Homemade Mint Milanos
These Homemade Mint Milanos are even better than the original! A tender butter cookie is sandwiched around the most luxurious peppermint-infused whipped chocolate ganache filling. Completely irresistible!
Happy Monday morning, my peeps! How was your weekend? Mine was just lovely. It was my first weekend at home with my family in what felt like ages. You may remember me mentioning that I did three nearly back to back trips in late October/early November. I had a blast but it feels good to snuggle in at home, especially at this time of year, with the holidays quickly approaching!
So, I’ve been meaning to tell you all about the first of those three trips. I met up with my friend Alice in Madison, Wisconsin, and from there we made our way to the American Club Resort in Kohler for an extravaganza of food, drink, fun, and relaxation known as the Kohler Food and Wine Experience.
photo courtesy of Kohler, Co.
During my time there I enjoyed the most fan-freaking-tastic spa treatment of my life at Kohler Waters Spa, ate way more than I should have at The Immigrant Restaurant, and enjoyed live cooking demos from celebrity chefs like Jeff Mauro, Christopher Kimball (of America’s Test Kitchen), Mindy Segal, and Jacques Pepin.
Meeting Jacques was incredible. I was starstruck. Listening to him speak took me right back to my childhood. Long Sunday afternoons spent watching cooking shows on PBS. This was back in the day before there was such a thing as Food Network or Cooking Channel. I was greedy for food knowledge and I soaked up every second of it. Jacques helped to shape the person I ended up becoming. It was an unforgettable full-circle moment.
But it was Mindy’s demo that really struck a chord with me. Her passion for baking shines through like a beam of sunlight. She uses a lot of the same techniques I often do, and I didn’t hesitate for an instant before picking up a copy of her book, Cookie Love
. I mean of course! Mindy’s cooler than the other side of the pillow, and I’m alllll about cookie recipes right now!
I knew as soon as I saw it that you guys would love a recipe for homemade milanos. Mindy’s recipe totally nails it and even does it one better. The cookies are buttery, rich, and tender, and every now and then your palate catches a grain of salt and it’s like fireworks going off. My older son and I ate half a batch by themselves, before I even had a chance to think about filling.
I ended up making them several times, because I was having trouble figuring out just how to pipe them. Mindy recommends using an Ateco #895 piping tip, which I dutifully purchased, but it ended up giving me trouble. It’s got a jaggedy edge on one side and I found that to be tricky. The ridges it creates do not smooth over during the baking process. After a couple of tries, I ended up resorting to my trusty Wilton 1A. It’s a fatty, so you have to be careful to keep it close to the baking sheet as you pipe, otherwise your cookies will come out too thick. I’m embedding a quick video so you can see my technique in action.
Anyhow the thinner cookies ended up being my favorites because they had the best filling to cookie ratio. This is important stuff! The peppermint whipped ganache is super-simple, with just three ingredients, and I loved the balance of bittersweet chocolate, bracing mint, and buttery cookie.
I really thought these cookies were best freshly filled. The texture was sublime! After they sit for a bit, they soften up. Still incredibly delicious, but with more of a velvet-y texture, as opposed to tender-crisp 😉
I am so grateful to the whole Kohler team for hosting me at this incredible event! I enjoyed every delicious second, and coming home with this recipe in my bag has been the icing on the cake.
Definitely think about Kohler for your next weekend getaway! They have a bunch of fun events coming up– I would especially love to go to this Holiday Market or the New Years Eve celebration. Keep up with all the happenings by following on social media:
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Homemade Mint Milanos
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (122 ml) whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla bean paste, (may be substituted with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
- 2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Filling
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) bittersweet chocolate
- 1 1/4 cup (297.5 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
Instructions
To make the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and fold 4 sheets of parchment paper lengthwise into thirds.
- Place the butter in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Add the sugars and mix on low speed to incorporate.
- Increase the speed to medium, and cream the butter mixture until very pale and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
- Scrape the bottom of sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, and add the milk and vanilla.
- Mix on medium speed until nearly incorporated, then stir in the flour and salt just until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1A tip.
- Holding the tip down close to the surface, pipe 3 rows of 2 1/2-inch long narrow ovals (see video), onto the prepared parchment sheet, using the folds as a guide.
- Transfer to baking sheets, and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges.
- Cool completely on the pans and fill with whipped peppermint ganache.
To make the Filling:
- Chop or break the chocolate into small pieces, and place in a medium mixing bowl.
- Heat the cream until just barely simmering, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate, allowing it to stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the peppermint extract, and stir together until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Let the ganache cool completely and become firm.
- Whip the ganache on medium high speed until fluffy.
Question. I don’t see eggs on ingredients. Other recipes do. Was there a reason for not using eggs? Just curious
You’re right this recipe does not contain eggs. They are not necessary for this type of cookie.
I was once in the area of the Kohler Resort—- the beautiful horses they have on their properties are amazing as well. Thanks so much for the neat recipe. Can’t wait to try. I enjoy your posts on f/b and look forward to more. jane
Thank you so much for the sweet comment Jane! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy following along on Facebook. Hope you have a great evening 🙂
Mint Milanos are one of the most beloved cookies out there! This homemade version takes the classic favorite and makes it even better.Mint Milanos are one of the most beloved cookies out there! This homemade version takes the classic favorite and makes it even better. These cookies are great with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. These cookies are great with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee.
Totally! They’re one of my favorites for sure. Love them with coffee! Thanks Gwen!