Honeydukes sells candy called cockroach clusters. While the wizarding world of Harry Potter may use roaches, I used chocolate, caramel, pecans, and cereal!
Jump to RecipeThe wizarding world uses actual candied clusters of cockroaches. Trust me, there are no real cockroaches in the recipe. There are no roaches anywhere. To say I despise and loathe roaches is a vast understatement. I wasn’t going to make cockroach clusters purely because of the name. But when I started searching online for what others thought about them, I found some amazing recipes.
In the books, they are described as looking similar to peanuts. I can’t stand peanuts or peanut butter, so I went a slightly different route with these instead.
In the book series, Ron Weasley is looking at some at Honeydukes Sweetshop to get as a joke for his brother Fred.
“How about these?” said Ron, shoving a jar of Cockroach Clusters under Hermione’s nose.
…
“Reckon Fred’d take a bit of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?”-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Muggle World Candy
In the muggle world, there’s no way we would use actual cockroaches. This is a delicious mix of crunchy pecans, caramel, and Chex cereal covered in melted chocolate. It may not be exactly what Honeydukes Sweet Shop sells in Hogsmeade, but it works for the mini-series of Harry Potter snacks and recipes I’ve been working on.
The first time I made these was for one of our Harry Potter movie nights. Although it sounds like the grossest candies you could buy, it became one of my favorite sweet treats I made from the Harry Potter universe.
For both of the boy’s birthday parties lately, I’ve been making some type of puppy chow. (See the delicious Banana Creme Puppy Chow I made for the Banana Party.) That has left me with some leftover Chex cereal. I wanted to do something that would use it up since it’s been in the pantry for a while.
Since roaches are usually dark brown or black, I figured they needed to be covered in chocolate. And caramel would help hold everything together. I did put pecans in these, but if you prefer peanuts you could substitute for those easily.
Cockroach Clusters Step by Step
Ingredients
- 14 oz caramels
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup Chex cereal
- 3 cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tsp butter
Preparation
These clusters get very sticky, so prepare your cookie sheet by lining it with wax paper and spraying that with a bit of nonstick spray. In a large saucepan, over low heat, combine the caramels and water and stir constantly until it’s smooth.
Stir in the chopped pecans and cereal. I didn’t buy chopped pecans, so I used a meat cleaver to crush them. This worked to chop them up and make them smaller pieces so they stirred in really well. The cereal may break a little bit but try to be gentle to keep it whole.
Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop clusters of the mixture onto the prepared pan. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes, until they are cooled and firm.
Microwave the chocolate chips and butter together. Do it in short bursts of 20-30 seconds, stirring each time, to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. Dip each cluster into the melted chocolate, one at a time, turning to completely coat in chocolate.
Return the clusters to the pan and keep cool until you are ready to serve. They are best when kept in the refrigerator. You can also store them in an airtight container on the counter. I kept mine in the refrigerator because it’s too warm in Houston and the chocolate would be a bit melty if we left them out.
Cockroach Clusters Leftovers
Storage: Since these are sticky and tend to melt easily, I suggest storing leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If you have to do multiple layers, put parchment paper or wax paper between them. Let them sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before eating.
Recipe
Originally Published On: June 22, 2018
Last Updated On: August 29, 2023
Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters
Ingredients
- 14 oz caramels
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup Chex cereal
- 3 cups chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tsp butter
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining with waxed paper and spraying with nonstick spray
- In a large saucepan, over low heat, combine the caramels and water and stir until they are smooth
- Add in the pecans and cereal and stir until they are coated with caramel
- Drop small scoops onto the prepared pans into small clusters
- Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes, until they are firm
- Meanwhile, microwave the chocolate chips and butter in 20-30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted
- Dip each cluster, one at a time, into the chocolate and turn to coat
- Return to the pan and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
More Harry Potter-Inspired Recipes to try
- Butterbeer: A Harry Potter Party Essential
- Harry Potter’s Birthday Cake
- Crystallized Pineapple: A Sweet Treat with Only 3 Ingredients
- Harry Potter’s Treacle Tarts Recipe: Sweet and Vegan
- Canary Creams from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
- Sorting Hat Cupcakes
- Sweet and Creamy Butterbeer Ice Cream
- Soft and Sweet Treacle Fudge
- Rock Cakes that Won’t Break your Teeth
- Paczki: Polish Doughnuts
- Pumpkin Juice
- The Welcoming Feast Roast Beef
- One-Pot Goulash
- Kreacher’s French Onion Soup
- Nearly-Headless Nick’s Deathday Cake
- Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters
- Dumbledore’s Apple and Sage Pork Chops
- Pumpkin Pasties from the Hogwarts Express
Other Chocolate Chip Recipes
- Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Fondue
- Cherry Chocolate Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Fudge Recipe with Only 5 Ingredients
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve Ever Eaten
- Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peppermint Chocolate Ganache Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters
- Make-Ahead Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Vegan Breakfast Cookies
- Better-Than-Sex Cake or Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
- Vegan Mounds Bars
- Overnight Oatmeal Cups
- Cookies and Cream Dip
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with No Butter or Dairy (Vegan Recipe)
- Brownies from Scratch
- Banana Bread Cheesecake
- Oatmeal Energy Balls
- Cobweb Cake
- Paleo Brownies in the Blender (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
I shouldn’t have read this in the morning, because it’s 10 am and now I’m craving chocolate! These look delicious and I can’t wait to try them.
