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Every mug of coffee should feel a little extra special this time of year, and homemade almond cookie simple syrup does the trick! The combination of vanilla, almond, and butter extracts, plus white and brown sugar are sweet, full of flavor, and instantly cozy.
I’ve been making homemade syrups for years, whether it’s brown sugar simple syrup to sweeten lemonade or iced coffee or vanilla infused maple syrup for drizzling over pancakes.
But around the holidays, it’s just fun to make your coffees and lattes a little more festive.
Although I’ve been sharing lots of warm and richly spiced recipes lately (like my spiced Christmas coffee blend and homemade gingerbread coffee creamer), I wanted to do something a little different and loved, loved, loved the buttery, nutty flavor of this syrup in my recipe tests!
If you love making holiday gifts and treats, you’ll definitely want to explore my mega list of 60+ homemade Christmas gift ideas!
Ingredients for Homemade Almond Syrup
Brown sugar + white sugar – A basic simple syrup is equal parts water and sugar. For this one, I wanted to get the flavor of brown sugar without it being overpowering. I used a 1:3 ratio of brown to white sugar and it turned out really nicely.
Almond extract – A little goes a LONG way. I wanted a prominent almond flavor, so I used 1 teaspoon per batch. Depending on the strength of your extract, that may be too much.
Start with 1/2 teaspoon, taste, then increase if needed. (I used this brand of organic almond extract.)
Vanilla extract – Homemade Bourbon vanilla extract is my go-to, but any type will work!
Butter extract – Okay, I was hoping I’d have time to post my recipe for butter extract before this, but I’m running out of time for this holiday gift promotion. I’ve added a section below about how I made mine, but you can absolutely use store-bought, if you prefer.
You don’t HAVE to add butter extract, but it really adds that buttery cookie flavor note.
Pinch of salt
How to Make Almond Simple Syrup
Step 1: Combine water, sugars, and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar crystals have dissolved, remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
Step 2: Add the extracts and stir thoroughly. Transfer to your glass bottle or jar, and use as desired!
Get the Free Printable Gift Tags
Want to share bottles of this syrup with your friends and family? Click the button below to view and download the printable gift tags. No email needed!
Storing Suggestions
The syrup should be stored in the fridge between uses. Since it doesn’t contain any fresh ingredients, it can actually stay fresh for several weeks but always monitor for signs of mold.
Tips & Variations
- Use real almonds. Like my hazelnut simple syrup, you can absolutely add real almonds to the mixture. I find that this tends to require quite a lot of nuts, which are expensive. Using both the extract and some almonds would be a great compromise with even richer flavor.
- For a more neutral flavor, you can always use just white sugar, water, and almond extract. This makes a basic almond simple syrup.
- Increase the batch size. Feel free to double or triple the batch to make multiple bottles at a time!
- Cool the mixture BEFORE adding the extracts. The flavor of your extracts will degrade if you add them when the syrup is still piping hot. It doesn’t need to be room temperature, but give it at least 10-15 minutes (if you aren’t running out the door to a holiday party).
My Homemade Butter Extract Experiment
I went down a Google rabbit hole recently about making butter extract at home, and learned about a process called fat washing.
This is how bartenders and mixologists get the flavor of fats and oils infused into alcohol, without leaving an oily residue in the liquid.
To make the butter extract I used for this recipe, this is what I did:
- Gently melt and brown 2 tbs of unsalted, good-quality butter in a pan.
- Place 1/4 cup of vodka in a small dish.
- Pour the browned butter – and all the browned bits – into the dish with the vodka.
- Stir the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for several hours. The butter will separate out; that’s okay.
- Seal the container and placed it in the freezer until the butter is solid.
- Use a spoon to crack the butter layer and then strained the mixture through a paper coffee filter into a container.
- Then, use the butter extract and store any leftovers in an airtight container.
I’ll be making a full standalone post with this process and detailed photos soon, but I wanted to give you this option in case you want to DIY it!
How to Use Almond Simple Syrup
The great thing about simple syrups is that the sugar has been dissolved, which means you can use it to sweeten cold drinks without getting a layer of sugary grit on the bottom of your glass.
That means you can use this mixture to sweeten iced coffee, regular ol’ drip coffee, espresso, lattes, or even teas, homemade sodas, and more.
Brush it onto cake layers to lock in moisture and impart extra flavor. You can’t go wrong!
More Holiday Recipes
If you’re giving this almond simple syrup for a holiday gift, pair it a nice bag of coffee and some other fun sweeteners, like my caramelized sugar or snickerdoodle sugar cubes!
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Almond Cookie Coffee Syrup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- flip-top bottles (I used 8 oz bottles)
- funnel for pouring
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 – 1 tsp almond extract, the strength varies between brands; start with less and increase if desired
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp butter extract
Instructions
- Combine water, sugars, and salt in the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the sugar crystals have dissolved, remove from the heat and cool for a bit to make sure the extract flavors are nice and strong.1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 pinch salt, 1 cup water
- Add the extracts, stir thoroughly, and transfer to a glass bottle. The syrup is ready to use! Be sure to store in the fridge between uses.1/2 – 1 tsp almond extract, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp butter extract
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
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