Harry Potter Snacks: Chocolate Frogs & Butterbeer

It wouldn't be a Harry Potter event without the iconic Butterbeer & Chocolate Frogs, would it? While you can certainly buy these treats ready-made, branded items tend to be expensive. Both of these specialty foods are actually very easy to make, so let's see how to do it!

Did you know that if you were to order Chocolate Frogs on Amazon, they’re $3 or $4 apiece, and can take WEEKS to ship? Today let's see how you can make them for about 50 cents each, and that’s including shelling out $6 for a candy mold!

First, you'll need a frog mold made specifically for candy. Check out this cute one on Amazon:

Each mold will make 8 frogs, and each frog requires 1.2 oz of chocolate to fill it. I make my Chocolate Frogs with Hershey Kisses because I like the taste better than regular chocolate chips.

Hershey Kisses come in different size bags, so you'll need to do a little calculation to determine how many you'll need to buy to make the number of frogs you want.

A standard size bag of Kisses at someplace like CVS weighs 7.8 ounces, which would make 6 1/2 finished frogs. Two of those bags would make 13 frogs. You can also buy Kisses online in bulk by the pound. In that case, 1 pound of Kisses would make about 10 frogs.

Once you've decided how much chocolate you need, remove the wrappers and place the Kisses in a large, microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each heating. Chocolate burns easily, and this method will prevent a disaster!

Now spoon the chocolate into your molds, and pop the tray into the fridge for about 20 minutes.

To release the chocolate from the mold, flip it upside down over a plate and twist the opposite corners gently. You won't need to use any kind of knife or tool to take the chocolate out if it has been cooled long enough. If it won't budge, give it a few more minutes in the refrigerator.

Once they're out, set each frog in it's own cupcake liner, and store them on a plate at room temperature. Don't keep these in the fridge for much longer than 24 hours, or they'll start to oxidize and turn white (they'll still be ok to eat, but won't look as nice).

If you want more than 8 frogs, and you only bought one mold, you will have to repeat this process several times, so this is a good project for the day before your event!

There are a lot of recipes for Butterbeer on the internet, but some of them are weird! I tried one that actually had butter in it, and did you know that when butter congeals it’s gross?

My favorite way to make Butterbeer is hardly a recipe at all -- just pour cream soda into a glass, then mix together equal parts of Cool Whip and butterscotch pudding powder.

Top each glass with a scoop of your whipped topping, or if you're feeling fancy, use a piping bag to make it look like a nice spiral. Sprinkle a few butterscotch chips on top and maybe even some gold sprinkles if you’re feeling magical, and your drink is ready to go!

These should be made to order, not ahead of time, as the topping will melt down and look tired, and the chips will fall through to the soda. Black and white striped paper straws will complete your look! Enjoy :)