I hope you love these Honey Lavender Latte Cookies as much as I do! A little coffee shop in a little lake town here in Michigan introduced me to my first honey lavender latte, and I'm in love. True to form, it needed to be made into a dessert!
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These Honey Lavender Latte Cookies are espresso sugar cookies frosted with honey lavender buttercream! They're your favorite drink in cookie form!
If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Lavender Lemon Cake, Hazelnut Espresso Shortbread, and Lavender Biscuits!
Ingredients
This recipe has mostly straightforward ingredients, but there are a few specialty items! Check the list below or the recipe notes for details on (and substitutions for) those! Measurements for each of the ingredients are included in the recipe card, below.
Espresso Sugar Cookie Ingredients
- Flour - Provides structure for the cookies. I used all-purpose flour.
- Espresso Powder - For flavor.
- Baking Powder - Provides leavening for the cookies.
- Salt - Helps to balance and enhance the flavor of the cookies.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want your butter to be at room temperature.
- Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the cookies soft and moist.
- Egg - Provides structure and a little richness. You want your egg to be at room temperature.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor! It's no secret that I love vanilla bean paste. It's soooo tasty without the vanilla bean price tag (and it pretty much stays good forever). If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.
Honey Lavender Buttercream Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - You can't make buttercream without it! Unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want the butter to be at room temperature.
- Honey - For sweetness and moisture. You can use whatever type of honey you prefer.
- Lavender Paste - For lavender flavor without having to add actual lavender flowers to the buttercream. (If you prefer to substitute, check out the FAQ section below or the recipe notes.)
- Salt - Helps to balance and enhance the flavor of the buttercream.
- Powdered Sugar - For sweetness, and because it dissolves completely, giving your buttercream a smooth, creamy texture.
- Milk - For moisture. I used whole milk, at room temperature.
- Dried Lavender (for garnish; optional) - For more lavender flavor and a sprinkle of color on top of the buttercream! You want to make sure that you're using culinary lavender, since other lavenders aren't meant to be eaten and could have been sprayed with harmful chemicals.
Hint: If you can't get enough lavender, check out my recipe on how to make homemade Lavender Sugar!
Instructions
The dough for the espresso sugar cookies comes together easily, but it does need some time to chill before you roll it out! I also suggest chilling them after they're cut out (before baking) so that they keep their shape when baking. More detailed instructions are included in the recipe card, below.
Making Espresso Sugar Cookies
Combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla bean paste & mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Chill the dough.
After chilling, roll the dough out to about ¼" inch thickness
Cut the dough into the desired shape. Chill the cut-outs at least 30 minutes in the freezer before baking.
Once baked and cooled, frost with the honey lavender buttercream.
Making Honey Lavender Buttercream
- Beat the butter until smooth. Add the honey, lavender paste, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the milk and beat to combine.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, frost with the buttercream. Sprinkle with dried lavender, if desired.
Variations
Though I highly recommend it, maybe the honey lavender buttercream just isn't your thing.
- Mocha Cookies - Instead of the honey lavender buttercream, top with a dark chocolate frosting or drizzle/dunk in melted chocolate. Heck, do BOTH. 😀
- Caramel Latte Cookies - use vanilla sugar in place of the regular granulated sugar in the recipe and drizzle with salted caramel. For super bonus points, you could slather them in some dulce de leche!
I also have a few other recipes featuring espresso that you may want to check out:
Equipment
There isn't much equipment involved in making these recipe, but here are a few of the items that I used!
- Biscuit Cutter: I used a 2.75″ biscuit cutter for my cookies. You can use whatever size/shape you like, just know that bigger cookies may take more time to bake, and smaller cookies less time.
- Sheet pans: A kitchen basic, so you likely have them already.
- Silpats: I chose to line my baking pans with silpats because the cookies brown up a little slower and you can use them over and over again. If you prefer, you can line your pans with nonstick parchment. If you go with the parchment option, keep in mind that your cookies may brown up a little faster.
- Offset Spatula - Not a necessity, but it does make frosting the cookies a bit easier!
Storage
You can make the espresso sugar cookies in advance! The cookie dough will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a few days, or for up to six months in the freezer. Once baked, they're only good for a few days.
For longer storage, bake them, cool them, and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months! Just thaw the cookies in the refrigerator overnight, then frost them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instant espresso is not as fine as espresso powder, so you can't just make a direct substitution in the filling. If you want to go this route, try to grind the instant espresso as finely as you can so that it's well distributed throughout the filling.
Lavender paste is a convenient way to add lavender flavor without having to add actual lavender flowers to the buttercream. If you prefer to substitute, this is my suggestion: microwave the milk in a small bowl until warm, then add one teaspoon of lavender flowers and let them steep in the milk until it cools. Strain the lavender from the milk and use the lavender-scented milk in the buttercream as directed in the recipe. The flavor will likely be milder than if you had used the lavender paste.
You want to make sure that you're using culinary lavender, since other lavenders aren't meant to be eaten and could have been sprayed with harmful chemicals.
Other Recipes You May Like
Honey Lavender Latte Cookies
Ingredients
Espresso Sugar Cookies:
- 3½ cups flour
- 2 tablespoon espresso powder (see note)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
Honey Lavender Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon lavender paste (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoon milk (I used whole milk)
Garnish (optional):
- dried lavender flowers (see note)
Instructions
For Cookies:
- Line two half sheet pans with silpats or parchment (see note). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, espresso powder [see note], baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy (at least three minutes) Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the egg and vanilla bean pate (see note) and mix to combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface and divide in half, shaping each half into a disc about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disc and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
- Once chilled, working with one disc of dough at a time, roll the dough out to about ¼" thickness on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into your desired shapes (I chose a 2.75-inch round cutter, see note). Place the cut-outs on the prepared baking sheets, and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes, turning the cookies around in the oven halfway through to help ensure even baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
For Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the honey, lavender paste (see note), and salt. Mix to combine.
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the milk and beat to combine. If the buttercream is too thick you can add a little more milk. If too thin, you can add a bit more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, frost with the buttercream. Sprinkle with dried lavender, if desired.
- The cookie dough will keep, well wrapped, in the refrigerator for a few days, or for up to six months in the freezer. Once baked, they're good for about three days in an airtight container on your counter.For longer storage, bake them, cool them, and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months! Just thaw the cookies in the refrigerator overnight, then frost them.Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.
Patricia
These flavors are to DIE for!!!
Amee
Haha I feel the same, Patricia! Thanks so much for your review!
Kaite
We loved these! Now I have to get myself one of those lattes!
Amee
Oooh, yes--you need one! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Kaite--and thanks so much for your review!
Layla Wolfenberg
I love it! Such a beautiful and delicious blend of the honey, lavender, and latte taste! The adults who tasted the cookies appreciated the latte taste more than the kids who tried it. The recipe wasn't too difficult and would make it again.