’tis the Season for Butterbeer and we have the inside scoop on the new treats!

In this case, by “scoop”, we don’t mean just ice cream, although there is plenty of that available too. I think the #1 Butterbeer treat, aside from a glass of Butterbeer itself, is always going to be the ice cream. It is unlikely to be outdone in the pantheon of Butterbeer foodstuffs, although Warner Bros. and its food industry partners are giving it a run for its money this year.

Leaky received a mystery box of this year’s new Butterbeer offerings. Here is a sneak peek at what was inside:

The variety is impressive. Cookies and candy were expected but goldfish, popcorn, and nail polish were a surprise. Let’s start there. Witches and wizards who like to nourish and decorate their nails can now add four new Butterbeer-scented products from Orly Beauty to their nail care routines:

For hydration, there is Butterbeer Scented Nourishing Cuticle Oil ($15), made from sunflower, jojoba, grapeseed, and evening primrose oil, and Butterbeer Scented Hydrating Cuticle Froth ($10), which foams like a mug of Butterbeer and smells so good they remind you that it’s “not for consumption”. Northern hemisphere witches, wizards, and Muggles emerging from a long, dry winter could really use some moisturising treatments for our fingers and toes.

For decoration, there is the shimmering gold Butterbeer Scented Iridescent Topper ($13) and Butterbeer Scented Quick Dry Nail Spray ($90), which conditions nails even as it speeds up drying of yer polish.

You can buy all four products in the Butterbeer nail collection from Orly Beauty and Ulta Beauty. You can follow Orly on Instagram @orly and on TikTok @orlynails. All Orly nail products are vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free.

The SkinnyPop Butterbeer Flavoured Kettle Popcorn should not have been a surprise because the buttery, caramel-y flavour of kettle corn is a natural fit with Butterbeer. I don’t think one is meant to eat the entire bag in one sitting (it says 2.5 servings) but just try stopping once you start. (Imagine if they made a pumpkin-flavoured potato chip for Halloween?!? Crunch, crunch…) The bag has Potter-themed graphics, including stars, round glasses, a foaming mug of Butterbeer, an angry Sorting Hat, and an owl that looks like a Snitch. I mention this because the grumpy hat and the owl/Snitch are really funny. If anyone at WB is listening, you should put those two on other merch, like keychains and earrings and temporary tattoos.

Just like popcorn can be savoury or sweet, the classic Pepperidge Farm Goldfish is open to sweet incarnations like these butterscotch flavoured graham crackers. They come in the iconic smiling goldfish shape, as well as a Butterbeer barrel and an owl. I was wondering how the Butterbeer flavour was going to work with a cheddar cracker but, thank goodness, they did not go in that direction and made it a graham cracker. Their bite-size is ideal for a work or study snack — the compact bag is easier to fit in your rucksack than a giant bag of crisps and quieter to eat surreptitiously in the library.

The Keebler elves have apparently been in touch with the house variety and they have collaborated on a Butterbeer version of the Keebler fudge stripe cookie. This is a charming cross-cultural collaboration but I confess it is the one Butterbeer treat I am least enamoured of because it contains artificial flavouring. I normally avoid anything with artificial ingredients. For the sake of Leaky, I will take one for the team and try them for the review, but it would be ideal (and broaden their appeal!) if Harry Potter-themed treats could avoid any artificial ingredients.

Last of the new Butterbeer-flavoured foods, and definitely least, we have Butterbeer Kisses from Hershey’s. As much as we at Leaky appreciate the chance to sample these Potter-related treats, we need to maintain our integrity with honest reviews. I love the idea of these. Hershey’s Kisses and chocolate bars and other chocolate-y products were a part of my childhood that I treasure. But the company has gone down in quality. For years, their chocolate has been waxy and flavourless and they have been using artificial ingredients. I sampled these, despite the artificial flavour, and they are generically sweet but don’t taste of Butterbeer at all. I can honestly endorse and recommend most of the other new Butterbeer products that are featured this season, but I cannot say the same for the Butterbeer Kisses. I wish I could; I would be a loyal Hershey’s customer and recommend their products if they started formulating them with high quality, all-natural ingredients.

Whilst you can buy Butterbeer Goldfish and the other snacks locally or online, you have to go to a theme park or Harry Potter Shop (like the fantastic new one in my hometown of Chicago!!!) to get some of the beverage itself, unless you make it at home. To aid you in that endeavour, there’s a wee mini mug set that comes with a mug, which is about the size of a shot glass and helpfully etched with “BUTTERBEER” in case you forget what it’s for, a mini coaster, and a recipe booklet. The booklet does not contain the secret recipe for Butterbeer itself, although you can find many variations online if you want to try brewing it in your cauldron. It features a recipe for a Butterbeer-enhanced hot cocoa, which they call Chocolate Frog Cocoa and garnish with gummy frogs, a root beer float, garnished this time with gummy worms, and more themed, seasonal beverages. I am most eager to try Hagrid’s Pumpkin Patch Sparkler. Each drink has a suggested movie pairing. Sounds like a good match — I’ll take any excuse to re-watch the films, cocoa and popcorn in hand!

A sweet, frothy, sparking thank you to Warner Bros. for the opportunity to sample and review his year’s Butterbeer swag. I noted above that you can buy these products locally or at theme parks, including, as of May 22, the new Epic Universe Harry Potter areas: The British Ministry of Magic and the 1920s Paris of Fantastic Beasts. More on that front soon…