These well loved vegan Milano copycats are one of those things where you take a bite and feel a little nostalgic and maybe a little smug for making such a perfect cookie. They’ve got a rich buttery quality you wouldn’t expect from a recipe this simple, with just a touch of citrus in the dough to keep things interesting. And, of course, a layer of dark chocolate in the middle that sets up firm with a satisfying snap when you bite in.
I’ll be straight about it though. These are a homemade interpretation, not a lab-engineered duplicate of Pepperidge Farm Milanos. They’re a little more rustic, maybe a touch thicker, and the shapes won’t be identical unless you’re out here running a cookie factory. No piping dough from a bag, no fussy measuring. The texture leans more bake sale than perfectly uniform sleeve of cookies, and that suits me fine.
What you get instead is something with deeper flavor, fresher ingredients, and that just-out-of-the-oven thing no packaged cookie can fake. They’re fun, golden and great for gifting.
Why This Recipe Rocks
- Crisp, golden cookies with a dark chocolate center. Citrus in the dough and a real snap when you bite in.
- Made with basic baking ingredients. No specialty flours, no aquafaba, no piping bags.
- One bowl, no chilling. Ready in about an hour.
- Customizable. Swap the citrus, swap the chocolate, add an extract to the filling.
Testimonials From The Comments
“I think they’re an improvement on the original. And they’re so easy to make.”
“I made these for my Danish family at Christmas lunch. Some of them still have a hard time that I eat well as a vegan. I love showing up with great desserts to impress them.”
“I’ve made raspberry and mint versions already. I got some orange extract and I’m going to make some mint and some orange ones today.”~ The Comments
What’s all in these Vegan Milano Cookies?
Vegan milk. Soy milk is my go-to for baking. Almond or oat work too, just keep it unsweetened.
Sugar. Standard granulated.
Oil. Any neutral oil. Canola, safflower, melted coconut oil.
Vanilla extract. You can really taste it in these, use the good stuff.
Citrus zest. It just brightens them up and taste like a bakery.
All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt. The usual suspects.
Cornstarch. The trick to that delicate crisp texture.
Bittersweet chocolate. For the filling. Use a bar you’d eat on its own. I go for 65 to 70 percent.
How To Fill These Cookies
Melt the chocolate gently, either over a double boiler or in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring in between. Let it cool for a few minutes until it’s still pourable but not hot. Spoon a small amount onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie, flat sides together. Don’t press hard or the chocolate squeezes out the sides. Set the assembled sandwiches on a tray and refrigerate for at least an hour so the chocolate firms up.
If the chocolate thickens too much as you go, warm it for a few seconds and stir.
Tips For The Best Vegan Milano Cookies Ever
Flour your hands before forming each cookie – otherwise the dough will stick.
Bake until just golden. These cookies are ready when the bottoms are golden and the tops still look barely set. The number one reason readers tell me theirs come out hard is overbaking. They firm up as they cool, so what looks slightly underdone in the oven is right. Twelve minutes is the sweet spot in my oven. Start checking at ten.
Use amazing bittersweet chocolate. The filling is half the cookie, so a cheap waxy chocolate will give you a cheap waxy result.
Let the assembled cookies chill before serving. The hour in the fridge is what gives the chocolate that satisfying snap when you bite in.
Vegan Milano Cookies FAQ
Why are my cookies so hard? This is the most common question I get on this recipe and the answer is bake time. Pull them out when the edges are barely golden and the tops still look soft, even if your gut says give them another minute. They firm up as they cool. Twelve minutes is usually the sweet spot in my oven, but ovens vary, so start checking at ten.
Can I make these gluten-free? I haven’t tested with gluten-free flour, but a 1:1 baking blend would be the place to start. The cornstarch in the recipe should help with structure.
How long do they keep? About a week in an airtight container at room temperature. The chocolate stays set and the cookies stay crisp.
Can I freeze them? For sure. Freeze the assembled sandwiches in a single layer first, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep for about three months. Thaw at room temp before serving.
How did I end up here? You searched for vegan Milano cookies, copycat Milano cookies, or homemade Milano cookies. Your search is over.
Vegan Milano Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegan milk soy, oat, or almond
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil or any neutral veg oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Scant 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
- You will be baking 32 cookies in two batches, so each batch will have 8 cookies per sheet. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice milk, sugar, oil, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth.
