The Harry Potter series is essentially a 7-book guide to everything you wish your childhood was - finding out you're a wizard, running away from home, and indulging in a bevy of treats both mainstay and magical. Rock cakes, cockroach clusters, acid pops, chocolate frogs, and of course, butterbeer. Throw on your dorky glasses and sharpie a lightning bolt on your forehead for this week's examination of the real-world sweets from possibly the world's most popular book series about child sorcerers.

Ingredients

• 2 sugar pie pumpkins
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch allspice
• 1 tsp vanilla paste.
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• Pinch of kosher salt

For Crust:

• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup vodka
• 11.5 ounces all purpose flour
• 1 ounce sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 ½ sticks of semi frozen unsalted butter

Method: Pumpkin Pastry   

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut two pumpkins in half and scoop the seeds out.
3. Place the pumpkin halves pumpkin side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
4. Puree ¾ of the roasted pumpkin.
5. To the roasted pumpkin, add ½ cup of heavy cream, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of ground cloves, 1 tsp of cinnamon, a pinch of allspice, 1 tsp vanilla paste, ½ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of maple syrup, 1 large egg and a pinch of kosher salt, and mix well in food processor till smooth.

For The Crust and Assembly:

1. Mix the ¼ cup of water and the ¼ cup of vodka together in small bowl and place in freezer until it’s almost frozen.
2. Place ⅔ of your flour into the food processor with an ounce of sugar and a tsp of salt.
3. Pulse to combine before adding 2 ½ sticks of semi-frozen unsalted butter.
4. Process for 10 seconds or until it's a pebbly texture.
5. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and fold in water/vodka mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time.
6. Then add the rest of the flour and water/vodka mixture and continue to fold until mixture becomes a shaggy dough.
7. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.
8. After it has rested, roll out the dough and cut it into 4-inch rounds.
9. Brush one edge with beaten egg yolk and fill the center with a tablespoon or two of pumpkin pie filling.
10. Fold the dough over and crimp shut with a fork.
11. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with granulated sugar
12. Bake in 400° F oven for 20-30 minutes.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup vodka
• 11.5 ounces all purpose flour
• 1 ounce sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 ½ sticks of semi frozen unsalted butter
• 12 inch removable-bottom tart pan

For Tart Filling

• 16 ounces light molasses
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• 1 large egg

Method: Treacle Tart

For The Crust:

1. Follow steps of the pie crust above.
2. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.
3. After it has rested, roll out enough dough to cover the bottom half of a 12 inch removable bottom tart pan.
4. Roll dough around rolling pin and unfurl it on top of the tart pan. Lift the dough and press down to get it in all the corners.
5. Trim the excess and press into the sides of the pan. Poke some holes in the bottom with a fork, and gently line with alumnim foil.
6. Use a pie weight (I used cornmeal) to go on top of the foil and blind bake 15 minutes in an oven at 400°.

For The Filling:

1. Take 16 ounces of light molasses and combine with 2 Tbsp of butter on a low heat just until the butter melts in a saucepan.
2. Add 3 Tbsp of heavy cream and whisk rigorously until the mixture cools slightly, just enough to not cook an egg. Then beat in ¼ cup of bread crumbs and 1 large egg. 
3. Add filling to baked tart crust and place in a 350° F oven for 45-50 minutes.
4. Allow to cool completely.
5. Top with whipped cream.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 2 ounces butterscotch schnapps
• 1 ounce heavy cream
• 1 pinch vanilla extract
• ½ ounces simple syrup
• Ice
• Cream soda

Method: Butterbeer

1. Combine egg white, butterscotch schnapps, heavy cream, vanilla extract, simple syrup, and ice into a shaker.
2. Shake until frothy.
3. Add half of mixture to a glass with some cream soda.
4. Serve and enjoy!