No magic needed to make Butterbeer

With “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in theaters, a reader called recently for recipes inspired by the film and books written by J.K. Rowling.

We’ve run two stories with suggestions for treats to serve at Harry Potter parties since 2000. Here are recipes for two of Harry’s favorite treats – Butterbeer, first printed in The Washington Post, and Cauldron Cakes, which are sold on the Hogwarts Express. The second recipe comes from a fan who posted it at Recipezaar.com.

Moms and dads will be relieved to hear that without a magic wand, some of the Harry Potter recipes are impossible. So, we’ll have to do without the Ton-Tongue Toffee (these sweets make a person’s tongue swell up to 10 times its normal size) and Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum (fills the room with blue bubbles that don’t pop for days).

Butterbeer

Adapted from “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”

1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softened

½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 bottle (about 3 cups) sparkling apple cider

Allow ice cream to soften, about 30 minutes, and bring butter to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Cream together butter, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Add to ice cream and refreeze. Heat sparkling cider in a pot until warm but still carbonated (at least 3 minutes). Fill each glass with a generous scoop of ice cream mixture and pour warmed cider over ice cream. It will foam like beer, hence the name.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition per serving: 329 calories, 20 grams fat (12 grams saturated, 55 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 102 milligrams cholesterol, .5 grams dietary fiber, 61 milligrams sodium.

Cauldron Cakes

These spice cakes sold on the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter stories. Adapted from a recipe by Michael J. Esswein on Recipezaar.com

1½ cups sugar

½ cup softened butter or margarine

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ginger

2 cups flour

3½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla extract.

Sift together dry ingredients and stir into batter with a spoon alternately with the milk.

Spoon batter into lined or greased muffin tins. (Do not fill the cups too full. These cakes should be semiflat). Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

Drizzle with frosting and decorate with sprinkles if desired. The cakes also go well with honey.

Yield: 21 small cakes

Approximate nutrition per cake: 156 calories, 5.6 grams fat (3.3 grams saturated, 32 percent fat calories) 2.6 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 43 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 218 milligrams sodium.