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So last summer we spent a week at Universal Studios and can I say WOW! Seriously we had an AMAZING time. And while the whole park was incredible we of course were the most excited about the Wizarding world of Harry Potter – I mean SERIOUSLY – it was magical! The rides, the stores, the decoration and the BUTTERBEER!!! Did you know there are 6 butterbeer treats and I’m making my own version of each! Cold butterbeer, warm butterbeer, frozen butterbeer, butterbeer fudge, butterbeer ice cream and butterbeer potted cream!
The base of this is a homemade butterscotch syrup. Do know the difference between caramel syrup and butterscotch? Caramel syrup is made with white sugar and butterscotch using brown sugar – pretty small difference but that’s it. My Caramel syrup actually uses half white and half brown sugar – cause I like the deeper flavor. So this butterscotch syrup is based on that recipe but with all brown sugar – I like to use half dark brown sugar, but that’s options. Now straight butterscotch syrup isn’t quite right for butterbeer SO I also add some apple cider vinegar to counter balance the sweetness and a little rum extract.
I recently did a live video where I make and compared all the butterbeer recipes I found online along with my version – and the kids and I did a taste test! Not too surprising I liked mine best. I felt the extract version was too fake, the huffington post version was just cream soda and whipped cream with a slight butterscotch flavor, and second place was my version with store bought butterscotch syrup. And of course homemade butterscotch is always better than store bought, so WINNER! But I’d love to hear what you think!!!
Quick tip – since stirring soda will get rid of a lot of the carbonation the trick I found was I warmed up the butterscotch syrup a little (if it had cooled all the way) and stir the 2 Tbsp into just a few oz to liquefy it then add the rest of the soda.
Cold Butterbeer Recipe
This cold butterbeer recipe is easy to make and tastes just like the sweet treat from the harry potter parks
4.49 from 113 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 17 8 oz cups
Calories: 232kcal
Author: Ashlee Marie
Ingredients
Butterscotch
- 1 1/2 C packed light or dark brown sugar I use both
- 1/2 C light corn syrup
- 1/3 C butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Whipped Topping
- 3.5 oz marshmallow creme/fluff
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
Soda
- 2 2 liters cream soda cold
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Butterscotch syrup
In a medium saucepan bring the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil
boil until the syrup reaches 240 degrees (remembering to adjust temperature for altitude)
take off the heat and let cool slightly - about 5 mins.
Then stir in the heavy whipping cream
add the salt, apple cider vinegar and rum extract and stir
let cool
Topping
beat the marshmallow creme, heavy whipping cream and 2 Tbsp of the butterscotch syrup together - you want it to be fluffy and white but not stiff
Butterbeer
stir 2 Tbsp into every 12 oz of cold cream soda - or 3/4 C into a full 2 liters
pour the butterbeer into a glass and add some of the topping
refrigerate the leftover butterscotch and topping
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 43mg | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ashleemariecakes or tag #makesomeawesome and I'll share your image in my Instagram stories!
So the big question is – which butterbeer flavored treat should I make next? I’ve already mastered the frozen butterbeer (as seen in the video) and as soon as I get some pictures I don’t hate that will be on the blog too. I’ve made a warm butterbeer but since I’ve never tried the official warm butterbeer it’s hard to say how accurate it might be. I’ve already made the fudge so that leaves…. Potted cream or Ice cream….
Our very first night at universal the first thing we did was head over to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, do the wand choosing at Ollivanders and then drink our weight in cold and Frozen Butterbeer, then tried the Butterbeer and Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice cream! Then we used our wands and did all the interactive magic and rode the Gringotts ride. And that was just the first few hours we were there!
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About Ashlee
With the right tips and tricks, I believe YOU can make, bake, or create anything. This is what I love to do - make some awesome, teach you how, and give you that boost of culinary confidence you need to rock your own kitchen! Read more...
Reader Interactions
Comments
Dawn Sunshine
240 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius? I tried to get to 240 degrees Fahrenheit and as soon as I added the cream after letting it cool for 5 minutes and immediately solidified. I hope it cleans off my pot and wisk.
