Sure, the store-bought cookies are good, but homemade Milano cookies are something special. This copycat Milano cookies recipe gives you crisp, buttery oval cookies sandwiched with a rich chocolate ganache filling, and they are easier to make than they look.
The dough pipes beautifully, bakes until lightly golden around the edges, and crisps in the oven so you get that delicate snap Milanos are known for. Fill them with classic chocolate ganache, or add a little mint, orange, raspberry, or espresso to your chocolate for your own homemade version.
Why this recipe is worth making
These homemade Milano cookies taste like the classic store-bought version, but fresher, richer, and easier to customize.
- Crisp, buttery texture: The cookies bake up delicate and crisp, just like a Milano should.
- Rich chocolate filling: A simple ganache gives you a smooth, chocolatey center that sets beautifully.
- Easy to customize: Add mint, orange, raspberry, or espresso to make your own favorite flavor.
- Great for gifting: These cookies look polished and impressive without complicated decorating.
If you love homemade versions of classic cookies, you may also love my Levain Bakery-inspired Double Chocolate Cookies or Brookies.
Key ingredients
You only need a handful of simple baking ingredients to make these homemade Milano cookies, but a few of them are especially important for getting the right texture and flavor.
- Butter: Gives the cookies their rich flavor and delicate, crisp texture.
- Powdered sugar: Keeps the cookies light and tender while helping the dough pipe smoothly.
- Egg white: In addition to the whole egg, it helps give the cookies structure without making them too heavy.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and balances the buttery cookie base.
- Dark or semisweet chocolate: Creates the rich ganache filling. Use a chocolate you enjoy eating on its own.
- Heavy cream: Melts with the chocolate to make a smooth, spreadable ganache and give it an irresistible mouthfeel.
How to make
These homemade Milano cookies come together in a few simple steps. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but here is a quick overview so you know what to expect.
- Make the cookie dough. Whisk together the flour and salt, then cream the butter and powdered sugar until light. Mix in the egg, egg white, vanilla, and melted butter, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pipe the cookies. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe lines onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie so they have room to spread.
- Bake and crisp. Bake until the edges are lightly golden, then turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cookies sit in the warm oven for 10–20 minutes so they crisp without getting too dark.
- Make the ganache. While the cookies bake, melt the chocolate and heavy cream together over a double boiler until smooth. Let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to spread.
- Fill the cookies. Once the cookies are completely cool, spoon a little ganache onto half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. Let the ganache set before storing or serving.
Flavor variations
- Chocolate: Dark chocolate gives the cookies the most balanced flavor, but semisweet chocolate also works well. Milk chocolate can be very sweet, so I recommend pairing it with some dark or semisweet chocolate if you want a softer chocolate flavor.
- Mint: Add a few drops of mint extract to the cream before making the ganache.
- Orange: Add a small amount of orange extract or orange zest to the ganache.
- Raspberry: Spread a very thin layer of raspberry jam on one cookie before adding the ganache.
- Espresso: Stir a small amount of instant espresso powder into the warm cream before adding it to the chocolate.
Amanda's expert tips
The most important way to ensure you get the best results is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep off the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature butter and eggs help the dough mix smoothly so it pipes more evenly.
Do not overmix once the flour is added. Mix just until the dough comes together so the cookies stay light and delicate.
Pipe evenly. Hold the piping bag straight above the baking sheet at a 90° angle and use steady pressure to pipe 2-inch lines. Release pressure before lifting the bag to help create rounded ends. You can use a fingertip moistened with water to gently pat down any points.
Leave enough space between cookies. The dough spreads as it bakes, so keep the cookies about 2-inches apart.
Let them crisp in the oven. Turning off the oven and leaving the door cracked helps the cookies dry out and crisp without overbaking.
Cool completely before filling. If the cookies or ganache are too warm, the filling can slide or soften the cookies too quickly.
FAQs
Technically, no. The cookies were actually created by Pepperidge Farm in 1956. That being said, the cookie is based on Italian-style cookies.
Milano cookies are light, buttery, crisp cookies that sandwich a rich, velvety chocolate ganache. They are far from soft, and make wonderful cookies to dip in a glass of ice-cold milk or your coffee because they can retain their structure well. If they are soft, they may need more time in the turned-off oven with the door cracked.
Absolutely! I love freezing them. They do get a little softer when thawed, but I don't mind that. If you want to keep your cookies crisp, I would refrain from freezing them. Honestly, I do enjoy eating them while they are still mostly frozen.
No, they are not gluten-free as written. You can try using a 1:1 gluten-free baking mix, such as King Arthur Baking or Bob’s Red Mill, but the texture may be slightly different.
Yes. You can use a zip-top sandwich bag in place of a piping bag. Cut a small opening from one corner, then test the dough on the parchment. You can always make the opening slightly larger if needed.
The cookies may spread too much if the butter is too soft (except for the small portion that is melted, you want room temperature butter), the dough is overmixed, or the cookies are piped too large. Make sure to pipe 2-inch lines and leave enough space between each cookie.
