Condensed Milk Cookies

These condensed milk cookies are simple to make.  The recipe for these three ingredient cookies calls only for butter, flour, and condensed milk.

condensed-milk-cookies-1Since my kids, and my nieces and nephews, have been getting older, and there are no really little kids left in our family, my mom has been trying to come up with some fun activities that we can all do together.

To that end, she planned a pizza and Pictionary night.  It was brilliant.

My dad fought the idea, being sort of Pictionary-impaired, but he was outvoted.  Anyway, the more interesting thing than who is a good artist is watching how each person chooses to communicate their ideas.

I was bragging up how great I was going to be because I’ve been practicing by playing Draw Something on my phone.  I kind of love this game.  It’s basically just like Pictionary, except it’s a one-on-one game.  Not even one-on-one, more like one-with-one, because you play more as a team than as opponents.

Which is why I don’t mind “cheating.”  At least, that’s what Robb calls it.  He hates that in a game called “Draw Something” I would add letters, numbers, symbols, names, and even entire words.  Every time I play it, he looks over my shoulder and tells me I’m cheating.

And then I tell him that he’s lying.  It’s like a game of ethical one-up-manship between us.  Or one-down-manship.

condensed-milk-cookies-3b

I mean, sometimes a girl just has to cheat a little to stay sane.  Sometimes she has to hide dirty dishes in the oven, or run the dress shirts through the dryer with a wet towel rather than iron them.

And sometimes she makes three-ingredient cookies.

Here’s the story with the three ingredient cookies.  The three ingredients are: butter, flour, and sweetened condensed milk.  The flour, however, should be self-rising flour.  I didn’t have any self-rising flour in my pantry, so I… well… I cheated.

Yep.  Made my own self-rising flour with regular flour and baking powder.  So now they’re four-ingredient cookies.  And if you add chocolate chips, they’re five-ingredient cookies.  And you can’t NOT add salt, so… FINE.  I lied when I called them three-ingredient cookies.  It was a big fat cheat all the way around.  I admit it.

Happy, Robb?!

Condensed Milk Cookies

By the way, I did NOT cheat at Pictionary, I kind of rocked it.  Except for the word porpoise.  How do you get someone to guess the word porpoise?  I drew a porpoise, but everyone on my team just kept guessing the word dolphin over and over again.

The cheaters.

condensed milk cookies
Print Recipe

Condensed Milk Cookies

A recipe for 3-ingredient cookies made with sweetened condensed milk.
Cook Time8 mins
Servings: 3 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups self-rising flour (*see notes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (*optional, see notes)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Mix butter and condensed milk. Add salt, baking powder and flour, and mix just until combined.
  • Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Notes

If you're like me, and don't enjoy keeping self-rising flour around, you can use instead 2 cups of all-purpose flour + 3 teaspoons baking powder. 
Salt is a good idea if you are using unsalted butter, but it's personal preference.

91 thoughts on “Condensed Milk Cookies”

  6. Di{CookTheTV}

    Hi Jen,
    So glad I clicked on your cookies over at recipenewz. Ok, that didn’t sound right but anyway…
    Love this recipe but even better is the awesome story that comes with it. You had me rolling with”one down manship”! Don’t worry cheating the way you do is totally cool…I mean it’s not like you said hey everybody these cookies make themselves!
    New fan and follower:) Di

    Reply ↓
  8. Sarah @ Alderberry Hill

    Thanks so much for linking to Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill. You are being featured tonight!
    I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, and join me tomorrow night for Make the Scene Monday #64!

    Reply ↓

  9. Pingback: Did you Make the Scene? Features From MTSM # 63 - Alderberry Hill

  10. Pingback: Busy Monday – week of March 3, 2013 | A Pinch of Joy

  11. Charlene@A Pinch of Joy

    You are featured this week on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! I hope you will stop by and grab a Featured Button from the Button Box on the sidebar. Pinned. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve been working on!

    Reply ↓

  12. Pingback: Melt in Your Mouth Monday (Recipe Blog Hop #106) | Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms

  13. Sinea Pies

    Congratulations on the feature on Melt in Your Mouth Monday. The photo of those cookies is awesome!
    New follower here.

