"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 wizarding 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 for a tasty no-bake frozen treat. These Harry Potter-Inspired wizarding confections are perfect for a Harry Potter-themed party, but they're also legitimately one of my favorite sweet treats to keep in my freezer year-round.
Tips for easy assembly of Cockroach Clusters
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 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.
Once frozen, I prefer to use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the top of each Cockroach Cluster rather than fully dip them. Not only does this method save you ample time and considerably limit the mess, but 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 really like the look of the insides peeking out between the chocolate drip on the sides. This method makes them look less like a truffle and more like a whimsical confection you might find in the wizarding world.
WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- A food processor
- A baking sheet
- Parchment paper or a silicone baking liner
- A medium saucepan + a medium or large heat-proof bowl to nest over the top -OR- a double-boiler
- A wooden spoon or spatula
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
No double-boiler? No problem
I don't have a double boiler, but melting chocolate without one is super easy. Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and place a heat-proof glass bowl over the top. There should be space between the top of the water and the bottom of the bowl to allow for slow and gentle heating, so choose a bowl that is large enough that it simply hovers above the water without touching it. Heat over low, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down if the water begins to boil (which can scorch your chocolate and result in a grainy texture).
A note for special diets
These Cockroach Clusters are grain-free, gluten-free, and can be made friendly for Paleo or refined sugar-free diets. In addition to the pecans, I also use nut butter in this recipe. Almond butter is a great nut butter option if you're strict Paleo. If you're not, peanut butter is my favorite nut butter choice.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARRY POTTER-INSPIRED RECIPES?
You’re in luck! You can find all my Harry Potter-inspired recipes and other magical content linked HERE.
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Cockroach Clusters
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 30 clusters 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Harry Potter-Inspired wizarding confection is perfect for a Harry Potter themed party. This tasty no-bake frozen treat is a mix of crunchy pecans, creamy nut butter, chocolate, and naturally sweet dates and honey.
Ingredients
- 120 g (1 cup) pecans
- 240 g (1 cup) nut butter of choice (almond, peanut*, cashew, hazelnut)
- 52 g (½ cup) almond flour
- 84 g (¼ cup) honey
- 4 medjool dates, pitted (77g pre-pit / 72 g pitted)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp Kosher salt or fine-grain sea salt
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate*
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 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, pitted 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 tablespoon 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 and coconut oil, 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.
* We love peanut butter, but If you are strict paleo, peanuts would not be a friendly option.
** You can swap the bittersweet chocolate for 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate bar + 6-8 drops liquid stevia if you prefer to keep this refined sugar-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cluster
- Calories: 119
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 43 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
Anna says
These look so fun and easy to make! Perfect treat to make with the kids for Halloween! Looking forward to trying this recipe out!
Emily Leary says
What fun! My kids are dedicated Harry Potter fans and they would absolutely love these - such a great idea for Halloween 🙂 Awesome!
Marisa Franca says
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.
Gloria says
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.
Elaine Benoit says
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!
Veena Azmanov says
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
Mahy Elamin says
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!
Michelle says
I think pecans were a good call as a substitution for cockroaches haha I love the inspiration behind this recipe!
Karyl Henry says
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 🙂
Noel Lizotte says
A great treat! Perfectly named for the Halloween season, too! I'm sure the kids are lined up waiting for their portion!
Lauren Vavala | DeliciousLittleBites says
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!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I bet these are like popcorn and you cant stop eating them they sure look delicious
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
These are so fun! And I bet they taste super yummy - love nuts with chocolate so this is right up my alley 🙂
Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome says
They look incredible, I love the Harry Potter theme
Mimi says
I love that these sounds so yummy but the look super freaky so I think I need to make them for Halloween
danielle wolter says
LOL what a great name! These look so delicious 🙂
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
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!
Natalie says
These look so delicious and a fun activity for an afternoon with the kids!
Marie says
This is so creative and they are so cute looking too! I love the flavours too!
Jillian says
This title grabbed my attention for sure!! What a fun treat for a fun book/movie series!