Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: The cookies are buttery and perfectly sweet without being cloying, pairing beautifully with the rich semisweet chocolate filling.
Texture: The cookies are slightly crumbly and almost shortbread-like in texture, while the chocolate is super smooth.
Ease: So quick and easy. This would be a fun recipe to make with kids!
Pros: Impressive and scrumptious.
Cons: A little messy to assemble, but an offset spatula makes it much easier.
Would I make this again? I have made these countless times!
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Say goodbye to store-bought Milano Cookies and hello to an easy homemade version that’s not only twice the size but infinitely more delicious!
I’ve loved Milano cookies since I was a kid, especially the peppermint variety. It was always such a treat!
I began creating copycat versions of my favorite childhood snacks years ago. There’s something special about taking a store-bought item and creating a homemade version. It’s a fun challenge every time to recreate and improve on the originals.
I have several fantastic copycat recipes already – like my Homemade Oreos, my Cosmic Brownies, and even Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks.
These Copycat Milano Cookies are like little bites of nostalgia. And the best part? They’re so easy to make!
Since the Mint Milanos are my favorite, I was most excited to recreate those – but you can customize them to your own favorite flavor. You’ll be the hit of the party with these babies!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Homemade Milano Cookies
What are Milano Cookies?
Sold commonly in grocery stores across the U.S., Milano Cookies are deliciously buttery oval-shaped cookies that are sandwiched together with a layer of chocolate. Based on Italian-style cookies, the cookie itself is a little crisp, slightly crumbly, and somewhat shortbread-like in texture. They are available in a wide variety of flavors, such as Peppermint Chocolate, Orange Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate. The same cookies are known as Monaco Cookies in Canada.
Butter Temperature is KEY
It’s important to avoid getting your butter too warm to prevent your cookies from overspreading. About 67°F is perfect. Use an instant-read thermometer for accuracy, but if you don’t have one, see the image below to learn how to tell when your butter is the perfect temperature for creaming.
Measure Your Flour Correctly: Important for PERFECT Milano Cookies
Measuring your flour correctly is essential to ensuring these Milano Cookies have the perfect texture, spread evenly while baking, and taste amazing. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh your flour, but if you don’t have one, use the spoon-and-level method to measure your flour. This ensures that you don’t accidentally compact too much flour and end up with cookies that are dry, hard, or otherwise lackluster.
No Leavening Agent?
Much like shortbread and other similar cookies, these Milano Cookies don’t contain baking powder or baking soda. Their only leavening comes from creaming the butter and sugar together. Learn more about creaming butter and sugar here.
Don’t Reduce the Sugar!
It might seem simple to reduce the sugar to cut down on sweetness, but reducing sugar actually has a big impact on the texture of your cookies. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
Milano Cookie Flavor Variations
- I opted to make Peppermint Milanos using peppermint extract (not mint extract, which can taste like toothpaste), but feel free to experiment with other extracts to make other Milano flavor variations.
- I haven’t tested anything but peppermint, but orange or raspberry would be delicious – just keep in mind that extracts may vary in strength, so start with less and add a little more as needed, to taste.
- Simply omit the mint layer if you prefer the plain chocolate variety.
- You can also use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate if you prefer.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes – simply double all ingredients to yield 24 sandwich cookies. No other modifications needed.
How to Pipe Milano Cookies
- As you pipe, press into the dough slightly so it doesn’t mound too much.
- Stop squeezing the dough before you pull away to avoid creating a pointed tip.
- Don’t worry about any lumps or bumps, as they’ll smooth out when baking.
- If you want to ensure uniformity in the cookies, you can draw a guide on your parchment paper using a ruler and a pencil. Draw 3-inch lines spaced an inch or two apart, flipping the parchment over so the pencil lines don’t get on the cookies. Eyeballing it works just fine, too!
Milano Cookie Recipe Tools
For these Homemade Milano Cookies, there are a few small and inexpensive tools that make them much easier:
- Ateco plain tip (#808) and a disposable piping bag to pipe out uniform logs of cookie dough.
- You can also use a quart-size bag and simply snip a 3/4-inch hole in the bottom corner to pipe the dough.
- Use a small offset spatula to spread the filling over the cookies.
- Place cookies in jumbo paper cupcake/muffin liners before serving so they look just like packaged Milanos!
