This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Harry Potter inspired cookies are absolutely magical! The combination of vanilla and butterscotch topped with a whipped “foam” frosting makes this a cookie perfect for wizards and muggles alike!
You’ll love Harry Potter Butter Beer Cookies
Who doesn’t want to step into the magical world of Harry Potter? Hogwarts, spells and delicious treats! From magical jumping chocolate frogs to everyone’s favorite, BUTTERBEER! I can’t be the only person who read the books and started salivating every time the author started describing butterbeer, right?!?
With butterbeer recipes sweeping the internet, it felt only natural to turn that wizarding craze into an insanely delicious cookie! This butterscotch flavored cookie is perfectly chewy with crisp edges like a sugar cookie. And if that weren’t perfect enough, its topped with a super light whipped frosting and a drizzle of butterscotch.
These cookies will tickle your taste buds and leave you totally spellbound!
What is a Harry Potter Cookie?
There are honestly probably so many variations of a Harry Potter Cookie out there, but to me, a Harry Potter cookie is a sweet dessert that has been inspired by either the books or the movies.
Really, we could have a chocolate frog studded cookie or make a cookie filled with Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (okay, that one might be really bad tasting) but as long as the cookie transports you to Hogwarts, I think it fits the bill.
Butterbeer Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter- I use salted butter because that is what I always have on hand. You could use unsalted if that is what you have, but you will want to add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Sugar-
- Brown Sugar- The combination of sugars give the cookies a fantastic caramelly flavor and the perfect chewy texture.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Butterscotch Flavor- I use Lorran’s brand. You can find this Butterscotch Flavor on Amazon. Sometimes hobby lobby will carry it, too!
- Oil- I love what the oil does for the texture of the cookie in this recipe! It creates a nice and buttery crisp edge that almost reminds me of shortbread…It’s amazingly delicious! I use Canola Oil.
- Flour- All purpose flour will work great in this recipe.
- Baking Powder
- Food Coloring- A little red, yellow and black food coloring will give you the perfect butterscotch color for the cookie dough, but this ingredient is totally optional and for the looks only.
For the Frosting
- Whipping Cream
- Powdered Sugar
- Butterscotch Flavor– The same one you use in the cookie dough!
- Butterscotch Ice Cream Topping-If you can’t find butterscotch topping caramel will do.
How to make Harry Potter Cookies
- First and foremost, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the oven is preheating, begin the cookie dough by creaming together the butter and sugars for 1 minute.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, vanilla, butterscotch flavor and oil and mix again until it is mostly combined.
- Scrape the sides again and add the dry ingredients. Mix again until a soft dough forms.
- Add the food coloring and mix again until the butterscotch color forms, but this step is totally optional.
- Scoop out 1/3 cup of dough and roll it into a ball.
- Flatten the dough just slightly with your hands. The dough will continue to spread and flatten as it bakes.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Be careful not to over bake the cookies, you will know they are done because the center of the cookie will spread a bit and puff up in the center of the cookie when they are ready to come out.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before starting the foam frosting. This is super important! If you don’t let the cookies cool, the foam will just melt off.
- Make the Butterbeer Foam Frosting by whipping the cream well with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. Whip the cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken.
- When the cream begins to thicken, slow the mixer and add the powdered sugar and butterscotch flavoring.
- When all the powdered sugar has been added bump the mixer speed to high and beat the cream until stiff peaks form.
- Divide the whipped topping up among the cookies and spread evenly over the tops. Using the back of a spoon, make dips in the topping for texture.
- Finally drizzle the butterscotch topping over the tops of the cookies.
I love to serve these cookies chilled.
How to store Butterbeer Cookies
Butterbeer cookies will save for up to 4 days in the fridge. They need to be stored in the fridge because of that whipped cream foam frosting.
Can I make this Harry Potter Cookie smaller?
Definitely! I am somewhat partial to giant, gourmet, bakery style cookies that need to be cut and shared but you can definitely just make each cookie smaller. You’ll still bake the cookies at 350° but you’ll bake them for a shorter time, I’d start around 9-11 minutes.
Do I need the Butterscotch Flavor?
To make this a Butterbeer Cookie, yes. However, the cookie would still be extremely delicious if you subbed vanilla or almond for the butterscotch flavor. Different, but delish!
Butterbeer Harry Potter Cookies FAQs
Butterbeer is a cold drink that tastes like a butterscotch version of Cream Soda with a thick frothy foam on top. It was served at various locations, including Hogsmeade.
In the books, butterbeer is made of just butterscotch, sugar and water. If you’d like to make some at home, though, you’d probably be disappointed if we just included those ingredients. Typically cream soda, butterscotch flavoring or syrup and whipped cream.
More TV Inspired Cookies
Harry Potter Butter Beer Cookies
Ingredients
Butterbeer Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp butterscotch flavor, I use Lorran's Brand
- 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 8 drops red food coloring, optional
- 4 drops yellow food coloring, optional
- 2 drops black food coloring, optional
Butterbeer 'Foam' Frosting + Toppings
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp butterscotch flavor, I use Lorran's Brand
- 1/4 cup butterscotch ice cream topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 1 minute.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs, canola oil, vanilla extract and butterscotch flavor. Mix until well combined.
- Add in the flour and baking powder. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Add the food coloring to the cookie dough, mixing until completely combined to achieve the correct 'butterscotch' color. This is completely optional.
- Scoop the cookie dough out in a heaping 1/3 cup portions. Roll into a ball and flatten just slightly. The cookies will spread and flatten as they bake.
- Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Arrange on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat covered pan. Place 6 cookies on each tray.Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes. The cookies will spread and the center of the cookie should look puffed up and no longer wet before taking them out of the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before making the topping.
- To make the butterbeer foam topping, add the heavy whipping cream to either the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl that you can use an electric hand mixer with.
- Whip the cream on medium high speed until it starts to thicken.
- Once it starts to thicken, slow the speed down and gradually add in the powdered sugar and butterscotch flavoring. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added bump the speed up to as high as it can go and whip it until stiff peaks form. Once stiff peaks form, the topping is done!
- Divide the topping among the cookies and spread to cover the top. Use the back of a spoon to make dips in the topping for texture.
- Drizzle the butterscotch ice cream topping on top of the foam.
- Serve Chilled. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
These were amazing but I’m wondering if you can make the topping ahead of time if you know you will be crunched for time the day you are serving these?
Yes, you could make the topping a day or two in advanced. Just keep it in an air tight container in the fridge. 🙂
Made these tonight and they were amazing! The cookie was slightly crispy around the edges and soft in the center, perfection!
Suggestions on how to store/transport to a cookie exchange party? Can you stack them or will they stick together? Do they need to be kept in a single layer?
You’ll want to keep them in a single layer. I have large snap top bins (think legal paper sized) that I can fit 8 in and then the bins stack on top of each other to transport.
I made this for a Harry Potter day for my kids and I. My walmart didn’t have all the items, so I substituted the heck out of it, because this was a last minute surprise. I 100% will make these again with the correct items. The cookies turned out fabulous. Excellent recipe. I wish I could share a picture. Beautiful and delicious 😋
My Walmart is too small substitutions:
LorAnn Vanilla Butter flavoring (instead of butterscotch 😞)
Added butterscotch chips (because no flavoring)
No dye (I just didn’t care- I’m sure it would have made them the perfect color)
Caramel syurp (Idk if this was a shop mistake, if they were out…or what…. but I didn’t get the ordered butterscotch 😅)