Homemade sugar cookie coffee syrup is a flavorful way to turn your favorite drinks into a sweet holiday treat.
For me, sugar cookies are a holiday classic. I think of cut-outs frosted with red and green sprinkles, or my family’s spritz cookies that we make by the dozens at Christmas.
Inspired by the Starbucks seasonal flavor, this cozy syrup has the sweet, buttery, vanilla notes of Christmas sugar cookies, with a touch of almond for depth.
More Holiday Syrups & Treats
Love the cozy flavor of sugar cookies in your coffee? Try my Gingerbread Syrup Recipe for another seasonal favorite. It’s perfect for making Gingerbread Hot Chocolate or topping drinks with Gingerbread Whipped Cream. A sweet and spicy way to bring even more holiday cheer to your cup!
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Syrup
Quick and easy: Ready in about 10 minutes with pantry ingredients.
Better than store-bought: Homemade syrups skip the preservatives and artificial ingredients.
Customizable: Adjust the flavors to your liking. More vanilla, less almond, it’s all up to you.
Holiday magic in a jar: Instantly add holiday flavor to lattes, hot chocolate, cocktails and more. You can even use it to make sugar cookie whipped cream or cold foam.
This sugar cookie coffee syrup recipe is the easiest way to make your kitchen smell like Christmas and your coffee taste like a holiday drink. It’s cozy, quick, and way more budget-friendly than buying seasonal bottles.
Ingredients Needed
To make this sugar cookie Starbucks syrup recipe, you’ll need:
- Granulated white sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Butter extract
- Almond extract (optional, but recommended)
Ingredient Notes
Sugars: A mix of white and light brown sugar gives the syrup a warm, cookie-like flavor. You can use all white sugar if you prefer, but avoid dark brown sugar. It’s too heavy on the molasses.
Water: Use filtered water for the cleanest taste.
Extracts: Vanilla and butter extracts are essential for that “sugar cookie” flavor.
Almond extract is optional, but I find it really brings the syrup closer to the Starbucks version. According to Starbucks, this syrup flavor was inspired by spritz cookies which always have almond in them.
Start small if you’re unsure. It’s a strong flavor. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away!
Butter extract is the secret ingredient that makes this syrup taste just like a real sugar cookie. Don’t skip it.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Syrup
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Here’s how to make sugar cookie syrup at home:
- Heat water: In a small saucepan, bring the water to a gentle boil.
- Dissolve sugars: Stir in both sugars, then lower the heat and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar should fully dissolve.
- Add flavor: Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla, butter, and almond extracts. Almond is strong, so start with less and add more as desired. But do remember, the syrup will be diluted in a drink, so overall the flavors should stand out.
- Cool and store: Transfer to a clean glass jar, cool completely, then refrigerate.
This homemade sugar cookie syrup keeps well in the fridge for 2–4 weeks, so you’ll have it ready for holiday coffees anytime.
Making the Flavored Syrup
See how simple it is to bring the sugars and extracts together into a golden, cookie-flavored syrup on the stovetop.
Cooling and Storing the Sugar Cookie Syrup
Let the syrup cool, then transfer it into a clean glass bottle so it’s ready to sweeten holiday drinks whenever you like.
Recipe Notes
Keep the simmer gentle. Boiling too long can make the syrup crystallize later. The goal is just to melt the sugars into a smooth, sweet base.
Always add extracts after removing from the syrup from the heat for the best flavor.
Taste and adjust as you go. Syrups should be a little bold on their own so the flavor shines once it’s mixed into coffee or hot chocolate.
Store in a sterilized jar for the best shelf life.
How to Use Sugar Cookie Syrup
Once you have this syrup on hand, the possibilities are endless!
- Festive cups: Rim your mugs or glasses with syrup, then dip in sprinkles for holiday flair.
- Coffee drinks: Stir into a latte, iced coffee, or mocha for an instant Starbucks sugar cookie latte copycat.
- Christmas creamer: Mix with cream and milk to make sugar cookie coffee creamer.
- Whipped cream & cold foam: Swap it for vanilla syrup in homemade whipped cream or sweet cream cold foam.
Can I Make It with Real Butter?
No. Real butter doesn’t work in syrups. It will solidify in the fridge and in cold drinks. That’s why butter extract is the key to this recipe.
Sugar Cookie Syrup
Starbucks Sugar Cookie Syrup is a quick homemade recipe that adds buttery, holiday cookie flavor to lattes and other drinks. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it’s ready in minutes. Add it to coffee, hot chocolate, cocktails, mocktails and more.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons butter extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Stir in both sugars and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
- Remove simple syrup from heat and whisk in all three extracts: vanilla, butter and almond.
- Transfer the hot syrup to a glass jar and cool. Store in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks.
Notes
Do not boil the simple syrup. Boiling causes water to evaporate. If too much water evaporates then the sugar may re-crystallizes when cooled.
Add extracts after removing syrup from heat. To avoid flavor burn-off, only add alcohol-based extracts after the base simple syrup is removed from the stove.
Adjust the flavor according to your taste. Tweak the flavors in small increments and taste test. The syrup needs to stand out in coffee, so keep that in mind when tasting it straight.
Store homemade syrup in a sterilized jar. Sugar is a preservative, so this syrup should last for 2-4 weeks when stored in the refrigerator. For best results, keep it in a jar that’s been sterilized in boiling water.