Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies

Name: Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, (room temperature); 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk; ½ cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled); ¼ cup rainbow nonpareils ((more for topping, optional)); 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar; 3 Tablespoons milk; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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With pops of bright colors, these Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies are a perfectly cute sweet treat to make for any occasion!

BRIGHT AND COLORFUL COOKIES IN 30 MINUTES

If you thought cookie baking couldn’t get any sweeter, think again! Today, I’m bringing to you a delicious recipe for the easiest and most delectable cookies that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth – Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies. With only 8 ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep time, this simple recipe is sure to become a hit! These cute cookies can be made in various sizes and they’ll all melt in your mouth! Fun mini cookies are incredibly easy to make and are perfectly bite sized, making it hard to eat just one!

A bowl of frosting surrounded by mini cookies.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What kind of cookies are these?

These cookies are a cross between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie. They’re light and a little sweet. If you want more sweetness, opt for dipping in the icing.

How many cookies does this recipe make?

The answer to this will vary greatly. It all depends on what size cookie you choose to make. Below in the instructions you’ll see three sizes that you can make and how to make them. If you choose the mini cookies, you can make about 280 cookies, whereas, if you choose the full size cookie, you should get about 48 cookies using this recipe.

Why is my dough stiff?

If you find that your dough is too stiff to pipe it out, this usually happens for two different reasons. Either you used too much flour or you didn’t wait for your butter to soften up enough. You do not have to pipe these though. You can just do it by hand.

How do you soften butter?

Do NOT use the microwave to soften your butter. Simply remove the butter from the fridge and let it sit out overnight if possible on the counter. Or do the old trick of putting boiling water in a tall glass, let it sit for five minutes. Pour the water out and set the glass upside down over the stick of butter. Let that sit for about fifteen minutes and you should have softened butter!

How do you properly measure flour?

Do NOT just dunk your measuring cup in the flour bag and call it a day. That’ll end up with a mess and probably too much flour. Instead, use a spoon and transfer the flour to the measuring cup and then level it off with a butter knife. This way you don’t overpack the measuring cup.

What does sweetened condensed milk do for cookies?

Condensed milk adds tenderness, moistness, and of course, flavor!

Do cookies made with sweetened condensed milk need to be refrigerated?

Nope! No need to refrigerate these little bites of goodness. You can store them at room temperature. You will need to store any icing in the refrigerator though.

How to store leftover cookies?

Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can freeze for up to 3 months.

A hand dipping a cookie in a blue bowl of frosting.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

salted butter
sweetened condensed milk
powdered sugar
vanilla extract
salt
all-purpose flour
rainbow nonpareils (optional)
vanilla icing, optional

All purpose flour, salted butter, sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, frosting, and rainbow nonpareils.

HOW TO MAKE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until fully incorporated.

A mixing bowl with flour, vanilla, butter, salt and other things.

Add in the flour (1 cup at a time), mixing completely after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the sprinkles (don’t over mix – just until sprinkles are incorporated into the batter).

A mixing bowl with condensed milk cookie dough.

For mini cookies, transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1A tip and pipe about 1 teaspoon dollops on the parchment about 1-inch apart, then press down with your finger to flatten.

A finger pressing down on cookie dough spots.

For regular sized cookies, use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough into balls, either dropping directly onto the parchment or rolling between your palms beforehand. Optional: use a glass to press down the cookies before baking.

A glass, cookie scooper, and piping tip with a few cookies sitting in front.

Note: at this point I will add some extra sprinkles on top of the cookies to make them more colorful but this is optional.

Bake one sheet at a time for even baking. Regular sized cookies bake for 8 to 10 minutes and the mini cookies bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

A baking sheet of small pressed cookies.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack and bake off the remaining dough. Allow cookies to cool. Make icing to dip the cookies in (optional) To make the icing, whisk together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of milk.