Harry Potter Butterbeer cookie sandwiches | Easy & Eggless
These buttery & gooey butterbeer cookies are easy to make with no artificial flavourings. Made with a rich butterscotch sauce and a creamy butterscotch frosting that is not too sweet, be ready to be transported to the magical world every time.
AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 20 minutes
BAKING TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 5 minutes
*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.
Are you searching for a dessert to enjoy during your next harry potter marathon? Then you have got to try these butterbeer-inspired cookie sandwiches.
As the name suggests, this cookie is inspired by the popular harry potter beverage – Butterbeer. It is flavoured with a rich butterscotch sauce with hints of salt & vanilla. But without being sickly sweet.
The butterbeer cookies are moist, fluffy, and gooey with a touch of crispness. And on top of that, it is eggless.
So, if you are ready to enjoy the wizarding world, let me guide you to prepare the best cookies ever!
If you are a die-hard harry potter fan or not, these cookies will surely blow your mind and transport you to the land of magic.
But first, let us get to know what butterbeer actually is.
What does butterbeer taste like?
Butterbeer is a popular & highly enjoyed beverage from the harry potter universe. It is essentially prepared using loads of butterscotch, sugar and water.
With hints of caramel-like flavours, this drink is rich, creamy, and very sweet.
But before I talk about what these cookies are made of, let’s go over why these are the best butterbeer cookies ever!
Why you will love these Harry potter butterbeer cookies?
Less sweet
Although butterbeer is quite a sweet drink, these cookies are the opposite. They are packed with flavour as they are made with just the right amount of sugar that helps boost the flavours of the other ingredients like vanilla, butter and brown sugar.
Crispy, rich, creamy & gooey
The shortbread cookies provide a lovely crispy texture while the frosting is fluffy & light. On top of that, the butterscotch sauce gives a nice gooeyness to the cookies that help balance the variety of textures of this cookie.
Easy
These cookies use the basic techniques of making shortbread, butterscotch and frosting, making them approachable for beginner bakers like you. All you have to do is follow my instructions, and you will have a batch of delicious cookies in no time.
Key ingredients in this butterbeer cookie recipe
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is an important ingredient in this recipe because butterscotch is commonly prepared using brown sugar. The brown sugar gives a rich flavour to the cookies, and not only that, but it also provides a moist texture to the cookies.
Butter
The mind-blowing butterscotch sauce is prepared with lots of butter with brown sugar. The butter flavour is prominent without adding any artificial flavours or extracts. Yes! You heard that right. This recipe contains zero artificial flavours making the flavour authentic and highly enjoyable.
Vanilla
This recipe uses pure vanilla extract to give a lovely aromatic flavour to the cookies. You can also use vanilla beans while making this recipe.
All-Purpose Flour, cornstarch and salt
The all-purpose flour in the shortbread recipe provides structure to the cookies while the cornstarch makes the cookies crispy. The salt helps enhance the flavours in the cookies by cutting the sweetness.
Icing Sugar
Icing sugar is used to prepare the butterscotch frosting as it provides structure and sweetness. But as this recipe consists of much less sugar than the average frosting, it is highly enjoyable, making the butterscotch flavours shine through.
Heavy cream
Heavy cream helps make the butterscotch rich and is highly crucial for this recipe.
How to make butterbeer-inspired butterscotch sauce?
I adapted this recipe from my homemade salted caramel sauce. However, I eliminated castor sugar and made the sauce only with brown sugar for a deeper & richer caramel-like flavour.
The result?
The sauce is thick and buttery without being overly sweet. The recipe is quite simple and quick to complete. You can find my special tips to prepare homemade salted caramel sauce like a pro here.
What are the three components of this butterbeer cookie recipe?
These butterbeer cookies are made of three different components. But worry not, as these components use simple techniques and are quick to make.
The following are the components which make this recipe absolutely “BRILLIANT”
Butterbeer sauce a.k.a butterscotch sauce
The butterscotch sauce is made with brown sugar, unsalted butter, heavy cream and salt. When prepared correctly, the texture of the sauce is thick, creamy & gooey with a buttery & caramel-like flavour.