    Would love it if you would stop by at Ducks ‘n a Row on Wednesdays for my hop.
    This week I am co-hosting the Like Me On Facebook hop. All other weeks it is “Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop”. I feature several great sites as well as showcasing all of my guests posts with large icons. Makes the images look so nice and inviting to click! Hope to see you there!

    Reply ↓
    1. Jami

      I used sweetened condensed milk and bisquick to make peanut butter cookies all the time…. they are yummy.and I don’t even like peanut butter… how does that work?

      peanut butter- 1 cup
      bisquick- 1 cup
      vanilla- 1 tbsp
      sweetened condensed milk- 1 can

      Easy Peasy!

      Reply ↓
    1. Jen Post author

      I think I used salted butter when I made them, but they have enough salt in other ways that the unsalted might be a better choice.

      Reply ↓
  16. Elizabeth - SugarHero!

    These sound awesome! I’ve never heard of condensed milk cookies but it makes a lot of sense, and I imagine the milk gives them an awesome sort of aaramelized flavor. My husband is obsessed with condensed milk (like, eats it from the jar) and I think I need to make these for him!

    Reply ↓
  17. faith

    Was really excited to make these cookies but slightly disappointed with how dry they were. I even glazed the top with condensded milk…I would say these are more of a scone then a cookie. Overall they were good but I won’t make them again.

    Reply ↓
  18. Emily

    Hi,
    I found that these cookies were ridiculously buttery. We had to throw out the dough as they were so disgustingly full of butter.

    Maybe adjut the recipe a bit?

    Reply ↓
    1. Jen Post author

      Sorry to hear that Emily! That dough wasn’t my favorite either. There are very few ingredients in this recipe, and the cookie gets most of it’s flavor from the butter, so it’s definitely important. Did you bake any of them?

      Reply ↓
  21. Shannon

    My family and I enjoyed this recipe. I desperately need to go grocery shopping and we all had a hankering for something sweet! I was pleased to see this recipe. It was quick and simple to make. We were in a super chocolatey mood tonight so I used the rest of the condensed milk with some cocoa and butter and drizzled it on. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing! We will make this again

    Reply ↓

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  23. Rose moh

    Hi, i’m new to your blog. I think this is the 2nd time i wrote to you. I have try tour condensed milk cookies yesterday. I bake half barch and fridge the other half. It was delicious n not very sweet. I like that. I burnt the cookies on first tray. I think the temp too hot so i decrease to 150’C at 10 min.

    Reply ↓
  24. Kim

    I made these cookies today with my daughter. Should have read the comments first. I used salted butter and found the dough to be way too salty. Ended up doubling the condense milk and flour just to save the dough. Still tasted slightly salty, but was edible. I found the cookies to have a shortbread texture and taste. Not my favorite, but my kids loved them.

    Reply ↓
  25. Marta

    I love the recipe. I’m just about to make a batch 0f those cookies with white raspberry chocolate 😉
    And I love Pictionary. Its always fun as English is my second language and I don’t know some of the words from the game so I always make up some! Surprisingly me and my partner usually win!

    Reply ↓
  26. prem pherwani

    hi im from india & maufactur of cookies in my own bakery, as milkpowder prices are increased &beyond our cost.i was alternatively using condensed milk in place of skimmed milk powder while goinng through luckily saw ur receipe ill try definately

    Reply ↓

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  28. SidzWoman

    Maybe we can get the three (6) ingredients down to an actual 4 by using Bisquick or a similar biscuit/baking mix. Has anyone tried it? If not, then I’ll be the first! 🙂

    Reply ↓
  29. Michelle =o)

    Just made these this afternoon. They are NOT a sweet cookie which was a nice change from some of the super sweet cookies. I didn’t think there was an overpowering butter taste. Think I will add some almond extract next time. Very easy to make.

    Reply ↓
  30. Katie

    I made these cookies a couple of days ago and I have to say they were pretty good. I also thought the dough was very good, not too buttery. They are not super sweet, but sweet enough. I would make them again. They would go perfect with coffee. Very good!

    Reply ↓
  31. Stacy

    Thanks for the recipe. If they are half as good as the story, they will be awesome. Can cookies be hilarious? Gotta go and see if I can come up with any extra ingredients for my 3 ingredient cookies.

    Reply ↓
  33. Jackie

    Think of it more as “adapting” rather than “cheating.” 😉 And thanks for the easy 3-4-5-6-whatever cookie recipe!