Recipe Card
Milano Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg white room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
Ganache
- 1 ¼ cups chopped dark chocolate
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- mint extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg white until well combined. Add the vanilla and melted butter, then mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fit a piping bag with a large ½" round piping tip and fill with the cookie dough.
- Pipe 2-inch lines of dough two inches apart on the parchment paper. Bake for 9 - 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
- Turn off the heat and crack open the oven, and leave the cookies there to crisp for about 10 - 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't get too dark at the edges.
- Allow to cool completely.
- While the cookies are baking, heat the chocolate and heavy cream over a double boiler until smooth. Allow to cool completely.
- Drop a teaspoon of the ganache onto half the cookies and top with the other half of the cookies. The ganache will harden over time.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Erin Laichak says
This recipe was perfect. I tried some other Milano cookie recipes, usually ones with lots of egg whites, and they did not turn out as crisp as this one! According to my boyfriend, the cookies need to be “dunkable” and these passed that test. Yum yum yum.
Amanda Powell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed these as much as I do! And I agree, a cookie is so much better when it’s dunkable!
Andrea says
I haven't had a Milano in years, but these were far better than my memory of what they are. These came together very quickly, recipe was easy to follow. I did have to bake a little longer than recommended, the ones that didn't quite get any brown color were quite soft but a few more minutes until the edges were light brown crisped them up nicely. These cookies are begging for a glass of cold milk, perfect cookie for dunking!
Amanda Powell says
Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed them! They are one of my favorites to bake during the holidays!
Lola says
Hey there! I was wondering why the butter was listed twice? do we put both amounts of butter in or what?
Amanda Powell says
It’s for getting the right consistency in the batter. And yes, add both!
DeeDee says
Hi! I made these milanos and they were delicious! But for some reason my cookies were soft. Do you know why this might happen?
Amanda Powell says
Hi DeeDee! There could be a couple of reasons, but it’s likely they could’ve done with 1-2 more minutes in the oven, especially if your cookies weren’t as thin.
Yasmine says
Hiii, thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! Is it possible to cut the sugar down to 1 cup?
Amanda Powell says
Hi Yasmin, I’ve never tried cutting back the sugar, but you are welcome to try. Please let me know how it turns out!
Rica says
These look delicious! I have a few questions though. Does the ganache harden or should i remove the cream for it to harden? Also, some recipes make use of granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. Does this make a difference? And lastly (hehe), does using white eggs instead of the whole egg make a difference? Im trying to work around the ingredients i have on hand 🙂
Amanda says
Hi Rica, the chocolate will remain nice and soft (but not too soft). It will get hard without the cream. The difference in the granulated and powdered sugar is the texture and ease of incorporating it into the batter. It wouldn't be a 1 to 1 substitution and I don't know what that would be. You can make powdered sugar by blending a cup with a tablespoon or cornstarch until it is very fine. Whole eggs vs egg whites does make a difference in how light the cookie is and the crispness so it does make a significant difference! I hope this helps!
Jimi says
I may be wrong but I didn't see where to add the flour and salt so I did it after I creamed the butter and sugar.
Amanda says
Hi Jimi! With cookies, you typically want to add the flour after you've added the eggs because mixing in the eggs after will require more mixing which can toughen the end product. Please let me know how they turned out!
Liz says
These are someof the best lookingMilano copy cat cookies I have found. Definitely going to make them. Perfect for Christmas. Do you think they would freeze well?
Thanks
Amanda says
Hi Liz, These should freeze well as long as the container is really air tight (oh my gosh, eating a frozen Milano sounds really good right about now!)
Lou Lou Girls says
Beautiful! This looks so good! Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for being a part of our party! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm. We love partying with you! Lou Lou Girls
Renee @ Awesome on 20 says
I hope everything goes well for you in Germany. I moved to Scotland two monthss ago, and I love it.
Amanda says
I hope you are doing well in Scotland! I am still waiting on my passport (so much for the expedited service!), but I can't wait to go!
Lisa Sharp says
Oh these could be dangerous! Milano cookies are some of my favorites.
Amanda says
They are dangerous! I ate so many of them straight out the oven without the chocolate. You think they are pretty small so it's okay, but then the pan is nearly empty the next time you look down!
Sabrina says
Love this recipe! I ate these cookies all the time as a kid. Pictures are beautiful, too!
Oana says
I have my eyes on these cookies for a very long time, maybe now that I see your recipe I get myself together and actually bake them. Thank you for sharing, it's inspiring!
Amanda says
They are so easy to make! The hardest part is not eating the cookies straight out the oven (which I admit to doing with the first batch!)
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These look fabulous! What a classic cookie- love that chocolate ganache 🙂 Pinning!
Lisa @ Panning The Globe says
Milanos have been one of my favorite cookies since childhood. I love the idea of making them at home! BTW your photos are gorgeous!