Girl, I crave chocolate all day long! My only problem with making desserts like this is wanting the leftovers right after breakfast.
This may be my favorite Harry Potter recipe yet! I love that you use what you have on hand and don’t make anything overly difficult!! I’m a fan!
This is definitely one of the sweetest of the Harry Potter recipes that we’ve made. They are so good and so easy to put together.
Ok so chocolate and a Harry potter recipe. I’m so making these. These look great and are simple enough to make. Thanks for sharing.
Yep, it doesn’t get much better than that!
First I had no idea there was a candy called caramel bites, because that is awesome. The name on these are kinda disturbing but they sound yummy once you read what’s in them!
I didn’t either, I was just looking for caramels and found those. They melted so perfectly for the dessert! I agree about the name, but that’s what happens when you pull inspiration from a book 🙂
Wow! I like this recipe I love chocolates! I will try to make my own Chocolate & Caramel Cockroach Clusters. Thank you for sharing the ingredients1
Chocolate is one of my weaknesses. Any chance to make something with chocolate is a bonus for me!
I don’t know…as awesome as those look…with the word cockroach in the title…I just can’t do it!!!!
Haha I completely understand! I debated on making them because of it, but they were so delicious in the end, I’m glad I did.
the word cockroach in the title makes it even more interesting 😉 what if we used chickpean instead?
I know, the title is not the most appetizing, but the end product was! I haven’t tried it with anything else, so I don’t know exactly how it would work out.
Hard to look at this when you are on a diet and got some work to do before you can go and find at least something similar for yourself. 🙂 Recipe is great. I will try this.
Yeah, these definitely are not diet-friendly, that’s for sure!
OMG! Chocolate and caramel is what I am craving already so early in the morning. I would just have to get over the face that the name has Coackroach in it. Lol
I am always craving chocolate, and caramel is a close second. If you have to, just drop the name to Chocolate Caramel Clusters 🙂 That’s what happens when you’re basing a recipe off a book!
This is so easy and fun to do. Especially, for the events like birthdays. Kids love stuff like this and it is easy to eat. I will be trying this for sure.
I have had both kids and the adults chow down on these! If you have a sweet tooth at all, they are amazing.
These look so good. I am very relieved that they don’t actually include cockroaches.
Yep, I am irrationally terrified of cockroaches. I wouldn’t ever let one get close to my kitchen for any reason!
Despite the name those really do look amazing! I think I will have to make some for myself!
I know, not the most appetizing of names, but they are inspired by the Harry Potter books and that’s what they’re called in the text!
Love how you made such a tasty treat with what you have in your pantry! Need to make these!
I try to use as much as we have already to make new things. It helps keep me from wasting food and money.
Ha! When I saw cock roaches I was like what the heck?! These sound and look delish though. I’d probably stick to the peanuts only because I adore them. But for a bday party the alternative is probably better.
Hah, I know, the name is a bit odd, but it’s a Harry Potter recipe so I stuck with the name in the books. I didn’t try it with peanuts since I don’t eat them, but I would think it would work the same.
I love a good caramel cluster! The name is funny haha! I hope to try this recipe soon – looks good!
Yeah I know, funny name, but they taste amazing!
chocolate and caramel, my favorites. I am suddenly craving for them now after reading this. This recipe sounds delicious!
They are two of my favorites, too. It comes together so nicely in this recipe. You just have to look past the name a bit if you are sticking with the Harry Potter-themed name 🙂
Hahaha can I rename them? But seriously they do look amazing. I just can’t with the cockroach name LOL
Haha I know, that’s what happens when I don’t pick the name though! They are so yummy, so I can get past it for that 🙂
These treats are quite the sugary delight and must taste quite crunchy good. I’m not a cockroach fan either so the name is a culinary challenge for me. 🙂
Hah, I know, the name is so hard to get past. But when I’m making something from a book I don’t have the ability to change it! But yes, they are so sweet and crunchy, it’s worth it even with the name.