). This was the first time we have baked together and he could actually read the recipes, and he even measured out the spices for the pasties. We always have a great time baking. Whenever needed, he was even willing to distract his little sister Willow so I could keep baking.

When the first Harry Potter movie was coming out, long before I had a kitchen helper (or two), Rosie O'Donnell had a chef on her show to make a variety of the interesting sounding goodies featured in the Harry Potter books. I started with those recipes and have made them my own. Here are the recipes I use:

Cockroach Clusters
Chocolate Chips (usually milk chocolate but last night I mixed in about 1/2 Giradelli's Bittersweet Chips)
Pecan Halves (try to get the whole halves, so they are the right shape for Cockroaches. They are also crunchy on the outside and squishy on the inside, as I assume Cockroaches would be) :)
Sweetened Coconut (for legs)
Chocolate Sprinkles (more legs)

Melt Chocolate. Gently stir in Pecans, then Coconut, until completely covered with Chocolate. Use 2 spoons to scoop clusters of 3-5 nuts onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Add a few sprinkles if you like. You can pop the trays in the freezer for a short time to help them solidify.

Pumpkin Pasties
1 Can Pumpkin, and ingredients listed on Can
Crusts (I have used Sugar Cookie Dough in various molds or muffin tins, but to save time I just used Mini Graham Cracker Crusts this time)

Prepare Pie Filling following instructions on the can. Pour into crusts and bake about 1/2 the time listed for large pies, or until a fork comes out clean.

Chocolate Frogs
Milk Chocolate Chips
Gummy Frogs

Melt Chocolate Chips on low heat in a double boiler or small sauce pan. Use a toothpick pressed into the center of each frog's back to dip bottom of Frog into chocolate. Set on wax paper to cool. Use several toothpicks so the chocolate can cool some before you have to remove the toothpick, or the chocolate will likely squish off. These can also be chilled in the fridge or freezer, but the Frogs will get very hard if you leave them.

Cauldron Cakes
1 box Brownie Mix, and ingredients on back of box
Cotton Candy (can often find it in a bag at the grocery store which lasts longer than real fresh cotton candy, but could not find it this year, so used small round Coconut Covered Cookies)

Prepare brownies as instructed. Bake in mini mmuffin tin. Once cooked, use a spoon to scoop out the top of each "cauldron" and put in a 'puff of smoke' cotton candy.

Acid Pops
Lollipops
Honey
Poprocks

Remove wrapper from Lollipop. Pour Poprocks into a small bowl. Dip each Lollipop in honey or brush on with a basting brush. Dip into Poprocks to coat with as many as will stick. Wrap with a small square of plastic wrap and a twist tie. Note: Some of the Poprocks with pop when they hit the honey, but most of them will last long enough to enjoy a nice exploding Acid Pop.

Butter Beer
Apple Cider
Vanilla Ice Cream
Butter Rum Mix (mostly available during the holidays in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, but you can find recipes to make your own using cinnamon and other spices)

Heat Apple Cider in a large pot. Melt in Vanilla Ice Cream and Butter Rum Mix. Note: Butter Rum Mix is usually premixed with the butter. I have tried both the butter mix and a mix of only the spices. Both are good, but you probably want to add several sticks of butter to get really buttery Butter Beer, or leave it out for a bit healthier drink.

Enjoy!