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Homemade {CopyCat} Orange Milano Cookies ~ delicious vanilla cookies with a dark chocolate center flavored with orange zest
Pepperidge Farms has produced some pretty awesome cookies over the years. Milano’s, Brussels, Pirouettes and Chessman are just a few of my personal favorites. If I’m going to buy cookies, I would buy Pepperidge Farms. But to be honest … we don’t purchase many sweets especially since I know someone who does a dessert heavy blog. For more than a year I’ve had Milano’s on my list of ‘must-try’ desserts. We’re having a few family members to dinner this week and these Orange Milano Cookies will be a simple, sweet end to our meal. Who can resist a light, vanilla flavored cookie with a dark chocolate middle sprinkled with fresh orange zest? Not me!
I marked two sheets of parchment paper with 3 rows of lines 2 inches wide, and 1 inch apart, then turn the paper over to pipe out the cookie dough. I would have 50 different sized cookies if I did this without a template!
This recipe makes about 60 sandwich cookies, or 120 individual cookies a/k/a – “a bunch!” Match up cookie halves in pairs of similar shape and size.
Melt dark chocolate chips over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Set the chocolate aside for about 10 minutes.
Spoon the melted, slightly cooled chocolate onto one cookie half, then sprinkle with a pinch of orange zest. Gently press the other half on top and set on a rack until the chocolate is set.
The cookie itself is very simple to make. The hardest part is spreading chocolate on 60 cookies which is a little time consuming but easy once you get into a rhythm.
Homemade Orange Milano Cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 60 cookies
Course: Dessert
Copycat recipe for a delicious twist on classic Milanos.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 egg white
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips
- zest of one orange placed on a paper towel lined plate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer until light and creamy. Add the whole eggs, egg white and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on low until combined.
- Prepare two sheets of parchment paper marked on the back with 3 rows of lines 2 inches wide, and 1 inch apart, then turn the paper over and place it on a baking sheet. Scoop the batter into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with a ½-inch hole cut at the end. Pipe the batter into 2-inch long strips about ¾ inch wide and 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and rest the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- Match up the cookie halves in pairs of similar shape and size.
- Place the dark chocolate chips over a double boiler until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Spoon the melted chocolate onto one cookie half and sprinkle with a pinch of orange zest. Gently press the other half on top and set on a rack until the chocolate is set. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- Recipe adapted from Food52 posted by Carey Nershi
Nutrition
Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 103IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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We love copycat recipes, it’s fun to make our favorite famous cookies at home. Another great copycat cookie is our Homemade Fig Newtons, and who wouldn’t love these Doubletree Cookies from The Little Kitchen? Girl Scout cookies are probably some of the best out there and these Copycat Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies from A Dash of Sanity look perfect! And one of my favorite cookies in the world are these Copycat Pepperidge Farm Brussels Cookies from The View from Great Island!
We had such a great weekend! The weather was absolutely perfect. We went to a wedding reception and got dressed up and I even wore lip stick and high heels. Such fun to play dress-up. I also had a wonderful day with friends helping them make a Limoncello three layer cake. It turned out so pretty. Did you have a nice weekend? I hope your weather was awesome. These beautiful days are so wonderful compared to the winter we had. I know you can relate!
I hope you have a great week – thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Hanis
Hi, are they tough enough to be delivered via courier to other places? Or they crumbled easily?
Tricia Buice
Hi Hanis. They should do fine as long as you pack them firmly together. If you have extra space in your container be sure to fill with crumbled paper napkins or something similar. Enjoy!
Ann C
I have had this recipe printed and in a drawer forever. Decided to make this weekend. When I realized, the cookie itself isn’t orange flavored in yours, I altered a little by mixing in some finely grated zest in with the butter and sugar. Next time I’d be tempted to add just a little more. Sometimes I mix zest with a bit of the sugar in the blender, as it makes the zest invisible and the oils release right into the sugar. They were delicious, and while I could work on my piping skills/not get little specks of chocolate on the outside of the sandwich from squeezing the sandwiches together, will definitely make again. Maybe I just need to zigzag the outside with extra chocolate. 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Ann! I am so happy you made these cookies and I love your addition of zest to the cookie dough. Over the years I started adding zest to my sugar too, makes all the difference in the flavor. Bravo! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Janis
Very easy to follow directions. I made the recipe exactly as you indicated and the cookies were a big hit.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Janis – so happy you liked them and really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Feedback is so important to me. Thanks again – have a terrific weekend!
Mercedes
You could pipe the chocolate on with a disposable pastry bag or use a paint brush to spread it.
Wendy
There is just something about the crunch of the cookie and dark chocolate inside that makes Milano's special! What fun to make them at home! Even more than a biscotti, I think a Milano is the perfect cookie with an espresso. 🙂 Yours look delicious! Love the textures and lines in your spoon challenge photo too!<br />Have a love and smile filled Mother's Day, Tricia!
RC1956
You rock. I had asked someone on some site if they had any idea how to do the Milano style cookies. Once of my favorite cookies. Good job.
Sue/the view from great island
Tricia you're on a roll this week! These are absolutely fabulous, if you KNEW how much money I've spent on Milanos over the years 🙂 Yours look spectacular.
Chris Scheuer
I have always been such a sucker for Milanos, yours look perfect Tricia. Love your spoons too, another thing I"m a sucker for – fun props!
My Inner Chick
OMGOSH,<br /> I can't believe it. These are my son's all time favorites. I hope mine turn out as fab as these!!
Kitchen Belleicious
oh tricia! These are one of my favorite cookies in the world and yet I have never ventured to try and make them. Not sure why as your recipe seems so doable but boy they look amazing and i love the hints of orange you added in
Angie Schneider
I love milano! These look so perfectly done, Tricia.
Elzbieta Hester
The cookies looks so perfect and elegant, Tricia. Pure bliss!<br />We had a great weekend too, two national Polish holidays came together plus my folks. No dress up though :(. Good week to you!<br />:) ela@GrayApron
scrambledhenfruit
Orange Milanos are my husband's favorite- he may get these for his birthday. 🙂 Love your spoons too!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Oh Tricia! Only you would do this to me. These look so good! And those spoons look awesome. You should blow it up and hang it in your kitchen!
Cheri Savory Spoon
Love these cookies, what a great recipe. And the photo of the spoons is lovely, you know I just adore spoons, all kinds. Hence the name mysavoryspoon.
TLady
OF COURSE, the cookies look WONDERFUL! LOL I'll BET they're YUMMY TOO! 🙂 I LOVE your photo of the spoons! What a nice mix! 🙂 (I LOVE to "play dress up too!")
Mary Callan
My girls adore Milano cookies! these look and sound SO much better from the packaged ones – what a great idea!<br />Mary
Anna and Liz Recipes
OMG we LOVE Milano cookies- doesn't everyone? These are the best!! Some of the best Italian desserts are chocolate and orange combined. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!