Starbucks Has A Cookie Butter Latte — Here’s What It Tastes Like

When in Seattle, you must drink coffee. After all, the Pacific Northwest city is known for grunge, the Space Needle, and being the birthplace of the first-ever Starbucks location. So as a fan, I had to stop by Pike Place Market for a latte while in Washington. Despite looking a little different on the inside, the menu at the OG Starbucks is the same as any other cafe. However, they were also serving one exclusive drink for the holidays, a Cookie Butter Latte, that I ordered.

This isn’t the first time Cookie Butter Lattes have been a thing at Starbucks. There is a secret menu version of a Cookie Butter Latte on TikTok that first went viral in 2021. That delicious drink is a chai with brown sugar syrup and oat milk that tastes just like a Biscoff cookie, so I wanted to see if this Cookie Butter Latte from the Original Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place is the same. While the Starbucks Cookie Butter Latte on the menu was good, it was nothing like the off-the-menu version — and I actually prefer TikTok’s.

The Starbucks Latte Didn’t Really Taste Like Cookie Butter

Before going to the OG Starbucks at Pike Place Market, I checked TikTok to see if it was even worth a visit since I had such limited time in Seattle. There’s always a line outside the door, but I went for an afternoon coffee pick-me-up and only had to wait about 20 minutes — luckily, it moves quickly. For Starbucks lovers, it’s worth it for the experience. They also have exclusive merch for collectors, including venti-size cold cups with the OG Starbucks logo on the front. Plus the baristas toss the cups to the bar area where drinks are made, which is a cute TikTok moment to capture.

As cool as that was to see, I was a bit disappointed by the Cookie Butter Latte I ordered from the exclusive Holiday Heritage menu because it didn’t really taste like a traditional Speculoos spread. It was missing the spice, and tasted more similar to a caramel cookie — or a version of TikTok’s Cookie Butter Latte recipe that Starbucks barista @peachiemariam shared in 2022.

Compared to the recipe that originally went viral on the FYP, the Cookie Butter Latte from @peachiemariam is an Iced Sugar Cookie Latte with extra dark caramel drizzle and a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam on top. The latte I got from the OG Starbucks was closer to this TikTok drink, and both beverages don’t really deserve the title Cookie Butter Latte. However, my drink wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was delicious, albeit a little sweet. It definitely needed those spices to cut some of the sugar down, but the drink was a tasty caramel treat to keep me warm on a cold Seattle day.

I recommend trying this if you’re going to the original Starbucks in Seattle, or ordering @peachiemariam’s secret menu version at your local cafe. However, if you want a true cookie butter-tasting latte, I would go with the first viral TikTok recipe instead.

When I got back home to LA, I ordered TikTok’s Cookie Butter Latte — a Grande Iced Chai Latte with two pumps brown sugar syrup and oat milk — and was surprised at how much it tastes like those mini Biscoff cookies I got on my Delta flight. It was so good that I drank my latte almost immediately and regretted not ordering a venti size.

Whether you’re looking for a new holiday drink to try or just taking a break from ordering Dunkin’s Cookie Butter Cold Brew, I highly recommend ordering a secret menu Cookie Butter Latte at Starbucks. It’s going up there on my list of faves alongside the secret menu Chai Cookie drink inspired by Taylor Swift’s recipe.