Caramel cockroach clusters with and without chocolate on a wooden serving dish placed on a grey-blue placemat on a wooden table (with logo overlay)

Chocolate Caramel Cockroach Clusters from Honeydukes

Honeydukes sells candy called cockroach clusters. While the wizarding world of Harry Potter may use roaches, I used chocolate, caramel, pecans, and cereal!

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The 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

Outside of Honeydukes shop in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida

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.

Young boy looking to the side sitting at a table with a Cockroach Cluster dessert in his hand with a green bowl in front of him
Tyler watching a Harry Potter movie while eating his Cockroach Cluster

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. 

Empty bag of caramel bits
I found these at the store in the baking aisle and they worked perfectly.

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
Stainless steel bowl of rice squares cereal next to a small stainless steel bowl with water, a glass measuring cup of chopped pecans, a plastic dish of caramels, a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, and a wooden spatula all on a wooden surface

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.

Saucepan with melted caramels and a wooden spoon inside sitting next to a stainless steel bowl of rice square cereal and a glass measuring cup of chopped pecans all on a wooden surface

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.

Saucepan with melted caramels, rice squares, and chopped pecans and a wooden spoon inside sitting next to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper all on a wooden surface

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.

Baking sheet lined with parchment paper with scoops of caramel clusters on top sitting next to saucepan with the last bits of caramel inside and a wooden spatula all on a wooden surface

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.

Caramel cockroach clusters with and without chocolate on a wooden serving dish placed on a grey-blue placemat on a wooden table (vertical)

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

Caramel cockroach clusters with and without chocolate on a wooden serving dish placed on a grey-blue placemat on a wooden table

Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters

Honeydukes sells candy called cockroach clusters. While the wizarding world may use roaches, I used chocolate, caramel, pecans, and cereal!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
caramel
|
chocolate
|
Harry Potter
Servings: 12 pieces
5 from 7 votes

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

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
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Nutrition Facts
Chocolate and Caramel Cockroach Clusters
Amount Per Serving
Calories 460 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 145mg6%
Potassium 140mg4%
Carbohydrates 62g21%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 50g56%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 190IU4%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 118mg12%
Iron 2.5mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

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36 thoughts on “Chocolate Caramel Cockroach Clusters from Honeydukes”

  1. 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.

  2. 5 stars
    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!

  3. 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.

  4. 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!

    1. 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 🙂

  5. 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

  6. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

  7. 5 stars
    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.

  8. 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.

    1. 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.

  9. 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. 🙂

    1. 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.

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