Butterbeer. Any Harry Potter fan knows what this drink is, but unfortunately the recipe for it was never discussed in any of the 7 books. Don’t you hate craving imaginary food? As a result people everywhere have been making up whatever they think it should taste like. I suppose Harry Potter World has the most “true” recipe I don’t think they are going to fork it over anytime soon. So while we all experiment with butterbeer, why not play around in other food genres? Dessert is always a good place to start, especially when the possibility of ice cream is involved. I will, after all, eat anything a la mode.

Searching around on the web I found many butterbeer recipes, as well as several cupcakes. Using the ingredient lists as inspiration I came up with this ice cream. I have no idea how close it is to tasting like the “real thing” but it’s more than just a little bit wonderful. And the butterscotch ganache drizzled over the top seals the deal. After nearly inhaling my first serving, the only thing that could make it better was to go to the movie theater an hour early to wait for the midnight showing of The Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I’ll give you a hint, that’s exactly what I did last night. And it was amazing! I wish I had had a bowl of this ice cream with me in the theater though. That would’ve blown my mind.

Also, since it is the last Harry Potter movie, I figured it wasn’t too obnoxious to also serve my butterbeer ice cream on top of Tracy’s Butterbeer Blondies (Sugarcrafter), but would also be delightful with butterbeer cookies. Yea, my kitchen was a butterbeer factory last night = gloriousness! It also means serious gym time in my future.

ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cream soda

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp butter flavoring

2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 cup buttermilk

3 egg yolks

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, gently beat the egg yolks; set aside.
2. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the cream soda, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and butter flavoring. Heat until butter is melted and sugar dissolved, then allow the mixture to bubble for one minute (stir frequently as the carbonation with cause extra bubbling). Stir in 1/2 cup of cream until mixed thoroughly; remove from heat.
3. Temper the egg yolks, then add to mixture slowly while whisking constantly. Add the remaining cream and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Allow to cool then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
4. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions until it reaches “soft-serve” consistency. Transfer ice cream to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal with lid. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Serve with butterscotch ganache (recipe below).

GANACHE

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Heat the butterscotch and heavy cream over a double boiler until the chips just start to melt. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted.
2. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling over ice cream.

Source: The Spiffy Cookie original, inspired by several recipes on the web.