- Sift in half of the flour along with the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add the remaining flour and stir until you have a soft, pliable dough.
- Dust your hands lightly with flour. Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough at a time. Roll it into a ball, then into a log about 1½ inches long. Flatten with the palm of your hand into a 2-inch by 1-inch oval, straightening the edges with your fingers. Don’t try to be perfect about it. These are homemade.
- Place 16 cookies on the baking sheets (8 per sheet) about an inch apart. They don’t spread much. Cover the rest of the dough with a damp towel while the first batch bakes.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are just golden and the tops still look barely set. Pull them sooner than feels right. They firm up as they cool. Let them rest on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Shape and bake the second batch the same way. You should end up with 32 cookie halves total, which sandwich into 16 finished cookies.
- While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate. Place the chopped chocolate or chips in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. To melt over the stove instead, set the bowl over a small pot of barely simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir until smooth. Let the melted chocolate sit for a few minutes until it’s still pourable but no longer hot.
- Spoon a small amount of melted chocolate onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie, flat sides together. Don’t press hard or the chocolate will squeeze out the edges. Set the assembled sandwiches on a tray.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour, until the chocolate is firm. Bring to room temperature before serving.
That is awesome! I regularly spend like, $3/box for these cookies. And there’s only about 12-15 in each package. I never thought of making them on my own ’cause it seemed too “complicated;” thanks for demystifying the Milano process.
Love, your non-vegan cousin
PS, my favorite way to eat them is with a cup of tea, dunking each one til it reaches saturation, then popping it into my mouth! The chocolate retains a firmness that is so satisfying to bite into. Yum…
Brilliant! I haven’t had cookies like this in ages. I can’t wait to try them.
These should be *required* to be in stores, but until then, thanks to you all of us get to look like vegan rockstars
Nice. These belong in stores.
Deb, they are crisp. I wouldn’t recommend agave or you will lose the crispness, but if you were deadset on it you could omit the liquid (and the sugar obviously) and use 1/2 cup agave. And see what happens.
:O I’m sooo excited! Thank you soo much!
Bad ass! I wonder how’d they be if they were Vegan Mint Milanos?
Thanks, Isa.
Damn damn damn damn damn – if only I wasn’t on a diet at the moment! When is someone nominating you for vegan sainthood?
god i love you. i just keep loving you more and more.
[…] Vegan Milano Cookies ? Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World Dear Isa, Thank you. (tags: cookies recipe milano isaforkingrules) […]
Oh my. All my dreams have come true (and my pant size has gone up three times just from reading this). I will definitely be making these in the next week.
Haha this comment made me laugh! 🙂 Totally agreed, these cookies are what dreams are made of!
isa, be my wifey.
Damn those look good.
you. are. amazing.
I had a total *should I sneak one, no I shouldn’t, but I want one, but they’re not vegan, who cares, no way* argument with myself last week over these. I seriously almost squealed with excitement when I read your title. It’s like you knew about my craving and that it was my birthday this week. You are my hero and I love you more than anything in the whole world. Thank you for being amazing.
Here!
http://www.veganzonescultural.es
http://www.veganzonescultural.es/foro
oh man, thanks for this! i should really spend more time at the ppk boards.
all bow down to the queen of vegan yumminess – isa, my hero.
You are my hero….
Texture question: are they crisp like Milanos? Or, more spongy? Also, you know how I am about agave nectar, would you recommend I just cut the oil, or trim a bit from the rice milk and the oil to get the liquid/dry ratio on the mark?
Thanks for always being just about the coolest thing on two legs.
So very excited.
I’m a recent vegan convert at the age of 16, and i made these cokoies last night.
all i can say is, its lunch time the day after, and there’s one left in the tin.
they come out looking flawless, they taste heavenly…thankyou for such a wonderful introduction to the PPK and my so far only succesful vegan baking attempt!
oh, and PS! theyve been nicknamed “Strong Fork Cookies” in my house, beacuse we normally bake everything with a wooden spoon, and the command to use a strong fork seemed rather unusual to me!
