There are dozens of Butterbeer Recipes for Harry Potter Fans

I've never been much of a Harry Potter fan, but after hearing all the hype about the infamous Butterbeer drink that spurred from the show I decided to take a look at some recipes the fans have been coming up with and see what all the hype was about.

Apparently there really isn't an official recipe for the drink, or atleast one that people are willing to give the secret away about, but there are a lot of samples of what people think there should taste like.

"Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it?"
—Hermione Granger inviting Harry Potter to the Three Broomsticks Inn.

Even the Food Network has gotten involved offering their version by Sandra Lee. That recipe includes using condensed milk and butterscotch topping. Here is what the recipe looks like.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butterscotch topping
2 tablespoons whipped butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups vanilla cream soda
Directions:
Combine condensed milk, butterscotch topping, and butter in a glass heatproof measuring cup. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until butter has melted and incorporated into mixture. Meanwhile heat cream soda in another heatproof measuring cup for 1 minute 30 seconds.

Divide butterscotch mixture between 2 (10 to 12-ounce) mugs. Fill mugs with heated cream soda and stir thoroughly. Serve garnished with an old-fashioned butterscotch candy stick.

The people over at britta.com have a completely different version of the recipe. This recipe includes alcohol, but I'm not quite sure that is what J.K. Rowlings had in mind. At least the schnapps is originally from England.

Makes 2 quarts.

1 cup butterscotch schnapps
7 cups cream soda (almost one 2 liter bottle)

Carefully mix just before serving, adding the schnapps to the soda then stirring gently to mix well, or the fizz will dissipate too soon.


The site goes on to say that "You can also find butterscotch flavoring near the vanilla flavoring in the baking section of the grocery store, but it is more difficult to find, and actually the flavoring is 35% alcohol where the schnapps is only 15% alcohol by volume, so if you're making large quantities of butterbeer, I recommend just to buy the schnapps. There is not much alcohol content in the butterbeer mixture, just enough to make a house-elf tipsy and to give it the warm, buttery aftertaste to the fizzy cream soda."

In early July FOX-News reported that the Butterbeer concoction that has been made famous at Universal Orlando recipe had gotten out on the internet.

In their news report they said that they couldn't get the actual recipe from Universal Orlando, but they had made up their own recipe. Check out their version.

Butterbeer
Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to 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.

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, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

So far the one that sounds the best to me was made by a fan who put her recipe on e-How. The fan goes by her e-How membership "dannyrea".

Put the Butterscotch Chips and Butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir and Heat for another 30 seconds.

The Chips and butter should be a thick stirable paste.

Step 2

Now add your Creamer to the bowl. I use the Original Coffee Mate Liquid Creamer.
Microwave in 30 Second increments again. Stirring each time.

I have found it usually takes about 4 times (2 minutes) to get the right consistency.

Set your mixture aside

Step 3

Heat Cream soda in the microwave for 90 seconds.
BE VERY CAREFUL!
Since microwaves vary I must add, my microwave needs about 2 minutes.

Make sure not to over heat the Cream Soda or all of the fizz will be gone.

Step 4
Pour Butterscotch mixture into heated Cream Soda. Stir & Serve!

Be sure to send me your favorite recipe for Butterbeer so I can post it for all the Harry Potter fans out there.

The Elvis Sandwich

Last week my husband found a blog that listed a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich which they referred to as The Elvis sandwich. I have no idea wether Elvis really liked this sandwich at all or if some cafe just thought it was a good idea to name a sandwich after the King of Rock and Roll.

I found several references to the sandwich online. Generally this is how the recipe goes.

Ingredients:
Butter or margarine
White bread, 2 slices sandwich
Peanut butter
1/2 large, ripe banana, sliced per sandwich
Honey
3 slices of crispy cooked bacon, per sandwich

Directions:
Spread the butter/margarine on 1 side of each slice of bread. Turn over each slice and spread peanut butter. Place banana slices on top of peanut butter. Drizzle honey over bananas. Place the 3 bacon slices on top of the banana. Cover with remaining bread slices, butter-side-out.

Place sandwiches on a preheated frying pan. Flip them over when they become golden brown. This makes one sandwich, but you can make as many as you like.