How To DIY Your Fave Harry Potter Treats

One of my favorite parts of the Harry Potter series was reading about all the amazing food. It seemed that every occasion at Hogwarts called for a feast, and as someone from the US, I found the descriptions of mysterious and delicious-sounding food — like treacle tart and Yorkshire pudding — incredibly charming. And mouth-watering. It's sort of a HP fan rite of passage to try all of the foods mentioned.

Sadly, though, there aren’t a lot of places to purchase these dishes in my hometown. And since I can’t just pop over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter anytime I want a Butterbeer, I have to improvise. No, I’m not talking about melting a stick of butter in a pot and adding beer (and yes, I know someone who tried to do that. Spoiler alert: it’s not going to taste like Rowling’s description). I’m talking about true DIY. I’m talking about going to the grocery with a list of ingredients, or raiding your pantry and using what you have to make some of the amazing-sounding food from the Harry Potter series. Whether you’re an amazing chef looking to create some great confections, or a lazy cook who prefers recipes with three ingredients or less (i.e. me), you’ll find something for you in the following delicious list.

Chocolate Frogs

To make these, all you need is a bag of chocolate chips and this frog mold. Melt the chocolate chips and let them harden in the mold... or get fancy with it and use cookie dough, brownie batter, etc. to personalize the frogs. And, bonus: these frogs won't hop away the second you try to eat them. Which is always nice.

Pumpkin Pasties

This Hogwarts Express favorite is easy to DIY. According to this recipe from Pop Sugar, you just need pumpkin, butter, garlic, cheese, and pie crust to make savory pumpkin pasties. And if you don't like pumpkin, you can make them with sweet potatoes for a similar effect. As someone who will eat sweet potato flavored anything, I am going to try this one ASAP.

Cauldron Cakes

I can understand why Ron didn't want his sandwich when he saw the cauldron cakes on the Hogwarts Express snack cart... because they sound amazing. They're also super easy to DIY, because you just need cupcakes and licorice. If you want to get really fancy, follow the suggestion of the image above and hollow out the center of your cupcakes. Fill with the potion of your choice — I suggest Nutella — and use the licorice as the cauldron handle.

Butterbeer

This recipe is straight from the Wizarding World website:

• 1 quart butter brickle or vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup butterscotch syrup
• 32 oz of your favorite cream soda

The instructions can be found on the site, and they're simple enough that even an impatient non-chef like myself can handle it. You just need to find the perfect frosted glass for your creation — might I suggest something like this?

Pumpkin Juice

If you're a little more advanced at food (and drink) preparation, this recipe for pumpkin juice from Food in Literature is the perfect challenge to tackle. Ingredients needed:

• Half of a butternut squash
• Water
• Apple juice
• Apricot Nectar
• Vanilla essence
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Sugar

You can find the instructions here. It's a lot of simmering and baking, but the end result can be served hot or cold. Plus, you don't have to wait for the Halloween Feast to whip up a batch.

Firewhisky

If you're looking for a drink of something ~stronger~, here's a recipe from Food in Literature for the drink Ron was eager to try: Ogden's Firewhisky. You'll need whiskey (I have to recommend bourbon here, as I'm a Kentucky native), cinnamon sticks, and brown sugar. Just don't sell any of Hogwarts' secrets to a hooded stranger after you've had a couple of these.

Images: Warner Bros (2)