[…] way into the raw batter, giving the crisp cookies a delightful zip. Infusing the ganache of my Milano look-alikes with a healthy splash of rum was what really pulled the treat together though, creating […]
Hi,I just made these and they’re AMAZING! I do have to say that I managed to make more than 16 cookies sandwiches. I made closer to 30. Maybe,it’s because I used spelt flour,which is lighter than white flour,which means I had to use more flour,so maybe that’s why I ended up with more batter. Did you find a way to dip the cookies in chocolate with out burning your fingers? If so,let me in on the secret,because it was quite painful.
I can not wait to serve these to my Danish family (I’m living in Denmark),at Christmas lunch,this Sunday. Some of them still have a hard time that I eat well as a vegan. I love showing up with great desserts to impress them with,so I can show off my vegan cooking skills. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!!
oh boy…i mad these tonight and they are so GOOD! i could definitely taste the orange in it. i’m also going to make more and share them with my friends at school. thank you for coming up with these amazing recipes for us vegans!
[…] Over the World,” which are perhaps the best-named cookbooks ever. When I surfed my way into a recipe for vegan Milano cookies, I knew it was meant to […]
these are SO amazing! i just finished making them! you are my hero!
This recipe is so solid. One suggestion – don’t skip the step of greasing a baking sheet (or jelly roll pan, whatever). I tried to use my Silpat and it resulted in cookies that were insufficiently crisp.
I am so down on silpats.
Just made these last night. I don’t know whether to curse you or shower kisses at your feet. I could feel The Fatness encroaching even while I was making them, holy damn are these things legit! The cookies are delicious on their own but when sandwiched with Lindt dark chocolate they’re unstoppable. Thank you for my new go-to, I can totally see these not even getting lost on non-vegan palates! Full of win!
[…] a direct link to the recipe, click here. WP_SLIDESHOW_IMAGES = { load: […]
Made these last night to bring in to work (along with the maple pecan pie) – went down a storm! My dough was a bit wet, so needed to add more flour than suggested, but came out great. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Oh my these look divine! Just one small problem, I’m unable to eat chocolate. Do you – or anyone who’s already made these – have any recommendations for a suitable alternative? I was thinking peanut or almond butter (and swapping the vanilla for almond extract), but I’d love to figure out a way to make an orange filling that could work as well.
Cheers!
Are these supposed to be hard and crispy? I remember Milanos being on the softer side, and though I only baked them for 14 mins (in an accurately heated oven) then pulled off the pan as soon as they were cool enough to do so, these were HARD. Should I try a shorter baking time next time or is this just how they’re supposed to be?
I want to thank you for sharing this recipe. A much-loved family friend who happens to be vegan has recently been very ill and unable to leave the house, and I used this recipe to make the dessert component of an all-vegan dinner for her. She loved these cookies! I must say, I think they’re an improvement on the original. And they’re so easy to make! You must know some sort of vegan voodoo magic if you can make people forget that eggs and butter ever existed in dessert foods.
Aw, thanks! Hope she gets well real soon.
chocolate isn’t vegan?
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but these cookies came out like bricks! I literally had to bite down using my molars! The taste was spot on, though! Any thoughts?
Baked for too long? Oven temp too high?
I am pleased to see that this doesn’t use any palm-oil/palm products either. Thank you!
Finally made these yesterday. I might need to check my true oven temperature because they did come out a bit too crispy. Still good if dipping in coffee, and overall a pretty decent outcome. Great to have such a recipe. I love Milanos!
These are great. I’m going to make them today (for a party) for the third time. I’ve made raspberry and mint versions already (mix ground, frozen raspberries with the chocolate, mix mint extract with the chocolate). I got some orange extract and I’m going to make some mint and some orange ones today! Its gonna be awesome! 🙂 Thanks!
[…] used Isa’s great recipe but …had some missteps. First, I put in too much flour. Sure, I could have easily fixed this […]
I want to make these to send to my daughter at college. Her birthday’s next week and she’s a vegan who’s allergic to nuts She can only really eat baked goods that are home made and these look amazing! Do they need to stay refrigerated or could I sent them through the mail?
This is a recipe I know that I can make and it will turn out perfect every time! My only tip is to use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate onto the cookies (rather than dip the cookies into the chocolate), it makes it much less messy and you can control where the chocolate goes and make it all nice and even.
Made these last night, and they are absolutely PERFECT!