We Tried ‘Harry Potter’ Butterbeer Peeps

For reasons he cannot explain, Matt Singer eats stuff inspired by movies and television shows. And for reasons he will eventually have to explain to a family court judge, he sometimes lets his kids eat the stuff with him. These are his stories.

Today’s Food:

PEEPS^® HARRY POTTER^™ Butterbeer Flavored Chicks.

The Official Description:

“These magical PEEPS^® HARRY POTTER^™ Butterbeer Flavored Chicks blend our signature PEEPS^® Marshmallow with sweet butterscotch with notes of shortbread. A whimsical treat perfect for all fans.”

The Nutritional Information:

110 calories per serving; 270 calories per entire container. (One serving = 4 Chicks) Each serving contains 24 grams of sugars — 48 percent of your recommended daily value.

(Also did you know that the first ingredient in peeps is sugar and the second ingredient is corn syrup? You really should not read the Nutrition Facts on anything I write about before you eat it, I really do not recommend it.)

The Review:

Final Thoughts:

I am not a Peeps guy. No matter what strange new flavor of Peeps they create — not Strawberry Pop-Tarts Peeps, not SunnyD Peeps, not Chili Lime Mango Peeps, not Cotton Candy Peeps, not Dr. Pepper Peeps, not Party Cake Peeps, not Rice Krispies Treats, not Sour Watermelon Peeps, not Chocolate Pudding Peeps, not Tropical Punch Peeps, yes these are all real products, holy lord there are a lot of varieties of Peeps — it’s not a snack I ever buy for myself, even though I do like marshmallows in a lot of other context.

But I do like Butterbeer. As far as I’m concerned, the beverage version sold at Universal theme parks, and also at a few other official Harry Potter attractions like the Studio Tour in London, is the single best aspect of the entire Harry Potter franchise. Say what you will about this franchise, its author, the shameless way Warner Bros. is rebooting it as a television show because they ran out of books to adapt and the Fantastic Beasts movies were a disaster; Butterbeer itself is delicious. You ever have a really rough day and then soothe your jangled nerves by going to the Butterbeer Bar in the Harry Potter store in Manhattan to pound Butterbeers? No? Uh, me neither. What kind of a loser, would do something like that?

Clearly I’m not the only one who likes this stuff. In the last few years, the Butterbeer brand has expanded beyond the world of liquids into all sorts of solids. Last year alone, various candy and cookie companies made Butterbeer flavored Hershey’s Kisses, Fudge Stripes cookies, Goldfish crackers, and Skinny Pop popcorn.

Over the protests of my primary care doctor, I ate them all — and found that Butterbeer was not the easiest thing to translate as a flavor in other foods. Some of the snacks barely tasted like Butterbeer; others were slathered in the stuff but still didn’t recreate the beverage’s unique blend of butterscotch and cream soda (and maybe a dash of shortbread).

To my surprise, these Butterbeer Peeps absolutely bring the original drink’s vibe into another form. As you can see on the video, the Peeps have been coated in some kind of granulated Butterbeer sugar — and whatever they used really does capture both the scent and the flavor of Butterbeer, one that pairs reasonably well with the marshmallow in a standard Peep. (Good luck getting it off your fingers without either water or a Prior Incantato, though.)

Would I eat these again? Probably not; even a Butterbeer Peep is still a Peep, and they are very sticky and gooey and kind of one note as treats go. But I have to tip my cap to the food scientists (or maybe food wizards) here who infused these little chicks with that distinct flavor profile. In terms of fidelity of adaptation, they have to be number one on the list of Butterbeer snacks.

Oh my! I just looked at the time on my Butterbeer Timex Watch! I’ve got to run to the store to get some McCormick® Harry Potter™ Butterbeer Finishing Sugar before they run out!