Butterscotch frosting
The butterscotch frosting is made with unsalted butter, icing sugar, butterscotch sauce and salt. It is light, fluffy & rich without being overly sweet. The butterscotch sauce helps double the buttery & rich flavours of the cookie.
Vanilla shortbread
A traditional shortbread, also known as Scottish shortbread is a type of cookie made with all-purpose flour, icing sugar, and butter. My version of this recipe consists of cornstarch for a crispy texture. It is flavoured with pure vanilla extract that helps balance the flavours of the cookie.
Because of the high quantity of butter, the cookies have a lovely creamy texture & buttery taste which makes it the perfect butterbeer-inspired treat without any artificial flavourings.
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03 tips to make the best butterbeer cookie recipe
Use the butter at the right temperature and texture
The term soft or room temperature butter can be very misleading, especially if you are new to baking. We all live in different places around the globe where the room temperature can vary between too hot or cold.
For this reason, it is crucial to understand that when using butter for baking, the best results are achieved when the temperature is anywhere between 18°C-21°C.
I highly recommend you experiment by taking a stick of butter in its packaging and leaving it on your kitchen counter. Monitor the butter every 15 to 20 minutes. When the butter is a little cool and soft but retains its shape when you poke into it with a bit of resistance, it is ready to be used.
The easiest way is to monitor the texture of the butter using a thermometer. Note down the time it took to reach the ideal temperature so that each time you bake, you know the exact time you need to soften the butter without it becoming too soft.
Avoid overmixing the dough
Shortbread cookies can be tricky to make, but making it quickly helps tremendously. As shortbread cookies consist of a large quantity of butter it is important to mix in the ingredients quickly without over-mixing the dough.
Why?
If the dough has been overmixed the butter begins to release water making the dough greasy. While rolling, you will need to use too much flour to make the cookie shaping process easier because the butter begins melting even if you have chilled the dough overnight.
This has two major effects on the dough.
When you bake these cookies, the butter begins to melt much faster making them overspread and eventually burn even before they have baked completely. After baking the cookies of course end up being too hard & dry.
For this reason, being quick will help you in mastering the art of preparing the best shortbread cookies.
CHILL! CHILL! CHILL
Although in baking it is crucial to chill & rest every single item you prepare, this being a recipe with high-fat content, it becomes even more important to chill the shortbread cookie, frosting and sauce.
If they do not get enough time to chill & rest, it will become difficult to not only roll the dough but also in filling the cookie. This is because the frosting will not be able to take the weight of the cookie making it difficult to stack into a cookie sandwich.
Step-by-step instructions
The butterscotch frosting
The vanilla shortbread
Rolling, Shaping & Decorating the cookie sandwich
Preparing the ingredients
For the butterscotch sauce
- Bring out the butter and let it come to the right temperature & texture. Chop the butter into even-sized cubes before using. See notes
- Weigh the brown sugar in a bowl. Stir till mixed well, and no brown sugar lumps remain.
- Weigh the cream and vanilla in another bowl or jug and set aside.
- Weigh the butter in a bowl. Weigh the salt in another bowl and set aside.
- Set aside all the ingredients and equipment next to the stove for easy access.
For the butterscotch buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, weigh the butter (make sure the butter is the right texture. If not, chill the butter while you weigh the recipe).
- Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well and set aside.
- Weigh the cooled butterscotch sauce in a bowl.
- Weigh the vanilla extract in a small bowl.
For the butterscotch vanilla shortbread
- Weigh the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir with a spoon and then sift well. Set aside.
- Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, weigh the butter & vanilla extract.
- For rolling out the dough
- Cut parchment paper to line 1 or 2 baking trays.
- Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper for rolling the dough.
- In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of flour. Set aside.
- Set out the following equipment – rolling pin, cookie cutters, and small offset spatula.
