Butterbeer

I don't think I've mentioned yet on this blog how much I love Harry Potter. Love the books, love the movies, love everything about the world that JK Rowling created. Love it. And I have been lucky enough to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando not once, but twice. And with those trips came lots of butterbeer. They have two versions there - regular and frozen - and they're both delicious. You can even get a souvenir butterbeer mug, which I obviously did, both times I went. It makes drinking it even more fun.

After having butterbeer for the first time, I wanted to recreate it at home and have done so a few times since. If you Google "butterbeer recipe" you're going to get about 179,000 results. The different options have varying degrees of difficulty, some made with from-scratch concoctions of clarified butter, brown sugar, vanilla, etc. But I'm lazy, and when I want butterbeer, I want it NOW. So I take the easy way, and it's seriously delicious. If you're looking for a version that doesn't have artificial ingredients with things in them that you can't pronounce, this is not the recipe for you. But if you want quick and yummy, read on! This has been approved by many of my Harry Potter-fan friends, and my friend's six year old son, too!

Butterbeer
Recipe is for one serving; can be easily multiplied

Ingredients
12 oz. cream soda, chilled
3/4 tsp. imitation butter flavoring, divided
1/2 cup Cool Whip, thawed

Directions
Measure 1/2 tsp. of butter flavoring into your cup. If a few extra drops sneak in, that's ok. Some cream soda brands are stronger than others and you might want a little over 1/2 tsp. in there. Pour your cream soda over the flavoring, stirring very lightly to mix. In a separate small bowl, mix 1/2 cup Cool Whip with remaining 1/4 tsp. butter flavoring, stirring to combine well. Spoon Cool Whip mixture over the top of the soda, and enjoy!

Variations
1. To make a butterbeer float, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to your cup.
2. For an adult version, add an ounce (or more!) of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. My friends and I have tried this, and we approve!