If you love a Starbucks sugar cookie latte, then you need to try the matcha version. It’s arguably even better than coffee! This sugar cookie matcha latte combines homemade sugar cookie syrup with sugar cookie cold foam and festive red and green sprinkles on top. It tastes like a matcha sugar cookie and is perfectly sweet, buttery, and earthy.

Here’s how to make this festive sugar cookie matcha latte at home!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Make an incredibly easy and delicious sugar cookie syrup for all your drinks!
• It’s the perfect matcha holiday drink for a party or home cafe.
• Make Starbucks at home and save yourself $8 from buying it out.
• It has all the steps to make a cafe-quality matcha latte at home!

What is a Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte?

This sugar cookie matcha latte has sugar cookie syrup, a sugar cookie cold foam, and an iced matcha latte as the base. It’s basically a matcha-flavored sugar cookie in drink form. Starbucks’ sugar cookie latte inspired this drink, as anything you can have with coffee, you can have with matcha.

It’s not an official menu item at Starbucks (I don’t think), but it’s definitely been ordered via customizations. This flavor combination is pretty popular on social media, too!

What Does a Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte Taste Like?

Hmm, this latte tastes straight up like a matcha sugar cookie. The syrup has great vanilla and butter notes, which are the main flavors of a sugar cookie. And the addition of brown sugar mimics the caramelized flavor cookies have once baked. The flavor also reminds me of cake icing, which makes sense!

Additionally, matcha pairs particularly well with sweet and creamy flavors, which helps to soften any bitterness the tea may have. So, this pairing works extremely well.

How to Make Sugar Cookie Syrup

The star of the show is indeed sugar cookie syrup. This elusive syrup has so many people wondering how it’s made, as Starbucks syrups are proprietary. The labels on the syrup bottles also don’t disclose individual ingredients. And the version Starbucks publicly posted apparently doesn’t taste anything like the ones they use. Before you go buy premade sugar cookie syrup, you need to try making your own!

Many recipes call for almond, vanilla, and butter extract, which are so many extracts. However, I find that cake batter extract tastes exactly like vanilla and butter, so I use that in place. Also, a lot of recipes call for a lot of almond extract, and I use it merely as a flavor enhancer.

To make this syrup, just make a simple syrup, then stir your extracts in, and voila, you’ve got sugar cookie syrup!

How to Make Sweet Cream Cold Foam

Now, the regular sugar cookie latte does not have cold foam on it, but I love a good cold foam on iced drinks. They just make them taste slightly more like ice cream, and the texture contrast is so satisfying.

All sweet cream cold foam is a lighter heavy cream mixture that whips into a really fluffy and soft topping. It’s basically an airier whipped cream. Since it’s not whipped to stiff peaks, it mixes easily into iced drinks.

You can make any cold foam using this sweet cream cold foam base, which you can then add flavoring, like sugar cookie!

Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte: What You’ll Need

Equipment:

• A handheld frother
• Matcha bowl
• Matcha chasen
• Tea sifter
• A small to medium-sized pot

Ingredients:

• Sugar Cookie Syrup
• ½ tsp cake batter extract
• 1 drop almond extract
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ⅓ cup water
• Sugar Cookie Cold Foam
• 1 tsp sugar cookie syrup
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp milk
• Matcha Latte
• 1½ tsp matcha powder
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tsp sugar cookie syrup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp red and green sprinkles

Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte Recipe

1. Make Sugar Cookie Syrup. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and water to a pot, then heat on medium heat and dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, simmer until your desired consistency. Longer for a thicker syrup, shorter for a runnier texture.
2. Once the syrup cools slightly, stir in the cake batter and almond extract until. completely mixed. Store leftover syrup in a jar or bottle that has a sealable lid and keep it in the fridge.
3. Whip Cold Foam. Add heavy cream, milk, and sugar cookie syrup to a cup, then whip until fluffy using a handheld frother. The texture should resemble a thick smoothie and be pourable.
4. Whisk Matcha. Sift matcha powder into a matcha bowl, then add hot water at around 170 F. With the matcha whisk, vigorously whisk the powder in a zigzag motion for 20 – 30 seconds until frothy. The foam should be velvety and creamy.
5. Assemble Drink. Add ice, sugar cookie syrup, and milk to a separate glass, then pour the whisked matcha directly onto the ice to create a layer. Then, top with your sugar cookie cold foam. Garnish with red and green sprinkles.
6. Mix and Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte

