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.
These really don’t have the texture like Milano cookies at all. They are brittle/crunchy instead of light and crisp. If you try reducing the baking time, they’re just chewy. They get a few stars because they taste great.. just not like Milano cookies. Yes, I weighed my ingredients.
Is the batter stiff enough to hold its shape if I wanted to pour the batter into multiple 6” rounds (using a ring mold that would be removed after pouring) on a baking tray? Alternatively, would baking the cake in round pans work? Are they any adjustments you recommend? Thank you.
Hi Alana! Check out the video located just below the recipe on our site to see the stiffness of the batter as Tessa pipes it onto the baking sheet. We haven’t tried any other pans besides a baking sheet, but you’re welcome to experiment. Let us know how it goes if you do!
oooh you’re an angel! I love Milano cookies. It’s the perfect recipe and easy to make. I recently bought their “orange” chocolate variety. The orange/chocolate flavor is similar to the flavor of the See’s orange/chocolate wafers they offer in the Fall. How would you incorporate the orange flavor into your recipe? With flavoring? With liquor? Love your website!.
Hi Leigh! As Tessa mentions in the pink tip box, “I haven’t tested anything but peppermint, but orange or raspberry would also be delicious – just keep in mind that other extracts may vary in strength, so start with less and add a little more as needed, to taste.” Feel free to experiment with extracts or even adding fine orange zest to the chocolate. I hope that helps! We can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies! Happy baking 🙂
I’m so excited to try out this homemade Milano cookie recipe! They sound just as delicious as the name brand ones, but with better ingredients; of course. And I’m so glad it won’t take very long to make them.
Has anyone tried freezing these? Hoping to get a jump start on holiday baking…
Hi Gigi! We haven’t tried freezing these, and I don’t believe the fully assembled cookies would freeze super well, as the chocolate in the middle might be weird in the freezing/thawing process. You could try freezing the dough, as Tessa explains in this article here! I hope that helps!
My dough is so thick that normal and cookie were hard as a rock
Sorry to hear you didn’t have success with this recipe, Deb! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Also, what type of pan did you bake them on and for how long?
We failed at piping the cookies, but I think it’s still going to taste good. 😀
Tessa, my favorite Milano cookies are the chocolate orange ones. Would a teaspoon or half a teaspoon of orange extract work with the melted chocolate chips? Thank you for the recipe and video.
Yes, that should work!
Reply to Terry: Did you try adding the orange extract? How did it work?
You could probably use a terry’s chocolate orange instead of the chocolate chips..
That sounds amazing!!
Followed the recipe exactly and these were a hit!! Even my siblings who don’t usually like the bagged kind could not stop eating these. The perfect amount of sweetness. I used mediterranean sea salt for a special touch. Will be making these again and again!
I’m so happy to hear this! Hooray!
I had so much fun making these cookies. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would make Milano cookies. This was my second time making them using a different recipe and that didn’t turn out well. But your recipe worked for me, thanks a bunch!
[…] made homemade Milanos. Very simple and actually delicious. The first time I ended up with 6 cookies instead of 12 because […]
Great recipe really easy to follow taste great Family loved them