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Root Beer Float Cookies

by 42 Comments

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Root Beer Float Cookies

Spring just barely started like a week and a half ago and I am already excited for the flavors of summer!  These Root Beer Cookies are phenomenal!  Seriously life changing!  The root beer concentrate flavors the cookie just like the soda pop and the vanilla buttercream gives it that ice cream flavor of a root beer float.  We love root beer floats and good old Root Beer Freezes!  (If you don’t know what a root beer freeze is, it’s a root beer float that has been blended up like a shake.)

 

Root Beer Float Cookies

These Root Beer Float Cookies take me right to summer, sitting in the yard watching my kids run through the sprinklers while I bask in the sun!  It’s wonderful!

 

Root Beer Float Cookies

And I don’t know if you all have noticed, but I am starting to love sandwich cookies (remember the carrot cake whoopie pies that I made a few weeks ago?).  You can of course frost the tops of these and keep them solo, but there is just something delicious about a sandwich cookie.  I think it’s the fact that I like more cookie than frosting, so it balances out well.

 

Root Beer Float Cookies

If you are looking to try a new cookie, this is THE ONE!  Do it!  You know you want to!

 

Root Beer Float Cookies
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Root Beer Float Cookies

Yield 2 dozen sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Root Beer Cookie:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp McCormick Root Beer Concentrate
  • 3 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Vanilla Buttercream:

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 6 Tbsp solid coconut oil (or shortening/crisco)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and root beer concentrate. Mix and scrape the bowl well.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.
  3. Using a #50 scoop (about 1½ Tbsp) scoop cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 13 minutes (until the edges are set).
  5. To make the buttercream: Place the butter and coconut oil in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until smooth. Add about half of the powdered sugar, and all of the vanilla and milk. Mix well. Then add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
  6. Place buttercream in a sandwich size zip-top bag with the corner cut off, and zip the bag shut. Squeeze/pipe icing onto the bottom of a cookie, then top the buttercream with another cookie, forming a sandwich cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

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Recipe lightly altered from Chocolate, Chocolate and More

 

Root Beer Float Cookies

Comments

  14. These cookies sound so fun for a picnic. Would a tiny amount of the root beer concentrate work in the icing or would it be too much? Thanks.

    Reply

  15. I loved these! I added an extra half tsp of root beer concentrate to the cookie dough on my second batch. Love that flavor, and the icing Ruth coconut oil really works. My only complaint is that I wanted a bigger batch, lol :)!

    Reply

    • So glad you liked them! I’ve got another root beer recipe coming up Sunday so you can use up the rest of your root beer concentrate 🙂

      Reply

    • I would freeze without the icing, but if you do freeze them with the icing, double wrap them individually, and they should be okay.

      Reply

      • I was just wondering this exact same thing!! So glad I read the comments! Thank you these look amazing and my daughter is planning on sending them to our county fair this summer!

        Reply

  17. Just made cookies from this recipe. Couldn’t find the root beer concentrate so decided to use maple instead and they came out great! My entire family is loving them!

    Reply

  18. Just finished making these cookies. It was lots of fun. They look wonderful and taste like coconut. I followed your directions exactly. The coconut center overwhelms the root beer flavored cookie. If I followed direction with precision why the flavor clash? Has anyone else experienced this? What’s your advice on correcting the clash. Just not enough true root beer flavor. I used Root beer extract from “Cooks Vanilla company” I’m told they are the finest purveyors of flavor extracts and spices. Maybe next time I ‘ll leave out the coconut solid oil.

    Reply

    • Huh, I’m sorry! You can alternately use shortening in the frosting, we just love using coconut oil instead of shortening in recipes. That should help with the overwhelming coconut flavor. I’m interested to know what brand of coconut oil you used? I also used McCormick Root Beer Concentrate, it’s what you make the soda with, so it’s quite strong.

      Reply

  19. I followed the recipe to a “t”, but my cookies turned out more fluffy than flat and were very light colored. They tasted great, but didn’t look anything like your pictures. Any suggestions on what I could do different?

    Reply

    • There are a few things I can think of.
      The brand of Root Beer Extract might have been different. I used McCormick brand.
      The reason why it would be puffy would most likely have something to do with the amount of flour. Did you stir it before measuring? If you measure flour straight from the bag/container it will be settled, resulting in extra flour used. If you stir it up before measuring, it incorporates air into the flour and you end up using slightly less. It ends up being approximately 2 TBSP more flour per cup without stirring it first, which can make a big difference in a recipe with 3 1/4 cup flour. (That’s 6 TBSP(+) more flour – 1/2 cup is 8 TBSP.)
      Also the softer the butter, the more the cookie spreads, but don’t melt your butter, that’s not ideal.
      The last thing I can think of would be an altitude difference. I hope these tips help!

      Reply

  21. I followed the recipe but my cookie didn’t look like your picture and didn’t taste like root beer at all. Also, I used coconut oil in the buttercream and not it seems like that’s all I taste when I sandwich them together. What did I do wrong? I love root beer and want to make these right.

    Reply

    • Depending on the brand of coconut oil, you will get more or less of that coconut flavor, so feel free to substitute shortening or all butter in the buttercream. You can definitely add more root beer extract until you get the flavor you want as well. As far as how they looked, I’m not sure how to help you, unless I have more information. Were they flatter? Puffier? Something else?

      Reply

  22. I made these cookies and they didn’t spread much at all they were puffy. I used McCormicks root beer flavouring. Do you sift the flour, scoop or spoon it into the measuring cup? The only thing I can think of is the amount of flour. Thanks they are tasty!

    Reply

    • Hi Angela,

      Flour settles when it’s stored, so I usually stir my flour before measuring it, to lighten it up and incorporate some air into it. You could try spooning it into the measuring cup next time. You can also try melting your butter to see if that helps them spread more. Mine turned out pretty thin, so I’m surprised yours were puffy. Could be an altitude thing too, but definitely try lightly measuring the flour next time. Glad you liked the flavor!

      Reply

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