Whip & Wander

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Butterbeer Frozen Custard

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Butterbeer Frozen Custard

“Here — you’ve earned a drink — something from the Three Broomsticks. You won’t have tried it before –” Lupin pulled two bottles out of his briefcase. “Butterbeer!” said Harry, without thinking. “Yeah, I like that stuff!” – Remus Lupin, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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What is Butterbeer, exactly?

Described in the Harry Potter universe as “A delicious wizard drink served warm and foaming in tankards or chilled in bottles” with a flavor “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch.”

Of all of the delicious things mentioned in Harry Potter, Butterbeer is definitely my favorite. There’s something particularly magic about the idea of drinking a Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village and I love that it always seemed to mark moments of friendship.

Butterbeer Frozen Custard

Butterbeer reimagined as Butterbeer Frozen Custard

Though there are many versions of Butterbeer as a drink, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, I thought it would be really spectacular reimagined as a frozen custard. Considering the descriptor of a “less-sickly butterscotch,” it was important that the base of the Butterbeer Frozen Custard was rich, without being overly sweet.

I flavored the base of the custard with almond, which I find to be just a little bit richer than vanilla and pairs perfectly with the golden ribbons of my Paleo Butterscotch Sauce. I also wanted to make sure that the custard would stay creamy and scoopable even after spending a few hours in the freezer, so that necessitates dairy. The final product uses Organic Valley Lactose-Free Half & Half, making the finished product a perfectly creamy, lactose-free, refined sugar-free treat.

Butterbeer Frozen Custard

What’s the difference between custard and ice cream?

The addition of egg yolks in custard is the primary differentiator from ice cream. Egg yolks make the texture of custard just a little bit richer and creamier than ice cream, owing to the additional fat content of the egg.

For those Harry Potter super-nerds like me, you’ll know that the number 7 is very integral to Harry’s journey as well as the wizarding community as a whole. Therefore, you will find the magic number of 7 egg yolks in this Butterbeer Frozen Custard.

Butterbeer Frozen Custard

No Ice Cream Maker?

This batch of Butterbeer Frozen Custard was made in a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. No ice cream maker, no problem. Just make the mixture ahead of time, pop it in your bread pan, and let the freezer do all the work. You’ll need to wait until the custard has reached frozen yogurt consistency before adding the butterscotch though, otherwise it will fall straight to the bottom.

Butterbeer Frozen Custard

A note for special diets

This Butterbeer Frozen Custard is refined sugar-free, lactose-free and friendly for SIBO diets.

LOOKING FOR MORE POTTER CONTENT?

I’m celebrating Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s birthdays on July 31st by filling the month with all things Potter. Check back regularly this month to see additional Harry Potter recipes and content linked in each of my posts as they arrive.

Butterbeer Frozen Custard

butterbeer frozen custard scoops in a bowl with a harry potter book next to it and a dark teal towel

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Butterbeer Frozen Custard

Prep

Cook

Inactive

Total

Yield 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

for the frozen custard base:

  • 4 cups (1qt) Organic Valley lactose-free half & half (regular half & half works fine too)
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 7 large egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp almond extract

for the butterscotch sauce:

Instructions

  1. Pour half & half and honey into a medium saucepan and heat over medium until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally to combine. Once it reaches a simmer, turn the heat off.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until they lighten in color and become slightly frothy.
  3. Temper the eggs by gradually adding a small amount of the dairy mixture to the eggs, whisking continuously. Continue to add small amounts of the dairy mixture until nearly 1/2 of the mixture has been added to the egg yolks. The heat from the dairy mixture can scramble the eggs if you do not temper slowly, so take your time and continue to whisk as you go.
  4. Once the eggs have been tempered, add them back to the saucepan with the remaining dairy mixture.
  5. Turn the heat back to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently. Once the mixture has reached 170 degrees F and thickened slightly, it should coat the back of a spoon. To test this, dip a spoon into the custard mixture and then run your finger across the back of the spoon. If a clear path is made through the middle and the rest of the spoon remains coated, your mixture is ready to be removed from the heat.
  6. Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a large, heat-proof bowl. The sieve will catch any unwanted bits to ensure your custard is creamy.
  7. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for half an hour then stir in the almond extract. The reason we add the extract in at this late stage is so that none of the flavor burns off in the cooking process.
  8. If your bowl is cool to the touch at this point, cover it and place it in the refrigerator until it reaches 40 degrees F or below. This will likely take a minimum of 4 hours, but may take 6 hours or more, depending on the size and shape of your bowl and the temperature of your refrigerator.

