“Reckon Fred’d take a bit of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?“—Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Do Cockroach Clusters contain real Cockroaches?
In the world of Harry Potter, Cockroach Clusters are likely made from actual candied clusters of cockroaches otherwise Ron wouldn’t have been tempted to dupe his brother Fred into eating them. In my world, I’ve swapped the bugs for a mix of crunchy pecans, creamy nut butter, chocolate, and naturally sweet dates and honey.
Easy peasy, cockroach squeezie
I highly recommend making these Cockroach Clusters in a food processor rather than a blender because the width of the bowl will allow you to better see when the mixture has reached the correct consistency. Your mixture should be quite crumbly and sticky; several levels courser than a thick nut butter. To shape the Cockroach Clusters, I use a tbsp measuring spoon of mix and squeeze gently to shape into an oblong form slightly larger than the pecan half that goes on top.
If you’d like to fully dip these beauties in chocolate you can, but I prefer to simply pour chocolate over the top of each with a spoon instead. Not only does this method save you ample time and considerably limit the mess, it also saves you from fishing bits of “cockroach” out of the bowl of melted chocolate if anything breaks off during impact with the hot mixture. I also just really like the look of the insides peeking out between the chocolate drip on the sides. This method makes them look less like a stuffy truffle and more like a whimsical confection you might find in the wizarding world.
No double-boiler? No problem
I don’t have a double boiler, but melting chocolate is super easy. Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and place a heat-proof glass bowl over the top. Choose one that is large enough that it does not touch the water, but hovers above. Turning the heat to medium-low, melt the chocolate slowly, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down if the water begins to bubble.
A note for special diets
These Cockroach Clusters are grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and friendly for Paleo and SIBO diets. These technically fall within macros for a Keto diet as well coming it at 6 net carbs per cluster.
In addition to the pecans, I also use nut butter in this recipe. Almond butter is a great option if you’re strict Paleo; if you’re not, peanut butter is my favorite option.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARRY 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 HERE.
Paleo Cockroach Clusters
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 30 clusters
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup nut butter
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 4 pitted dates
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 oz 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate bar
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 6-8 drops liquid stevia
- 30 pecan halves, to top
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Add pecans, nut butter, almond flour, raw honey, putted dates, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt to a food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined and looks coarse and crumbly. Be careful not to overblend or you will end up with nut butter.
- Shape the Cockroach Clusters into 1 tbsp mounds. Squeeze gently to shape into an oblong form, slightly larger than the pecan half you will top them with and place on the lined cookie sheet.
- Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
- Once frozen, prepare the chocolate. Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and place a heat-proof glass bowl over the top. Choose one that is large enough that it does not touch the water, but hovers above. Turning the heat to medium-low, melt the chocolate, coconut oil, and stevia slowly, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down if the water begins to bubble.
- Once the chocolate is melted and glossy, use a spoon to drizzle the tops of each cluster with chocolate to your liking. Press a pecan half gently into the top while the chocolate is still warm.
- Place the clusters back in the freezer to allow the chocolate to solidify.
- Cockroach clusters should be stored in the freezer. They are lovely frozen or slightly thawed, but should not be kept at room temperature for long periods of time or the chocolate becomes quite messy.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine British
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cluster
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 135 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 10 g | 15% | |
Saturated Fat 2 g | 10% | |
Sodium 27 mg | 1% | |
Total Carbohydrates 8 g | 3% | |
Dietary Fiber 2 g | 8% | |
Sugars 5 g | ||
Protein 3 g | 6% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I’ll be the first to admit, I wish this had a different name. When thinking about it, though, I know my kids would love to eat them if they knew it was a nod to HP.
The title did freak me out a bot. lol However they actually look tasty. Fun little treat.
Those sound amazing! I would definitely eat those “cockroaches”! I love all of your recent Harry Potter recipes!
These sound fantastic! My son is super into harry potter right now so maybe he and i can make these together!
This post made me laugh so hard! Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, these would be perfect for a Halloween party.
This looks INCREDIBLE! I want to try right now!
