Slytherin Birthday Cake Biscotti

Calling all Harry Potter fans! Today, June 26, is the anniversary of when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published in the United Kingdom in 1997. Can you believe that Harry Potter and our beloved Hogwarts have been a part of our lives for over twenty years? Time flies when you’re practicing your charms, spells, and potions.

To celebrate the anniversary of our favorite wizarding world, and as part of the Wands at the Ready collab, I’ve teamed up with some of my fellow geek bloggers to share themed recipes from our respective Hogwarts houses. You obviously know I am representing the Slytherins! And since this is somewhat of a “birthday,” I decided to grab my favorite cup of coffee and share my idea for Slytherin birthday cake biscotti. YUM! I’d say this would be the perfect addition for my next Harry Potter brunch, wouldn’t you agree?!

If you’re not feeling the Slytherin vibes like I am, don’t you worry. You can find some amazing HP food inspiration from my Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff pals:

• Godric Gryffindor’s Bacon Cheddar Ale Bread from Two Geeks Who Eat
• Ravenclaw Tower’s Smoked Scotch Eggs from the Gluttonous Geek
• Cedric Diggory’s Triwizard Champion Granola Bars from Vicky Hearts TV

Slytherin Birthday Cake Biscotti

What You Need:

• 3 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp. of baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup of oil
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. clear imitation vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. of imitation butter extract
• 1/4 cup of black sprinkles
• 1/4 cup of green sprinkles
• Parchment paper
• Slytherin biscotti wrappers (DOWNLOAD)

Now to keep it simple for my muggle friends, I attempted to make this recipe without magic… however, I kept my wand handy, just in case.

I know everyone has a biscotti preference, but after comparing recipes, I decided to modify this recipe for Funfetti Biscotti from My Name is Yeh with a little extra, well, butter. Mmhhmm. Yep, to get the perfect birthday cake taste, I added imitation butter, and of course, modified the sprinkles to Slytherin green and black.

To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets) with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly your flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.

In another large bowl, mix your oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and imitation butter. Once blended, slowly add your flour mixture until both the dry and wet mixtures are combined to make a thick dough.

Next, mix your sprinkles into the dough. I recommend adding your two colors separately — first adding and mixing black, and then adding and mixing green, to more easily and evenly distribute the colored sprinkles throughout the dough.

Form dough logs that are 4-5 inches wide on your baking pans, making sure to leave space between the logs if you are placing multiple logs on one pan. Sprinkle the top of your dough with a little extra salt and sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove your pans from the oven. Let your dough cool slightly; then, using a serrated knife, slice your biscotti into pieces that are about 1 1/2-2 inches thick. Note– instead of using a “sawing” motion to cut your pieces, slice straight down through the biscotti for a cleaner cut.

Reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. While your oven adjusts the temperature, arrange your biscotti pieces on their side on your pans.  Place them back in the oven to cook for 20-30 more minutes at the lower temperature. Note– depending on how crunchy you like your biscotti and how thick your pieces are will determine how long you should leave them in the oven. I baked mine for about 25 minutes, and after letting my biscotti cool and harden, they had the perfect amount of crunch for my liking.

As the Sorting Hat once said, “Slytherin birthday cake biscotti will help you on your way to greatness! There’s no doubt about that.” Well, he said something like that… Anyways, now it’s your turn to grab your coffee and get baking (no magic required).