Harry Potter Butterbeer Cookies
Equipment
- 01 Stand-mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer
- 01 Weighing Scale
- 01 Heavy-Bottom Saucepan
- 02-03 baking trays lined with parchment paper
- 01 Rolling Pin
- Plastic wrap
- Knife and chopping board
- 01 Round cookie cutter (4 cm)
- 01 Sifter
- Piping bags with a small or medium piping tip of your choice
- Off-set Spatula
- Bowls
- Spatulas
- Whisk
- Mittens or safety gloves
- Tea Towel optional
- Glass Jar for Storing the butterscotch sauce
Ingredients
For the butterscotch caramel
- 150 grams Brown Sugar*
- 50 grams Unsalted Butter* chopped
- 110 ml Low-fat or Heavy Cream*
- 02 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
- 01 grams Salt
For the butterscotch caramel
- 109 grams Unsalted Butter* chopped
- 144 grams Icing Sugar sifted
- 19 ml Butterscotch sauce cooled completely
For the vanilla shortbread
- 184 grams All-purpose flour sifted
- 11 grams Cornstarch
- 119 grams Unsalted Butter*
- 65 grams Icing Sugar sifted
- 03 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Preparation
- For the butterscotch sauce:
- Bring out the butter and let it come to the right temperature & texture. Chop the butter into even-sized cubes before using. See notes
- Weigh the brown sugar in a bowl. Stir till mixed well and no brown sugar lumps remain.
- Weigh the cream and vanilla in another bowl or jug and set aside.
- Weigh the butter in a bowl. Weigh the salt in another bowl and set aside.
- Set aside all the ingredients and the necessary equipment next to the stove for easy access.
- For the vanilla shortbread
- Weigh the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir with a spoon and then sift well. Set aside.
- Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, weigh the butter & vanilla extract.
- For rolling out the dough:
- Cut parchment paper to line 1 or 2 baking trays.
- In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of flour. set aside.
- Set out the following equipment - rolling pin, 4 cm cookie cutter, and small offset spatula.
- For the butterscotch frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, weigh the butter(make sure the butter is the right texture. If not, chill the butter till you finish weighing the recipe).
- Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well and set aside.
- Weigh the cooled butterscotch sauce in a bowl.
- Weigh the vanilla extract in a small bowl.
Making the butterscotch sauce
- Transfer the brown sugar to the pan gently to prevent it from sticking to the sides.
- Heat the brown sugar on low to medium heat till completely melted. Use a spatula to stir the sugar. To prevent it from sticking to the sides, bring the sugar using the spatula from the side to the centre helping it melt evenly.
- Once the sugar has melted completely, add in the butter. Use a whisk to combine the butter with the melted sugar. The caramel may splatter so be gentle (use gloves if needed).
- Let the butter cook for about 2 mins till nicely combined. If the butter splits, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously till it comes back together. Do not panic.
- Once the butter has cooked till the mixture bubbles a little, add the cream in a slow and steady motion. Do not stop whisking while adding it in. Be gentle as the caramel will splatter and bubble rapidly.
- Allow the mixture to reach a gentle boil. Do not cook for longer as it will become thicker.
- Take it off the heat and add the salt.
- Whisk it a little to remove the excess heat and then transfer it to a clean and dry jar.
- Let it come to room temperature & then chill.
Making the vanilla shortbread
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, blend the butter till just soft on medium speed.
- Mix in the icing sugar on low speed for 10 seconds and then increase to medium speed till just combined. Avoid overmixing or creaming.
- Mix in the all-purpose flour & cornstarch mixer till just combined. The dough will form small to medium nuggets.
- On a low speed or using your hands, bring the dough together.
- Spread plastic wrap on your kitchen counter and transfer the dough onto it.
- Knead the dough a little till it becomes smooth & even.
- Avoid over-kneading as you do not want the butter to melt. Be quick.
- Flatten the dough into an even disk and wrap it completely.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or more.
Rolling the dough
- When the dough has chilled completely till nice and firm, prepare your kitchen counter for rolling out the dough (see preparation for the shortbread section).
- When you can poke the dough without your finger becoming greasy, it is ready to be rolled (the dough will be a little cool at this stage)
- Place the dough in between the two parchment paper sheets. You can spread a little flour on the top & bottom of the dough to prevent it from sticking.
- Slowly roll the dough in an even motion. Avoid going back & forth. Instead, roll in one direction with gentle pressure.