1.5 - 2 hours before you plan to add the custard to your ice cream maker, start prepping the butterscotch sauce.

  1. In a small pan over medium heat, add honey, coconut milk, and ghee and stir to combine. Allow to come to a low rolling boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture has reached 240 degrees F, remove from heat.
  2. Stir in vanilla and salt.
  3. Allow to cool at room temperature until ready to add to the ice cream mixture. If you are making this ahead of time, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, but will need to come to room temperature again before being added to the ice cream.

To combine:

  1. Add custard mixture to your ice cream maker and allow to churn for around 15-20 minutes.
  2. Once the mixture has reached a thick frozen yogurt consistency, spoon half of the mixture into a bread pan or freezer safe container and spread into an even layer
  3. Drizzle half of the butterscotch over the top of the frozen custard in thin sheets and then swirl using a fork or spoon quickly. Once the butterscotch hits the frozen custard, it solidifies very quickly. If you prefer to have thick chunks in your frozen custard when scooping you can leave these, but it will not roll into a scoop as easily. I recommend swirling the butterscotch in so that you end up with ribbons of butterscotch sauce throughout when you go to scoop later.
  4. Repeat with the remaining custard mixture and remaining butterscotch sauce.
  5. Cover the container and place in the freezer for an additional 4 hours or more to further solidify.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine British

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270

% Daily Value

Total Fat 18 g

28%

Saturated Fat 10 g

50%

Cholesterol 159 mg

53%

Sodium 74 mg

3%

Total Carbohydrates 26 g

9%

Sugars 26 g

Protein 5 g

10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Beth

    July 17, 2018 at 8:54 am

    The Harry Potter books were so fun! My son hated reading before they came out. After I read him Sorcerer’s Stone, he read all of the rest himself! This butterbeer custard looks amazing! And I can actually eat it! (lactose intolerant!) I’m totally trying this!!

    Reply

    • Whip & Wander

      July 17, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      I’m so glad that the books inspired him to get into reading! I try to keep the lactose low in our house too, so I’m glad that they make such great lactose-free dairy products these days.

      Reply

  10. Becca Wilson

    July 17, 2018 at 10:07 am

    This looks like it would taste so amazing. I have never had anything like this but am definitely giving it a try!

    Reply

  18. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats

    July 17, 2018 at 1:47 pm

    I’ve been following a few of your Harry Potter posts on Instagram. We’re huge HP fans here. (I had HP birthdays for both of my girls, now 23 and 17 when they were younger.) I wish I’d had Butterbeer ice cream then!

    Reply

  28. Leigh Anne Borders

    July 18, 2018 at 11:12 am

    I am such a big Harry Potter fan! I am rooking forward to making this for my family. We actually listened to all the books on audio while driving.

    Reply

  33. Vicky

    July 18, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    We love all things Harry Potter and Butterbeer! I would have never thought of making a butterbeer flavored custard. This would be great for a Harry Potter party!

    Reply

  34. Shinta Simon

    July 18, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    Such a great tribute to Butterbeer! I’m a HP fan as well, and one of the thrills I get is from telling people that I share a birthday with Harry Potter. I don’t have an ice-cream maker, but I love these flavors and I think I could try a no-churn ice cream with a similar flavor base.

    Reply

    • Whip & Wander

      July 19, 2018 at 6:58 am

      What a great birthday to share! This would work well as a no-churn recipe. You’ll just want to add the butterscotch sauce in stages so that it does drop to the bottom.

      Reply

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