A not too sweet, vanilla-forward icing with warm, earthy notes from browned butter and a whisper of espresso. It dries smooth, crusts nicely, and tastes like you meant it.
By Matt Campbell
Most sugar cookie icing is basically a sugar megaphone. Fun for the first bite, exhausting by the third. This one is different. It’s savory-leaning, still sweet enough to feel like a proper cookie moment, but grounded with browned butter, a tiny hit of espresso, and vanilla that actually tastes like vanilla.
The vibe is cozy and grown up without being fussy. Think: caramel-nutty depth, clean finish, and that “wait, what is that?” flavor that makes people keep eating “just one more” cookie.
It’s still a sweet icing, but the flavor leans warm and earthy instead of sugary and flat. Browned butter gives a toasted, nutty note and the espresso brings a gentle bitter edge that balances everything.
If you stick to the amount in the recipe, it reads more like depth than coffee. If you want a clear coffee vibe, double the espresso powder.
Browned butter plus espresso naturally tints the icing beige. That is part of the cozy vibe. If you want a brighter, whiter icing, skip the espresso and use regular (not browned) butter. You can also tint with gel food coloring, just know you’re starting from “latte” not “snow.”
Yep. Swap the butter for vegan butter and use oat milk. One note: some vegan butters have fewer milk solids, so they will not “brown” the same way and you may get less of that toasted, nutty flavor. Still delicious, just a slightly different vibe.
It crusts and sets on the outside and stays a little soft underneath, like a classic glaze-style icing. It’s great for stacking once fully dry, especially if you keep the icing layer reasonably thin. For super clean stacking, let cookies dry 6 to 8 hours (longer if your kitchen is humid).
Piping: Thicker, holds a line. Use less milk and aim for a slow ribbon that disappears back into the bowl in about 15 to 20 seconds. Flooding: Slightly thinner. Add milk a teaspoon at a time until the ribbon disappears in about 8 to 10 seconds.
Usually it’s powdered sugar that wasn’t sifted, or butter that was too hot and partially melted the sugar. Let browned butter cool until it’s warm, not hot, and sift your sugar if it’s clumpy.
Humidity and thickness are the usual suspects. A thin layer dries faster, a thick layer can take much longer. If it is humid, expect set times to stretch. Give the cookies airflow and time, and avoid covering them until the surface is dry.
I love a classic sugar cookie. I just do not love when the icing tastes like it was engineered to win a candy contest. The first time I browned butter for icing, it felt like cheating in the best way. Suddenly the cookie had this toasted, almost nutty backbone, like the icing had been to therapy and found balance.
Then I added a tiny pinch of espresso powder and it clicked. Not “coffee icing”, just that earthy little bass note that makes vanilla taste louder. This is the icing I make when I want the cookies to disappear, but I also want people to ask for the recipe like it’s a secret.
Matt’s tiny chaos tip: If you accidentally go too thin, do not panic. Whisk in powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it behaves again.