    Reply ↓
  34. Chistina

    I have made these simple condensed milk biscuits but have lost the recipe, I dont seem to be able to find your recipe.

    Reply ↓

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  37. Judy Fowler

    I was searching for this recpe! Years ago I found it called a biscuit, & loved it. I had forgotten mine called for self rising flour, but I don’t have any, so will use this recipe. I love it as is, no chocolate chips, but Grandaughter is crazy for them, so will make both. I think the butter & sweetness is perfect! Thank you for the recipe! 😉

    Reply ↓
  38. Lucy

    I like the simplicity. I tried them tonight, I think I would use unsalted butter and maybe add a half teaspoon of vanilla or so. Plus, I left them in longer than the 10 minutes just to brown them more. I think I would do them again, maybe experiment with different types of chips or fillings. Great recipe.

    Reply ↓
  40. Alison

    If you don;t have chocolate chips in the house, simply don’t add them! Try them without and make them slightly bigger than 1 inch balls, and they make a delicious biscuit recipe! Outstanding!

    Reply ↓
  41. Rea Zy

    No offense I really didn’t enjoy this they came out like small scones and were a but dry … just some honest feedback… thanks for sharing anyways

    Reply ↓
  43. Audra

    That was way too much salt. I used unsalted butter and I used 1 1/2cup. I also added a little milk because the dough was too dry. However the cookies came out way too salty and this recipe needs to be fifixed. I’m kinda disappointed :/

    Reply ↓
    1. Jen Post author

      Audra, I hope when you say you used 1 1/2 cups, you are speaking of the butter and not the salt! Because 1/2 teaspoon of salt is plenty for this recipe. I’m surprised your dough was dry, if you used extra butter, but I’m glad you were able to work that part out. In my experience, if a recipe is too salty, it is often an error in measuring, like using a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. These kinds of mistakes are easy to make. Also, since this recipe calls for baking powder, it gives the cookie a little bit of a dry, salty flavor, too, and some people are more sensitive to that than others. All I can suggest is to double check that you are measuring carefully, or leave the salt out, if you are worried about the salt content. Better luck next time!

      Reply ↓

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  47. Marissa S.

    I have tried it today and everyone loved it… The sweetness is just enough… It is the “milky-bite” which i love…. Have to try it again and this is my fave recipe… Thanx for sharing

    Reply ↓
  48. Debra

    I made these using pecans instead of chocolate chips. The pecans were salted but just enough to enhance the flavor. These are really good cookies. I will make them again and add this recipe to my Christmas cookie file. Thanks for the recipe as well as your wit.

    Reply ↓
  49. Jesi

    REALLY bad. I am a pretty experienced baker and followed the recipe to a T. Felt like it was off the whole time. Agree that these are beyond salty. not one of three kids would eat them. I would edit them to note to use unlateed butter, maybe that would help. So awful. Sadly i made two batches in the hopes toy take them to a friends.

    I only gave it 1 star as a courtesy 🙁

    Reply ↓

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  51. Nikki

    I tried this recipe tonight and the cookies were great! Made with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate, because that’s what I had on hand. So easy to make! I didn’t think these were salty at all, but I used unsalted butter. Will definitely make these again. Thanks!

    Reply ↓

  52. Pingback: And, oops, no. Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies, instead!! Hooray! | Gluten-Free Cooking For One

  53. Heather

    I just made these on a whim tonight because I had left over condensed milk and they came out great! I used unsalted butter and cooked them for 12 minutes and then I topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar. SO good! I didn’t think there was too much salt at all. Great cookie to munch on!

    Reply ↓
  55. Ruth

    Made these and everyone loved them. Not salty at all. Buttery, yes…but just the right amount. Making more batches to gift.

    Thanks for this great recipe.

    Reply ↓
  56. Judy

    These. Are. Incredible! I have to describe them for a bake sale and I’m going with chocolate chip cookie meets shortbread. They are rich without being too sweet; dense without being heavy or hard. They’re one of my new favorites! Thanks for sharing, Jen!

    Reply ↓

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  59. Lisa

    Just finished making a batch of theses cookies. They came out like mini biscuits. When you pick them up, the fall apart. Followed the recipe exactly.
    We’re going to dip them in dark chocolate to see if will hold them together.
    Taste overall…..bisquity.

