The best DIY sugar cookie latte recipe! Wonderful hot or iced, this delicious seasonal coffee is made with an at-home version of the Starbucks sugar cookie syrup, espresso, milk of choice, and festive Christmas sprinkles!
If you’ve been around here awhile, you know I love making Starbucks recipes at home. Not only does it save money, they taste so much better! And you have the opportunity to make little modifications to make them into your perfect coffee drink.
The Starbucks iced sugar cookie almondmilk latte debuted as a part of their 2021 holiday drink line up and has been a holiday hit ever since! Cookies and coffee are a great combination, so you can see why this flavor combo has been so popular.
Made with a homemade sugar cookie syrup, espresso, milk of choice, and sprinkles… it’s really the ultimate Christmas latte. If you haven’t had one, this holiday coffee is definitely worth a try. It’s fun, festive, and great hot or iced. Plus, it’s topped with sprinkles. Joy on joy on joy!
If you love this sugar cookie latte, you’ll also love these holiday coffees: a gingerbread coffee, this peppermint white chocolate mocha, and an eggnog latte too!
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Why You’ll Love This Winter Coffee 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. You can enjoy a homemade sugar cookie latte hot or iced.
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).
Ingredients Needed
Espresso: The Starbucks version uses their blonde espresso roast. However, you can make this sugar cookie latte recipe with whatever espresso you love most! You can also use strongly brewed coffee.
Milk of choice: The OG is a sugar cookie almondmilk latte… but you can use whatever milk you prefer (dairy or non-dairy)! I personally enjoy using 2% or whole dairy milk in this recipe. Almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk are great non-dairy choices.
Tip: Lightly froth your milk before adding it to your glass to create a good base for your sprinkles to sit on!
Vanilla, almond, and butter extracts: These three extracts combine to create the perfect sugar cookie flavor. I know butter extract may seem strange…but it really takes your sugar cookie syrup to the next level because one of the main characteristics of a good sugar cookie is a buttery dough. All of these extracts can be found in your grocery store’s baking aisle.
Holiday nonpareils sprinkles: These are the little ball-shaped sprinkles. Adding a dash of these to the top of your sugar cookie latte is a fun and festive holiday touch (and what you’d get if you were waiting in line for one of these at Starbucks). I’m using the same red, white, and green nonpareils that I’d use to decorate frosted sugar cookies!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- 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!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make sugar cookie simple syrup if you do not already have some made and stored in an air-tight container in your fridge.
Step 2: Fill a tall glass with ice and add sugar cookie syrup.*
Step 3: Add freshly brewed espresso that have been cooled slightly.
Step 4: Top with milk.
Step 5: And stir.
Step 6: Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
*To make a hot sugar cookie latte, skip the ice and add all ingredients into a mug. No need to cool any ingredients (including the sugar cookie syrup if you’re making a fresh batch) when making a hot version of this latte. I also recommend topping a hot latte with whipped cream!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
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).
Expert Tips
Don’t skip the butter extract! To be honest, I was a little skeptical about this ingredient before I began testing this recipe, but it is worth it! The butter extract really gives the DIY Starbucks sugar cookie syrup that pop of buttery goodness you’d expect from a sugar cookie.
Recipe 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.
Yes! A sugar cookie latte is great both iced and hot!
If making a hot sugar cookie latte, skip the ice, warm up your milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and froth it before adding it to your mug.
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.
Helpful 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, as the froth gives the sprinkles something to sit on!
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Sugar Cookie Latte (Iced or Hot)
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!
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!
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 🙂