Perfect with a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly night!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- A simple buttery cookie that's not too sweet.
- Makes a great addition to the holiday dessert table.
- Freeze well and are easy enough for beginning bakers.
Using satisfying, simple ingredients, this sweetened condensed milk cookies recipe is easy enough to whip up in a few minutes but enjoyable enough to spend the afternoon making with your family.
Decorate them any way you want—with Christmas sprinkles, team/school colors, or even for Valentine's Day! They're so pretty on a cookie tray with decorated spritz cookies.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Use sanding sugar, sprinkles, or nonpareils to give each cookie dough ball a unique decoration.
- Satisfy chocolate chip cookie cravings by stirring in some of those extra chocolate chips you have sitting in your cupboard.
- Mix in some white chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a festive, delicious cookie recipe upgrade.
- Press a small, round candy (like a chocolate kiss, Rolo, or peanut butter cup) onto the top of each cookie before baking for a fun flavor bite.
- Or, press a well in the center with your thumb and fill it with your favorite jam.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cream softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
- Mix in the condensed milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients, then blend them into the batter.
- Chill the soft dough to make it easier to portion onto a baking sheet.
🍴 Equipment
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups and spoons
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- heavy baking sheets
- cookie scoop
🥫 Storage
Store leftover condensed milk cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll keep for almost a week—but I bet you'll eat them all before then!
This is an easy recipe to scale if you want to make a big batch of cookies with just a little effort. You can freeze the dough and save it for up to three months! Just wrap it tightly with cling wrap, and let thaw in the fridge just until you can handle it again.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Condensed milk is not interchangeable with evaporated milk when it comes to these sweetened condensed milk cookies. You'll be disappointed if you try to use evaporated milk, so shop carefully!
- Always measure your ingredients carefully.
- Don't forget to set your butter out to come to room temperature! If your kitchen is cold, move the butter closer to your preheated oven.
- When using basic ingredients, you want good flavors to shine through. Splurge on a high-quality butter or gourmet vanilla—it's worth it!
- Make sure your baking powder isn't close to expiration, or your cookies won't puff as much.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- If you do a lot of baking, consider using a silicone baking mat to line your cookie sheet.
- You can use a large
mixing bowl and some good 'ol muscle power, but it's much easier to mix up the dough using a stand mixer on low speed. - Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally when using an electric mixer. You want all of the ingredients to blend perfectly!
- The chill time is important, both when resting the dough initially and after shaping the cookie dough balls. So, don't skip it!
- If you prefer larger cookies, you can use a medium cookie scoop or even an ice cream scoop! However, thicker cookies may take a little bit more time to bake.
👩🍳 FAQs
The texture is sort of in between shortbread cookies and thumbprint cookies. Unlike hard, flat sugar cookies, these are tender and slightly chewy cookies. The flavor is mild, buttery, and just sweet enough to satisfy a dessert craving—without a tragic sugar crash!
Nope! Vanilla essence is generally a synthetic flavoring agent, while vanilla extract is a natural flavor that is extracted from vanilla beans. If you can, use vanilla extract for a better flavor. Or, upgrade to vanilla bean paste for the best flavor!
I wouldn't substitute powdered sugar with another variety. The ultra-fine texture of confectioner's sugar makes these condensed milk cookies extra light and delicious.
Nope! I've written this recipe to perfectly use up one whole can of 14 oz Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. However, if you scale the recipe and have leftover sweetened condensed milk, store it in the fridge and use it as a decadent coffee creamer! It's the perfect addition to your morning cup 'o joe.
I know it might sound confusing. Sweetened condensed milk is usually the same thing as condensed milk. There really isn't a such thing as "unsweetened condensed milk," since that would just be evaporated milk.
However, read the label carefully. Eagle Brand condensed milk is always a safe bet, and a perfect way to ensure your cookies are great every time!
Self-rising (sometimes referred to as self-raising) doesn't only have added leavening agents, but it also has a different protein content than all-purpose flour. That means your cookies will have a different texture. My family agrees that this is the perfect recipe as written, so I'd recommend sticking with AP flour.
📚 Related recipes
- Christmas cookies that truly have it all, Santa's Whiskers Cookies are simple to make, easy to freeze, and packed with nutty, buttery flavor.
- Earl Grey Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are a classic sweet treat—and for good reason. They're scrumptious, so addictive, and they even ship well so you can spread the holiday cheer to faraway friends and family.
- Upgrade the classic cookie-swap treat with these delicious Peppermint Blossom Cookies—they're pretty, unique, and mint-tastic!
- These chocolate butter cookies are so good - melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
📞 The last word
One of the best things about Christmas is the traditions -holiday cookies, making gingerbread houses, caroling...
So much fun!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Condensed Milk Cookies
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups butter, room temperature
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Beat the butter until smooth.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Mix on medium speed, scraping sides of the bowl often, until smooth and all ingredients are mixed in well.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With mixer on low, stir in the dry ingredients just until well blended.
- Dough will be soft.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
- Remove dough from refrigerator.
- Drop by small cookie scoop or teaspoonfuls to the prepared baking sheet.
- Top with sprinkles as desired.
- Put into freezer to chill while the oven is preheating to 325F.
- Bake 12-15 minutes.
- Cool on cookie sheet for at least 5 to 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.
Notes
- Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk - like Eagle Brand.
- Don't forget to set your butter out to come to room temperature.
- When using basic ingredients, you want good flavors to shine through. Splurge on a high-quality butter or gourmet vanilla—it's worth it!
- Make sure your baking powder isn't close to expiration, or your cookies won't puff as much.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- If you do a lot of baking, consider using a silicone baking mat to line your cookie sheet.
- The chill time is important, both when resting the dough initially and after shaping the cookie dough balls. So, don't skip it!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published October 13, 2022. Last updated December 21, 2023 for editorial updates.
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