- I also recommend using a high-quality rimmed baking sheet to bake your cookies. Learn more about the best (and worst!) baking pans here.
How to Store Milano Cookies
Store Milano Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can You Freeze Milano Cookies?
Yes, but for the best flavor and texture, I recommend freezing the baked, cooled cookies before adding the fillings. Place in an airtight container or a freezer bag for up to a month. Thaw for a few hours and allow to come to room temperature before adding the fillings and assembling.
More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love:
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Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 large egg, at cool room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (159 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Mint Layer (optional)*
- 3/4 cup (94 grams) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 3-4 teaspoons water
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixture, use the paddle attachment to beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt and beat until just combined.
- Transfer dough to a quart-size zip-top bag. With scissors, snip a 3/4-inch hole in one corner (or use a pastry bag with a plain tip). Pipe about 24 logs about 3 inches long, spacing 1/2 inch apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. For best results, chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake until cookies are light golden at the edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a small heat-proof bowl in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds, until smooth.
- If desired, in a separate bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and 3 to 4 teaspoons of water.
- With a small offset spatula, spread the melted chocolate on the flat side of half the cookies and mint glaze on the other half (if using). Sandwich cookie halves together.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2024 with new photos, weight measurements, additional recipe tips, and a step-by-step video. Photos by Joanie Simon.
It’s much easier, less messy, and more uniform if you pipe the chocolate onto the cookies.
These look delicious! I have a few questions though. Some recipes mix heavy cream with the chocolate. How do you think this affects it? Also, some recipes make use of powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. Does this make a difference? And lastly (hehe), does using white eggs instead of the whole egg make a difference? I saw other recipes using just white eggs. Hehe i can’t wait to hear back!
Really great taste. However, the instructions are a little unclear as to how thick to make the cookies. I also found that it didn’t work to pipe the dough through a plastic bag–the dough for this recipe is too thick and popped the bag quickly.
I have taken the challenge to try and make your cookies I hope they turn out good even though I burnt my first chocolate spread batch
I made these. And while the cookies themselves are delightful, combining 2 cookies with the chocolate are quite heavy. Not quite like the delicate milano. I found other recipes that call for confectioner sugar and only egg whites. And a ganache vs a basic chocolate
Hi Tessa,
Your recipie looks amazing. I am going to make it, but i don’t have a parchment paper. Is it okay if i bake it without the paper by lightly greasing the pan?
I never grease the pan when I bake cookies because it can cause them to spread more. Do you have a Silpat or anything else?
Yeah dear. Salted butter for no salt recipe confused me and i thought i will never be able to make those cookies 🙁 i figured out i can make butter, so i made my own unsalted butter!! 🙂
One question, you didn’t mention the size of milano cookies while piping. I piped a few and the were standing upright, about one inch…then they fell down which made two of the cookies sort of join together while baking. The cookies were done in 12 mins (I guessed it by the golden edges which were now turning brown). My dad says i should’ve cooked for more time till the “cookie was deep-ish brown on the edges”. They taste delicious. Gave a slight bite but were a bit soft on the inside and just a tiny bit chewy. What is the texture i am looking for when it comes to milano cookies? I never ate homemade cookie so… Should I cook it for 15min or it depends on the size and golden edges?
I don’t have any unsalted butter in my country. No one likes it. Only the salted one (however, i only use same brand butter). What should i do? How am i supposed to use the salted butter in each recipe if there is no salt at all in the written recipe? And even if there is, what am i supposed to do? Skip the salt as the butter already has it?
Yep, skip the salt called for in the recipe. As for recipes that don’t call for salt, there’s really no workaround if you truly can’t get unsalted butter :/
Yum! Your Milano cookies look so good. I don’t allow myself to buy the ones in the store often because I want to eat them all.
Please! How do you get these flat (thin) & round??
Mine came out domed; tasted great
Hi Tessa.. I love ur recipes.. I wanna ask, can I try these cookies in a microwave??
Plz help..
No, they need to be baked in an oven.
Hi Tessa,
I love love love your blog….great recipes ..I tried making these today but mine didn’t brown around the edges and the centres still seemed undone ..popped it back in the oven for a while longer but they were the same;(.. Can you please tell me what I may have done wrong? Looking forward to hearing back from you …
Thanks