Oh my goodness, you had me at chocolate and nuts. These are definitely going on our treat list for the week and I love that they are healthy for my family. Thank you.
My boys would love these “cockroach” clusters! We are all about creating snacks inspired by our favorite stories right now. Pinning to try very soon, thanks!
This would be such a fun treat to make for a kids’ HP party! I love it!
Yay, another Harry Potter themed treat! I completely forgot about this from the Prisoner of Azkaban. Yours look and sound much more delicious than what Ron had in mind. 😉
I know some Harry Potter fans that would absolutely love these!! These would also be great at Halloween!
Hahaha! These are just great. They sound delicious and look so cute. I’ll be making these little cockroaches asap.
Perfect for any Potter fan. These would also work perfectly for Halloween!
These are so fun. They seriously look like cockroaches. When I saw the title of your post I thought, no way! Haha…these would be perfect for Halloween and I love that they’re paleo.
As the ultimate Harry Potter fan, I so appreciate this little treat! Now I wanna re-read all the books!
These are so cute, fun and I love this series of Potter inspired eats! So much creativity!
I love the idea of these and could be fun for a couple different themes as an easy snack to offer!
how creative! all my favorite things into one little treat. i’m not a harry potter fan but i could definitely see myself making these. thank you for explaining the process so well too! xo.
I like your version without the real cockroaches!!! 🙂 These look divine!
How fun! Any Harry Potter fan would love these!
This title grabbed my attention for sure!! What a fun treat for a fun book/movie series!
This is so creative and they are so cute looking too! I love the flavours too!
These look so delicious and a fun activity for an afternoon with the kids!
I love these, such a fun idea to create Harry Potter inspired treats. They look and sound yummy and I know I wouldn’t be able to stop at one!
LOL what a great name! These look so delicious 🙂
I love that these sounds so yummy but the look super freaky so I think I need to make them for Halloween
They look incredible, I love the Harry Potter theme
These are so fun! And I bet they taste super yummy – love nuts with chocolate so this is right up my alley 🙂
I bet these are like popcorn and you cant stop eating them they sure look delicious
I have this ridiculous fear of what I call “crunchy” bugs….basically any bug with an exoskeleton. I might have to call these something other than cockroaches to be able to eat them lol, but I sure do love the flavors!
A great treat! Perfectly named for the Halloween season, too! I’m sure the kids are lined up waiting for their portion!
These are such a fun idea! And you could defininitely use them as a Halloween “trick” on the kids, to see if they believe they’re really cockroaches 🙂
I think pecans were a good call as a substitution for cockroaches haha I love the inspiration behind this recipe!
Wow, these Cockroach Clusters are so cute! I would love to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Thank you for sharing this great recipe and I am pinning this recipe for later!
OMG, how creepy and yet cute is that. I hat cockroaches but I’d dig into these. My kids would love these. Need to try soon
I love your Harry Potter themed food. I love the name! My niece’s kids will get a kick out of these as they are all HP fans! And these look delicious to boot!
I am a Harry Potter fan. These look like fun. I bet my grandkids would love to help make them too. Perfect for Halloween parties.
Those clusters look so good but oh the name!! Couldn’t you call them anything else? I could abide spiders but cockroaches make me shutter. They make the perfect Halloween treat. Spooky and scary.
What fun! My kids are dedicated Harry Potter fans and they would absolutely love these – such a great idea for Halloween 🙂 Awesome!
These look so fun and easy to make! Perfect treat to make with the kids for Halloween! Looking forward to trying this recipe out!
This is such a cute idea! My daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan, I’m going to make these for her.
These are seriously so cute! I have to make them now…they just look so good and they’re paleo so win/win! ;D
I’m enjoying all your Harry Potter themed food! These look so fun; something my kids will love to make! Perfect for Halloween!
These look like the perfect sweet treat to pack for a school lunch, or even a work lunch! On the other hand I would probably make these and then just eat them all myself! hahaha!
I love how you mess with peoples heads in this recipe. The recipe is a beautiful, chocolaty, nutty dessert. Yet, you give the idea that your eating cockroaches. Love it!!
So so coll! They really look like cockroaches, but they would be so yummy!