Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies Recipe

Name: Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup salted butter (very soft, but not melted); 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz size); ½ cup powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp salt; 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); ¼ cup rainbow nonpareils; Vanilla icing (for topping or dipping, optional)

Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies are an easy, fuss-free solution for holiday baking; these tender, crumbly cookies come out soft and perfectly sweet every time. Plus, they’re freezer-friendly, making them an excellent option for preparing in advance or for sharing with friends and family during the holiday season.

Sweetened condensed milk cookies on a plate.

If you love shortbread cookies, you’ll enjoy these condensed milk cookies. They taste as sweet as sugar cookies, but have a better texture. These delicious cookies are perfect anytime for any reason! Serve them at birthday parties and pot-lucks, add them to Christmas cookie platters, or eat them as a snack whenever your sweet tooth roars. And since they are the easiest cookies you’ll ever make, you can whip up a batch whenever the mood strikes.

These buttery cookies are the perfect addition to your baking rotation. This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so be prepared to be busy for a bit (or freeze the dough for later). If you’re looking for a simple cookie that takes little effort, this delicious cookie recipe is for you!

Why You’ll Love Condensed Milk Cookies

Easy cookie recipe. This simple recipe is so easy that kids can make them.
Simple Ingredients. You probably already have everything that you need in your fridge and pantry.
Freezer-friendly. Make a big batch of cookies, freeze them, and save them for later.
So tasty. They taste like dulce de leche.

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

These small cookies are a sheer delight! It’s a good thing it makes so many cookies – they will disappear as fast as you make them.

Butter: Use salted butter. It should be very soft but not melted.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: This sweetens and moistens the cookies.
Powdered Sugar: This kind of sugar sweetens the cookies and gives them a shortbread-like texture.
Vanilla Extract: For the best flavor, I suggest using pure vanilla.
Salt: This enhances all the other flavors in the cookies.
All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the cookies. Be careful with how much you use, and make sure it is leveled in the measuring cup.
Rainbow Sprinkles: These are optional, but they give the cookies a fun splash of color.
Vanilla Icing: This is also optional and is used to dunk the cookies.

Ingredients to make sweetened condensed milk cookies.

How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Step Two: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitter with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
Step Three: Beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until fully incorporated.
Step Four: Add in the flour 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until completely incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step Five: Mix in the sprinkles, just until incorporated.

Steps to make sweetened condensed milk cookies.

Step Six: Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls, either dropping directly onto the parchment or rolling between your palms beforehand. For flatter cookies, use a glass to press down the cookies before baking. If you want to make mini cookies, transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip and pipe about one teaspoon of dollops on the parchment about 1 inch apart, then press down with your finger to flatten.

If you want to make mini cookies, transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1A tip and pipe about one teaspoon of dollops on the parchment about 1 inch apart, then press down with your finger to flatten.

Step Seven: Bake larger cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and smaller cookies for 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and bake off the remaining dough.
Step Eight: Allow cookies to cool before icing if desired.

Equipment Needed

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Large Mixing Bowl – This must be big enough to hold all ingredients.
Baking Sheet – You’ll need more than one cookie sheet.
Stand Mixer – If you have one, an electric mixer with a paddle attachment will speed up the process.
Wooden Spoon – Use a spoon to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Medium Cookie Scoop – You’ll use this or a piping bag to measure the cookie dough on the baking trays.

What to Serve with Condensed Milk Cookies

This easy recipe tastes delicious with any dessert you serve with it! Serve it with chewy cookies like these.

Variations and Substitutions

Make cookie cups – Place the cookie dough in a muffin tin and spread it around the edges to form a cup.
Dust with powdered sugar – Then they will resemble snowballs!
Drizzle with chocolate – A tiny bit of chocolate adds a fantastic flavor to the cookies.
Make Peppermint Cookies – Add a drop or two of peppermint extract to change the flavor of the cookies.
Make thumbprint cookies – After you put the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, press them down with your thumb and add some jam.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container. They will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a week. If you want the cookies to last longer, freeze them. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.

You can also freeze balls of dough. Freeze them on a tray for at least an hour, then transfer them to a freezer bag to freeze longer term.

A sweetened condensed milk cookie on a yellow linen.

Condensed Milk Cookies Tips and Tricks

If the dough is too stiff to pipe, you either didn’t let your butter get soft enough or didn’t properly measure your flour.
Make sure the butter is super soft; I recommend letting it sit out overnight beforehand. You want the butter to be goopy.
To measure flour, fluff the flour, then spoon it into the measuring cup and level off.

What is Sweetened Condensed Milk?

Sweetened condensed milk is a thick, sweet, and creamy dairy product made by removing most of the water from regular milk and adding sugar. It’s canned and sold in the baking section of the grocery store. It is a popular ingredient in various desserts and beverages due to its rich, sweet flavor and thick consistency. It is usually used in fudge, caramel, flan, and cookies!

Add-Ins

What can you add to condensed milk cookies? Any of these things will taste delicious if you mix them into the dough:

Chocolate Chips
Other colored sprinkles to match holidays
M&Ms
Nuts
Dried cranberries

Can I Use Evaporated Milk?

No, you cannot use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk in these cookies. Condensed milk is thicker and sweeter than evaporated milk. You need the thick consistency and sweet flavors for the cookies to turn out well.

A plate of sweetened condensed milk cookies.

Can I Use Unsalted Butter?

Yes, you can use unsalted butter. But if you use unsalted butter, I suggest adding a pinch of salt to the dough. You need the salt to enhance the other flavors.

Can I Make Ahead?

Yes, you can make them ahead of time. Either freeze the cookies after they are baked or freeze the dough and bake them later. You can also bake them and store the cookies for up to a week.

How To Know When They Are Done

These cookies will look set when they are done baking. That means they won’t look soft or like raw cookie dough. They won’t change colors much, but they will be light golden around the edges.

When they are done, they will still be very soft, so let them cool on the baking tray for about 5-10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

How Do I Make Homemade Glaze?

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and three tablespoons of milk to make the icing. The icing will crust up but is still soft if pressed.

A hand holding a cookie without a bite out of it.

FAQ

What kind of cookies are sweetened condensed milk cookies?

These are like a combination of a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie. They have a light but sweet flavor.

Why is my dough stiff?

If your dough is too thick, you either use too much flour or you don’t wait long enough for the butter to soften. You could set it for a bit or just use a cookie scoop to roll out the cookies.

How many cookies does this make?

This recipe makes about 48 dropped cookies.

Christmas Cookies

Want more cookies to make for Christmas? Here are some of my favorites:

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Sweetened condensed milk cookies pin image.

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4.67 from 6 votes