[REVIEW] [RECIPE] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Week three brings the third book in a series: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I've seen most of the movies a few times, yet I somehow haven't read all of the books. (Clearly, I should work on time management.) I usually enjoy the book more than the movie because authors have a few more senses to work with than a director. While we see and hear what happens in the movie, we dig deeper with tastes, aromas, and feelings.

With carefully woven words, J. K. Rowling takes us through a delightful journey back to Hogwarts. We start with another peek into why living in a dormitory would appeal to him even if an ancient castle and magic wands weren't involved. Harry deepens his friendship with Ron and Hermione despite disagreements as they share fears from mundane grades to magical threats. New teachers challenge their minds and magical skill. Other friendships and enmities continue to grow and progress.

Much of the excitement stems from travels to places such as Hogsmeade, where Harry and his friends partake of a variety of treats. To my disappointment, none of the mentioned treats claimed to be cookies. I did a little research, decided most people thought a butter cookie was good enough, gave into my inner laziness and smushed together a few recipes to develop this concoction:

Butterbeer Cookie Sandwiches

These cookies are so decadent that you'll feel like you had to sneak out to Hogsmeade to get them and it was totally worth it.

Cookie Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 c shortening
2 eggs (I used extra large to make super soft cookies.)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 box golden butter cake mix

Filling Ingredients:
4 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 c butterscotch ice cream topping
3-3 3/4 c powdered sugar
4-5 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream together stick of butter and shortening until fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time.
4. Add vanilla extract until combined.
5. Mix in cake mix until fully incorporated.
6. Scoop out cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.  (I made 32 smaller cookies.)
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until middles are set.
8. Allow to cool.
9. When cookies have had a chance to cool, beat remaining 4 tablespoons of butter until creamy.
10. Add ice cream topping and beat until uniform in color.
11. Add powdered sugar and milk, alternating until a fluffy frosting forms. My frosting ended up being a shade darker than the cookies.
12. Spread half of the cookies with filling and make sandwiches using the remaining cookies.
13. Place in fridge to let filling set and keep the cookies fresh.
14. Eat and enter the castle via a secret passage...if you dare.