• Use Boiled Water: For a super-fast syrup, use already boiled water to jumpstart dissolving the sugar. It’s my favorite hack, and I do it every time I make any coffee syrup.
• Use Almond Extract Sparingly: Almond extract is extremely potent and can overwhelm other flavors with just a couple drops. Add one drop at a time if you really want a strong almond flavor, but seriously, one drop was enough for me.

Print Recipe

Easy Sugar Cookie Matcha Latte

If you love a Starbucks sugar cookie latte, then you need to try the matcha version. It has homemade sugar cookie syrup and tastes like a matcha sugar cookie that is perfectly sweet, buttery, and earthy.

Prep Time3 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time13 minutes mins

Course: Drinks

Servings: 1 person

Equipment

• 1 handheld frother
• 1 small to medium sized pot
• 1 matcha bowl
• 1 matcha whisk
• 1 tea sifter

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Syrup

• ½ tsp cake batter extract
• 1 drop almond extract
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ⅓ cup water

Sugar Cookie Cold Foam

• 1 tsp sugar cookie syrup
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp milk

Matcha Latte

• 1½ tsp matcha powder
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tsp sugar cookie syrup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp red and green sprinkles

Instructions

• Make Sugar Cookie Syrup. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and water to a pot, then heat on medium heat and dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, simmer until your desired consistency. Longer for a thicker syrup, shorter for a runnier texture.
• Once the syrup cools slightly, stir in the cake batter and almond extract until. completely mixed. Store leftover syrup in a jar or bottle that has a sealable lid and keep it in the fridge.
• Whip Cold Foam. Add heavy cream, milk, and sugar cookie syrup to a cup, then whip until fluffy using a handheld frother. The texture should resemble a thick smoothie and be pourable.
• Whisk Matcha. Sift matcha powder into a matcha bowl, then add hot water at around 170 F. With the matcha whisk, vigorously whisk the powder in a zigzag motion for 20 – 30 seconds until frothy. The foam should be velvety and creamy.
• Assemble Drink. Add ice, sugar cookie syrup, and milk to a separate glass, then pour the whisked matcha directly onto the ice to create a layer. Then, top with your sugar cookie cold foam. Garnish with red and green sprinkles.
• Mix and Enjoy!

Notes

You want to add extracts off the heat so that it doesn’t evaporate. Ideally, you add them when the syrup has cooled a little bit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to order a sugar cookie matcha latte at Starbucks?

If you’d rather buy this drink, you can easily order it by getting an iced matcha latte, adding sugar cookie syrup, and vanilla cold foam with sugar cookie syrup in that. You need to customize this order since this isn’t an actual item on their menu.

How much caffeine is in this matcha latte?

A teaspoon of matcha powder will have roughly 50 mg of caffeine, which is slightly less than the amount one shot of espresso has. So, this recipe uses one and a half teaspoons, so it will have around 75 mg of caffeine. Comparatively, two shots of espresso, a standard latte, have 120 mg of caffeine!

Can I make this without sugar cookie syrup?

Yes! For a lazy version, you can use a combination of simple syrup or sugar and a couple of drops of cake batter extract and almond extract. Mix these into your milk and taste to adjust. You won’t need to make or buy a syrup, and you can make it on the spot.

Other Starbucks-Inspired Matcha Lattes to Try

There’s nothing I love more than nailing a recipe from a cafe so I can save money by making it at home. That’s why Starbucks copycat recipes are so useful! If you love this sugar cookie matcha recipe, then here are some other recipes to try next:

• Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso
• Peach Green Tea Lemonade
• Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
• Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam
• Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha