Spring is around the corner, which means that it’s almost time for a classic root beer float! Rather than drinking this classic treat, why not eat it in cookie form? These soft and chewy cookies are topped with a luscious root beer frosting!
Is it really spring? I don’t know about you, but it seemed like an awfully long winter this year. We got some snow, and the weather was cold enough to keep the kids out of school for several days. They even had to make up a school day over a holiday!
Anyway, I’m jazzed that spring is here and it’s almost time for all of the ice cream stores around here to re-open. Many of them close during the winter so you can bet that I’ll be one of the first customers to line up once their doors open up again.
One classic treat that I love to get is a nostalgic root beer float. I have great memories of sharing these with my brother when we were growing up. Of course, being the wonderful sister that I am, I usually liked to trick my brother so that I could eat the remaining ice cream at the bottom. Ha ha!
Tricks aside, these cookies are a fantastic way to enjoy the classic treat without fighting for the ice cream at the bottom. The cookies contain a ton of root beer flavor and are then topped with an amazing root beer frosting. The recipe below makes a huge batch, so feel free to share some. Or, you can follow my lead and just keep them to yourself and tease your sibling about it. I won’t tell.
Root beer float cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk if you don't have butter, simply add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to 1 cup of milk
- 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Frosting (note: I halved the recipe below and had plenty to frost my cookies)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Then add the buttermilk and root beer concentrate. Mix well until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix well until no dry streaks remain.
- Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop out portions of dough and place them on your prepared baking pan, making sure that you allow at least 2 or 3 inches in between each cookie.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Remove the baking pan from the oven and set on the counter to cool for about 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
- To make the frosting, combine the powdered sugar and butter together and mix well (I did this in a stand mixer but you can do it by hand or use a handheld mixer). Add in the milk and root beer concentrate and mix until the frosting is smooth. Feel free to add more milk or powdered sugar to achieve your desired consistency.
- Frost the cookies once they are cooled. Do not frost while the cookies are still warm or else it will melt the frosting.