    Reply ↓
  60. buk

    I enjoyed these delicious cookies! I ended up using butter and shortening 1:1. I also didn’t have chocolate chips on hand so I chopped some dark chocolate (70% cacao) and otherwise tasteless Whitman’s chocolates. The cookies came out delicious – soft on the inside and crunchy outside. I’d recommend with the substitutions! Thanks for the guide!

    Reply ↓
  63. Alicia

    Hi, this recipe sounds yummy! I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with some leftover sweetened condensed milk. Do you think adding lemon juice to make lemony cookies would affect the dough? I’d leave out the chocolate chips if I did that, of course. I’m going to give this recipe a try as is for now. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply ↓
    1. Jen Post author

      Adding lemon JUICE will definitely affect the dough. Juice doesn’t add as much flavor as you might think, though, so I would try adding either 1/2 teaspoon or so of lemon extract, or if you prefer using fresh fruit, add the zest from one lemon. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

      Reply ↓
  64. Ashley

    I had 1/2 a cup of sweetened condensed milk left over from a cake recipe I had made, and found this recipe to use the rest of it up. These little cookies are so good! They are buttery and taste like a mini shortbread cookie. Perfect!

    Reply ↓
  65. Dannie Piezas

    Great use of my leftover condensed milk! Very good cookies–not overly sweet and so easy to make. Guests loved it. I’d like to experiment with adding egg next time to get some chewiness in, but as a shortbread-type cookie it works pretty darn well, too.

    Reply ↓
    1. Jen Post author

      Technically, you should use self-rising flour, but if you don’t have any, you can make it with all-purpose flour + baking powder, so it’s your choice. The recipe shows how I made it, because I don’t keep self-rising flour on hand.

      Reply ↓
  67. Priscilla Leung

    We tried it, my daughter & I both think they tasted awful 🙁
    Have no idea what went wrong, but they looked exactly like the pictures shown.

    Reply ↓
  68. Terry

    Light and tender cookie. Skipped the chocolate chip
    And instead used sliced almonds. Sprinkled some with powder sugar, some with cinnamon sugar. All Good!

    Reply ↓
  69. Chris

    Well…my expectations weren’t high after reading the reviews but I had 3/4 cup of condensed cream leftover from another recipe I had to use up. These were really good cookies. In fact, I made 4 to start with to get the base flavor. After baking I found they were good as a simple cookie for me as I don’t really like very sweet desserts. More importantly, this was a great base for a myriad of options. I rolled out a few and cut out small circles. Baked and made a mock “alfajores” sandwich with dulche de leche between and confectioners sugar dusted across top. Also made a quick “thumprint” cookie. Rolled dough, tossed in sugar, made a thumprint and filled with jam and baked. Yummy.

    Thank you!

    Reply ↓
  70. Coco

    I’ll give this recipe a try, using salted butter but adding no salt. People put far too much salt in stuff, no wonder some folk thought they were salty with baking powder AND salt in the mix.

    Reply ↓
  71. Tina

    I made the cookies it was a big hit in my house instead of rolling them i spooned them came out great and i added more chips..delish..

    Reply ↓
  73. Sarah

    2 stars
    I’m a wee bit gutted, 3 teaspoons of baking powder was way too much and the biscuits aren’t very nice

    Reply ↓
  75. Linsey

    1 star
    I made these and they honestly taste horrible. My bottomless pit of a son who normally will eat anything and he took a bite and spit it out.

    Reply ↓
  76. Anne

    Jen…for making your own self raising flour , is it 3 tsps of baking pdr for 2 cups of all purpose flour. I made it and I find the cookie dough tasting very bitter becoz of all that baking pdr. Kindly clarify.

    Reply ↓
  77. Jennifer Groce

    5 stars
    I just found this recipe when looking for something to do with a can of condensed milk. I LOVED these! Super soft and a nice variation between the dough and chocolate. I used the flour and baking powder version and I always mix semi sweet and milk chocolate chips. I got a ton of compliments when I took them to my hubby’s work party. Many thanks!

    Reply ↓
  80. Claire

    4 stars
    Always a hit here! We have a pretty sweet tooth so add 1/4 brown sugar. I let the mix firm up in the fridge before cooking but that’s probably because my butter ends up too softened 🙂

    Reply ↓

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