Reply
Ashlee Marie
Fahrenheit, add the cream slowly while you stir and it shouldn’t seize up! remember to adjust for altitude, since I live so high up I only go to 220 degrees, if I went all the way up to 240 it would be overcooked. Also just use warm water and it will clean up just fine. cooking longer would just make soft butterscotch vs sauce.
Kyle Haines
Ashlee,Thank you for the great Cold Butterbeer recipe. Ever since my wife and I got back from Universal Orlando I’ve been trying to find something that was cost effective and came close to the flavor of the park’s drink.
I’ve tried probably 5 or 6 different recipes. From fake tasting extracts to strange butter mixes. Your recipe was the only one that made my wife smile and remember that trip.
The others tasted fine but this is as close as I’ve come to the original thanks to you.
Have a merry Christmas
-Kyle
Reply
Ashlee Marie
you just totally MADE MY YEAR! I feel like I got it right but you never know if others will love it as much as you do!
Christy jolicoeir
I hresients call for salt, instructions do not say where to put it
Reply
Ashlee Marie
you add the salt to the sauce at the end with the apple cider vinegar and rum extract
Paige Rappleye
Trying this for my daughters Hogwarts 8th birthday party in a couple of weeks! It looks great!!
Reply
Ashlee Marie
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Aimee
For the Butterscotch sauce as the first step, do I pack the brown sugar down or not in the measuring cup? Thank you!
Reply
Ashlee Marie
always pack brown sugar unless someone says not to. I’ll adjust the recipe, thx.
Tracey
Any ideas how I could serve this all together in a punch bowl? Or bad idea?
Thanks!Reply
Ashlee Marie
you totally can, just figure out how much soda your adding so you can get the butterscotch sauce amt right. and keep a bowl of the topping on the side with a spoon so people can add their own.
Amy Hall
When you say mix the butterscotch syrup with a bit of the soda first, do you mean do this individually for each glass or for the whole 2 liter(s)? Individually sounds like kind of a pain but I didn’t know if storing it in the fridge for a day would work very well if I tried to mix it all up at once. Hoping to try it Christmas day as a surprise for everyone – we went to Universal Studios in September.
Reply
Ashlee Marie
I do it for however much I’ll be pouring. If I’m just making a few glasses I’ll do that, if I’m serving a whole group I’ll do the full 2 liters. I always mix it up fresh, it doesn’t last long well.
Mary
I’m so excited to try this recipe with my niece tomorrow! Have you ever created an “adult” version of Butterbeer (with alcohol)?
Reply
Ashlee Marie
no I don’t drink
Carmen Lipski
My best friend and I went to Universal recently and when I found your recipe for butterbeer it was like being back there – we both love it! My question is this: while we both love your recipe she is lactose intolerant. You said the version served in the park is dairy-free. She’s tried making it with almond milk but it still had a lot of dairy in the whipping creme (and its not as good). Do you have any recommendations on how to make a yummy, non-dairy version of this?
Reply
Ashlee Marie
I have no clue how they make it diary free at the park! sorry!
Dave
Hi Ashlee,My wife and I love the Butterbeer from Universal and I tried making it one other time from another recipe and the results weren’t great. Yesterday was her birthday so I wanted to give it another try. I found your recipe from Google and based on the reviews I decided to go with it. I’m so glad I did! It was pretty easy to make and more importantly it was delicious! It tasted just like I remember the Butterbeer from Universal. My wife and I both though it might even be better. If I could give it more than five stars I would.
Reply
Ashlee Marie
YAY! I’m so glad you liked it as much as we do!!! And I agree, it’s just like at the park!
Lauren
How does the sauce do if you double or triple it?
Reply
Ashlee Marie
it does great!
Daniel Shiber
Getting ready to try this while the Kiddos and I cant leave will let you know how it turns out
Reply
Ashlee Marie
hope you and your kids love it as much as we do!
Susan Wentker
This is amazing. The whole family loved it!! We made this during the quarantine period and had to make a couple substitutions because lack of supplies but still turned out delicious! (agave nectar for corn syrup, and no marshmallow fluff so just added a little vanilla to make the whipped cream.) A super fun diversion from these quarantine days!! Thank you!
Reply
Ashlee Marie
glad you were able to make it work with having to do substitutions! I adore this recipe, and I just made some last week too!!!
