This is the best DIY sugar cookie latte recipe, and a great (dare I say better) alternative to the beloved Starbucks holiday special. Wonderful hot or iced, this seasonal coffee is a festive, sprinkle-topped way to get your holiday coffee fix at home.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviews
“So yummy! Easy to make and easy to personalize to how you want it! Way better than any I’ve bought!” – Kendra
“Super tasty! Just as good as the latte from the green mermaid lady coffee company.” – David
If you’ve been around here awhile, you know I love making Starbucks drink recipes at home. I’ve been a home barista for 20 years and have developed over 90 drink recipes for this website, more than 20 of them specialty coffee drinks. DIY coffee doesn’t just save money, it genuinely tastes better, because you control every part of it.
The thing that makes or breaks a sugar cookie latte is the syrup, which is why I spent most of my testing to perfect our DIY Starbucks sugar cookie syrup. Butter extract turned out to be the ingredient that separates a real sugar cookie flavor from a generic vanilla one, and I landed on 3 tablespoons of syrup per drink as the amount that reads as sweet and cookie-like without tipping into cloying. I also found that lightly frothing the milk before it goes in matters more than you’d think, because the foam gives your sprinkles something to sit on instead of sinking straight to the bottom.
If you love this sugar cookie latte recipe, you’ll also love these DIY holiday coffees: our gingerbread coffee, peppermint white chocolate mocha, and our eggnog latte too!
Jump to:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviews
- You’ll Love this Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Recipe!
- Sugar Cookie Latte Ingredients
- How to Make an Iced Sugar Cookie Latte
- How to Make a Hot Sugar Cookie Latte
- Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Recipe Variations
- Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Copycat FAQs
- More Favorites from Our Love Language is Food
- Love This Starbucks Holiday Coffee Copycat Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- Sugar Cookie Latte (Starbucks Recipe Copycat)
- More Starbucks Copycat Recipes to Try
You’ll Love this Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Recipe!
Better than Starbucks! I said it. This homemade sugar cookie latte is SO MUCH BETTER than the $6 cup you’ll find at Starbucks.
Cost effective. Enjoy your favorite holiday seasonal coffee daily for a fraction of the cost!
It’s great hot or iced. Make it over ice when you want something refreshing, or hot and frothy with whipped cream when you want cozy. Full instructions for both below.
Easy to make. The sugar cookie syrup is easy to make and yields enough for you to enjoy several lattes. Once your syrup is ready, a latte comes together quick and easy.
Fun and festive! Enjoying a sugar cookie latte is a fun way to celebrate the season (and get caffeinated in the process).
Sugar Cookie Latte Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Syrup. The star of this latte and what gives it that cookie flavor. You’ll need about 3 tablespoons per drink. Our homemade sugar cookie syrup uses white and brown sugar, water, almond, vanilla, and butter extracts, and only takes 10 minutes to make. It yields enough for several lattes, and keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. The full syrup recipe is included in the recipe card below, so you can make both in one go.
- Espresso. The Starbucks version uses their blonde espresso roast, but use whatever espresso you love most. Strongly brewed coffee works well too, and there’s a note on that in the variations section below. If you’re making the iced version, let your espresso cool slightly before it goes in so it doesn’t melt your ice.
- Milk of Choice. The original is a sugar cookie almondmilk latte, but any milk works here. I personally like 2% or whole dairy milk. Almond milk, oat milk, and soy milk are all great non-dairy options.
- Holiday Nonpareils Sprinkles. These are the little ball-shaped sprinkles, and a dash on top is what makes this feel like the real thing. I use the same red, white, and green nonpareils I’d use to decorate frosted sugar cookies.
Milk Tip
Lightly froth your milk before adding it to your glass to create a good base for your sprinkles to sit on!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Sugar Cookie Latte Equipment
If you’d like to make espresso at home, but don’t want the expense (or size) of an espresso machine, a Moka Pot is a great investment! I love and use mine a ton. Using a handheld milk frother is also helpful in this recipe.
How to Make an Iced Sugar Cookie Latte
Make sugar cookie simple syrup if you do not already have some made and stored in an air-tight container in your fridge.
Fill a tall glass with ice and add sugar cookie syrup.
Add freshly brewed espresso that have been cooled slightly.
Top with milk.
And stir.
Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
How to Make a Hot Sugar Cookie Latte
The hot version is just as easy and skips a step or two.
Add the sugar cookie syrup and freshly brewed espresso to a mug and stir. There’s no need to cool anything down here, so if you’re making a fresh batch of syrup you can use it warm.
Heat your milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then froth it with a handheld frother. Pour it over the espresso and syrup, spooning the foam on top.
Finish with sprinkles, and add whipped cream if you’d like. A hot sugar cookie latte is the one I’d top with whipped cream every time.
Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Recipe Variations
- Use strongly brewed coffee instead of espresso. Don’t have a way to make espresso at home? No worries! Brew strong coffee instead by increasing the amount of coffee grounds used in your normal brewing method to make a more concentrated coffee. A good place to start is by adding one or two extra scoops of grounds.
- Use cold brew coffee for the iced version. If you love making homemade cold brew coffee, or always have a bottle of store-bought cold brew in your fridge, this is a great option for an iced sugar cookie latte!
- Make a decaf latte. If you’d like to enjoy a cozy mug of this holiday coffee at night, or cannot have caffeine, use your favorite decaf espresso or decaf coffee in this recipe.
- Option to add some white chocolate if making a hot latte. This can add another pop of creamy sweetness to your sugar cookie latte. Add 1 Tablespoon of white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate to the bottom of your mug before adding the hot coffee and milk. Give it a stir, and enjoy!
- Add whipped cream. If adding a bit of whipped cream on top of your sugar cookie latte would bring you joy, I say go for it! This is especially great on a hot sugar cookie latte. Don’t forget to add the sprinkles on top too!
Make a Dairy Free or Vegan Sugar Cookie Latte:
A sugar cookie latte is vegetarian as written. You can make your sugar cookie latte dairy free and vegan by using almond milk or oat milk (or non-dairy milk of choice).
Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte Copycat FAQs
You can store sugar cookie syrup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
The Starbucks version is made with unsweetened almond milk. You can also use vanilla almond milk. If you prefer dairy milk, 2% or whole milk are both great options. Oat milk is another great option for this latte recipe.
Definitely! Replace the espresso noted in the recipe with strongly brewed coffee. Brew strong coffee by increasing the amount of coffee grounds used in your normal brewing method to make a more concentrated coffee. A good place to start is by adding one or two extra scoops of grounds.
You can make sugar cookie syrup up to two weeks in advance and store it in the fridge in an air-tight container. If you’re planning on making an iced sugar cookie almondmilk latte, you can also make the espresso one day ahead of time. Do this by storing cooled espresso in the fridge in an air-tight container.
Yes, however, the butter extract does add a really nice flavor to your sugar cookie syrup since a buttery dough is a primary characteristic of a great sugar cookie. But if you’re in a pinch, the vanilla extract and almond extract also used will still create a nice syrup.
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Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Syrup
- ¼ C brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ C granulated sugar
- ¾ C water
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon butter extract
Sugar Cookie Latte
- 3 tablespoon sugar cookie syrup
- 2 oz espresso (2oz = ¼ cup)
- ice (for iced version only)
- 1 C milk of choice*, frothed slightly
- sprinkles for topping
Instructions
Make the Sugar Cookie Syrup
- Place all brown sugar, granulated sugar, and water into a small saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Bring contents to a slow boil (avoid a rolling boil), then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer simple syrup until the sugars have dissolved (about 5-10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Remove the from the heat and allow, and stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and butter extract.
- Allow the syrup to cool completely, and transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Sugar Cookie Latte
- Fill a tall glass with ice (if making a hot latte, skip this step and use a mug).
- Add sugar cookie syrup, espresso, and milk to the glass and stir.
- Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use strongly brewed coffee instead of espresso. Don’t have a way to make espresso at home? No worries! Brew strong coffee instead by increasing the amount of coffee grounds used in your normal brewing method to make a more concentrated coffee. A good place to start is by adding one or two extra scoops of grounds.
- Use cold brew coffee for the iced version. If you love making homemade cold brew coffee, or always have a bottle of store-bought cold brew in your fridge, this is a great option for an iced sugar cookie latte!
- Make a decaf latte. If you’d like to enjoy a cozy mug of this holiday coffee at night, or cannot have caffeine, use your favorite decaf espresso or decaf coffee in this recipe.
- Option to add some white chocolate if making a hot latte. This can add another pop of creamy sweetness to your sugar cookie latte. Add 1 Tablespoon of white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate to the bottom of your mug before adding the hot coffee and milk. Give it a stir, and enjoy!
- Add whipped cream. If adding a bit of whipped cream on top of your sugar cookie latte would bring you joy, I say go for it! This is especially great on a hot sugar cookie latte. Don’t forget to add the sprinkles on top too!
David says
Super tasty! Just as good as the latte from the green mermaid lady coffee company.
Meredith says
So happy you loved it! And the mermaid comment 😂
M says
best holiday drink EVER!
Kendra says
So yummy! Easy to make and easy to personalize to how you want it! Way better than any I’ve bought!
Meredith says
Thank you Kendra! I’m so happy you’ve found one you love in this recipe 🙂