So, Martha published this recipe in September’s Everyday Food, and it’s delightful. Not only are Pepperidge Farm’s Mint Milano cookies a favorite around here, it’s just fantastic to make 20+ of them at a time (I’m sure you could freeze the extras if this doesn’t excite you). I’ve made them twice now, and they’ve all disappeared within 2 hours, even with doubling the recipe.
A tip: I had better results not chilling the dough before piping them (I wanted them to look flatter, like Pepperidge Farms’, and chilling them made mine too stiff; they didn’t spread at all), and I flattened them slightly with the back of a spatula before baking. I also just added 1/2 t. peppermint extract to the chocolate, rather than making the icing. This worked a lot better: the cookies set up easier, the taste was just as great, and I forewent a little unnecessary sugar.
Homemade Mint Milano Cookies
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt [I used table]
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on high, scraping down bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add egg and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Transfer dough to a quart-size zip-top bag; with scissors, snip a 3/4-inch hole in one corner (or use a pastry bag with a plain tip). Pipe 54 cookies (3/4 by 2 inches), 1/2 inch apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, 20 minutes.
- Bake until cookies are light golden at edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer immediately to wire racks and let cool.
- Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, 2 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. (Alternatively, melt chocolate in microwave at 30 second intervals.) In another medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract, and 4 teaspoons water [I didn’t do this–I just added the extract to the chocolate–I recommend!]. With a small offset spatula or table knife, spread chocolate on flat side of half the cookies and mint glaze on the other half. Sandwich cookie halves together.
Martha’s Hint on piping the cookies: Twist and squeeze the bag so that the batter is in one corner. Snip an opening, then squeeze out excess air. To pipe, hold bag at an angle to sheet with one hand and apply pressure from top with the other.
Bees Knees Recipes 
Fabulous!!! Took to a party–everyone gobbled them up! I made them with your revisions and was pleased to not have to add so much extra sugar. Also, I made up some extra chocolate/peppermint because I have always felt that Pepperidge Farms have been too skimpy on the chocolate filling–mine were not! Great recipe-definitely in the keeper pile!
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I’m glad you liked them–don’t know why it’s so very fun to make grocery-store knock-offs, it just is . . .
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I can’t remember how I came across this, but when I did I bookmarked it and yesterday I made it. Yum! Not as good as PF’s, but everyone loved them anyway. (I didn’t actually pipe them because I didn’t feel like wasting a bag ;), but they shaped okay by hand and looked good.) Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for sharing!
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Can’t wait to make these! My husband really loves this kind of cookie, and this is such an easy way of making them. Thanks a ton.
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You’re reminding me that I should make this again soon, too!
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I made this with my son. I made the shortbread cookie base- but instead of doing the chocolate chip thing- we took Andes mints, unwrapped them, put a couple on 1/2 of the cookies- popped them in a 350 oven for about 3-4 minutes- just until the chocolate started to melt- and then took them out, put the tops on— PERFECTION!
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What a wonderful idea. Can’t wait to try it!
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