- Move your hand across the rolled dough to check if it's being rolled evenly.
- Keep checking the dough till it reaches a height of 1 cm.
- Chill the rolled dough for 10 minutes.
- Once chilled, dip the cookie cutter in the flour to coat.
- Using one swift motion cut the dough using the cookie cutter. Avoid moving the cookie cutter in a circular motion as this will make it lose its shape while baking.
- Pick each cookie with the offset spatula and transfer it to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat the process till you have made 24 cookies or till all the dough has been used.
- Transfer the cookies to a baking tray using plastic wrap & chill overnight till very hard.
Baking the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Once the oven is preheated, transfer the chilled cookie dough (which you have just removed from the refrigerator) to the lined baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake for 20 minutes till the cookies are firm to the touch on the sides and a little soft in the centre and light golden brown.
- To prevent the cookies from over-browning, cover the cookies with parchment paper while baking. You can even do this halfway through baking time.
- Cool in the baking tray for 15 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack.
Making the butterscotch frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, cream the butter till just soft & pale on medium speed.
- Add in the icing sugar in 2 batches on low speed for 10 seconds and then increase to medium speed till soft & combined. Avoid over-creaming.
- With the mixer on at a low speed, add in the cooled butterscotch scotch a little at a time till it reaches pipeable consistency (fluffy yet firm - when you scoop the frosting using a spatula it will stay in place)
- Transfer the frosting to a clean bowl, cover using plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of an hour or more.
- Thaw till it reaches pipeable consistency before decorating.
Assembly
- Make pairs of cookies for the cookie sandwiches and place each on a tray.
- Fill a piping bag with or without a small or medium piping tip of your choice with butterscotch frosting.
- Fill another piping bag with butterscotch caramel.
- Pipe frosting on one cookie of each pair but leave a bit of place in the centre.
- Pipe a little of the sauce right in the middle without letting it overflow.
- Place the other cookie gently on top.
- After each has been filled, transfer to the refrigerator & chill for an hour or till firm.
Notes
- Unsalted butter - As mentioned in the tips section, experiment and observe how long the butter comes to the right temperature and texture. Depending on the time it takes, weigh out the recipe or bring out the butter mid-way through prep.
- Brown Sugar - Always use fine castor or brown sugar for silky smooth caramel because it melts evenly and quickly. Avoid using sugar whose granules are big.
- Cream - You can prepare butterscotch sauce successfully with heavy cream (approximately 35% fat content) or low-fat cream (25% fat content). Avoid using milk.
- Salt - You can use the salt you prefer for the butterscotch sauce. I recommend using sea salt or kosher salt. Avoid skipping the salt in the recipe entirely.
- Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce - the butterscotch sauce recipe has been adapted from my homemade salted caramel sauce recipe. Read the post here for my special tips & tricks which will guide you to make the best sauce ever!
- Cookie Cutters - I highly recommend using a 4 cm round cookie cutter as the size of the cookies increases while baking. You can also use a shape of your choice but make sure it is anywhere between 4 cm to 4.5 cm.
- Storage and Freezing instructions
The cookie dough can be refrigerated for four days before rolling and baking. If you want to freeze the cookie dough, roll the cookie dough, shape them and store them on a tray or in an air-tight container by layering them with parchment paper (Label the box/bag with the name and date of preparation) and freeze them. Cookie dough lasts for three months in the freezer. Bake immediately without thawing. Baked cookies should be stored in a clean air-tight container for a week.
The frosting stays fresh for about a week in the refrigerator and for 3 months in the freezer. For frozen frosting, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using it the next day. Frostings are best stored in a clean zip-lock bag or air-tight container.
The butterscotch sauce should be stored in a glass jar that is clean and air-tight. You can leave the sauce out at room temperature for 24 hours only, particularly on hot and humid days as the cream can spoil. Refrigerated sauce can last for a month. - Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
Hi! I'm Khushali Patel, a cookie-loving professional pastry chef, recipe developer and content creator whose aim is to guide you to find more happiness in your baking journey every step of the way.
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