Vegan Milanos
Makes 16 cookies
For those of us who miss suckling at the corporate teat of Pepperidge Farm, here is a veganized version of everyone’s favorite chocolate sandwich cookie. Even though there is a bit of orange zest in the batter, these aren’t orange flavored, the zest just kind of pulls everything together and gives a sunny note of somethin’ somethin’. I think bittersweet chocolate will give the most authentic flavor, but use semi-sweet if that’s what you got. And heed the directions to flour your hands before forming each cookie – otherwise the dough will stick.
1/3 cup rice milk (or soy, whatever you got)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Scant 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets.
In a large mixing bowl, use a strong fork to mix together milk, sugar, oil, vanilla and zest.
Add half of the flour, along with the cornstarch, baking powder and salt; mix well. Add the remaining flour and mix until you have a soft, pliable dough.
Make sure your hands are very clean and dry, and dust them with flour. Stuffs about to get messy. Sort of.
Grab about 1 tablespoon’s worth of dough and roll it into a ball, and then roll into a log that’s about 1 1/2 inches long. Flatten with the palms of your hand to create an oval that is 2 inches long and 1 inch across, then straighten the edges out with your fingers. Basically, if you know what a milano looks like, that’s the shape your going for. But this is homemade, so don’t try to be perfect. You aren’t a machine (or are you?)
Continue with the rest of the dough, flouring your hands before you form each cookie, until you have 16 cookies placed about 1 inch apart (they don’t spread much.) I had to do this in 2 batches because of my small oven, so while these baked I started my next batch of 16. If you’ve got a big oven then do both trays of 16 at once.
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until tops are firm and edges are ever so slightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes. Use a thin, flexible spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, bake your next batch and melt your chocolate*.
Once cookies are cool enough to handle (only about 10 minutes), take a cookie and dip the bottom into the chocolate. Then take another cookie and dip it, and place the dipped sides together to form a sandwich. Don’t press them hard lest the chocolate smush out. Place them on a tray or several plates that will fit in your fridge. Continue with the remaining cookies until you have 16 sandwiches. Have a wet rag at the ready to wipe your fingers between putting the cookies together, to avoid chocolate fingerprints on the cookies. Or just lick the chocolate off. Or just decide that who cares about chocolate fingerprints.
Place cookies in the fridge to set for at least an hour. Bring back to room temperature before serving (about 1/2 an hour.) Call it a day.
*You know how to melt chocolate, right?
Oh my. All my dreams have come true (and my pant size has gone up three times just from reading this). I will definitely be making these in the next week.
Comment by Julie — September 10, 2007 @ 1:05 am |
Made it during the xmax break! Amazing taste if made with proper ingredients such as fresh olive oil…You won’t believe what a difference even small ingredients such as olive oil can make!!!
Comment by Olive Oil Benefits — January 1, 2010 @ 10:12 pm |
god i love you. i just keep loving you more and more.
Comment by michelle crocodile — September 10, 2007 @ 1:29 am |
Damn damn damn damn damn – if only I wasn’t on a diet at the moment! When is someone nominating you for vegan sainthood?
Comment by Amy — September 10, 2007 @ 3:48 am |
So very excited.
Comment by melisser — September 10, 2007 @ 3:52 am |
You are my hero….
Comment by Vegan_Noodle — September 10, 2007 @ 10:02 am |
Texture question: are they crisp like Milanos? Or, more spongy? Also, you know how I am about agave nectar, would you recommend I just cut the oil, or trim a bit from the rice milk and the oil to get the liquid/dry ratio on the mark?
Thanks for always being just about the coolest thing on two legs.
Comment by Deb Schiff — September 10, 2007 @ 10:07 am |
Deb, they are crisp. I wouldn’t recommend agave or you will lose the crispness, but if you were deadset on it you could omit the liquid (and the sugar obviously) and use 1/2 cup agave. And see what happens.
Comment by isachandra — September 10, 2007 @ 11:08 am |
:O I’m sooo excited! Thank you soo much!
Comment by Carolann — September 10, 2007 @ 11:37 am |
Bad ass! I wonder how’d they be if they were Vegan Mint Milanos?
Thanks, Isa.
Comment by Deirdre Jean — September 10, 2007 @ 3:20 pm |
Damn those look good.
Comment by Christie Love — September 11, 2007 @ 12:30 am |
you. are. amazing.
Comment by girl least likely to — September 11, 2007 @ 12:53 am |
I had a total *should I sneak one, no I shouldn’t, but I want one, but they’re not vegan, who cares, no way* argument with myself last week over these. I seriously almost squealed with excitement when I read your title. It’s like you knew about my craving and that it was my birthday this week. You are my hero and I love you more than anything in the whole world. Thank you for being amazing.
Comment by loudykatie — September 11, 2007 @ 1:16 am |
Brilliant! I haven’t had cookies like this in ages. I can’t wait to try them.
Comment by SaraJane — September 11, 2007 @ 11:43 am |
isa, be my wifey.
Comment by veggie molly — September 12, 2007 @ 6:54 pm |
Here!
http://www.veganzonescultural.es
http://www.veganzonescultural.es/foro
Comment by Bart — September 13, 2007 @ 11:35 am |
[...] Vegan Milano Cookies « Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World Dear Isa, Thank you. (tags: cookies recipe milano isaforkingrules) [...]
Pingback by links for 2007-09-14 by The Veg Blog — September 13, 2007 @ 8:28 pm |
all bow down to the queen of vegan yumminess – isa, my hero.
Comment by laura — September 15, 2007 @ 8:18 pm |
http://nullpointer.debashish.com/migrating-a-roller-blog-to-wordpress#comment-33634
Comment by reto — September 15, 2007 @ 11:24 pm |
oh man, thanks for this! i should really spend more time at the ppk boards.
Comment by al — September 16, 2007 @ 1:01 am |
Nice. These belong in stores.
Comment by epski — September 19, 2007 @ 9:06 am |
These should be *required* to be in stores, but until then, thanks to you all of us get to look like vegan rockstars
Comment by Rachel — September 19, 2007 @ 10:57 am |
That is awesome! I regularly spend like, $3/box for these cookies. And there’s only about 12-15 in each package. I never thought of making them on my own ’cause it seemed too “complicated;” thanks for demystifying the Milano process.
Love, your non-vegan cousin
PS, my favorite way to eat them is with a cup of tea, dunking each one til it reaches saturation, then popping it into my mouth! The chocolate retains a firmness that is so satisfying to bite into. Yum…
Comment by dlatman — September 24, 2007 @ 3:31 pm |
Thanks for the recipe! I made these last night. They were VERY easy and much less messy than I expected. My tip is to make them smaller than seems right because they do expand a little. Also, I hadn’t had Milano cookies in so long that I forgot how small they really are…a little smaller than a business card.
Any tips for making them less crisp (besides dunking in soy milk)?? My favorite thing about Milanos is the softish crispness, and these had more crispy crispness.
Comment by Charlie — October 24, 2007 @ 12:49 pm |
i think theyre called Veganos. (veeg*an*o*s) (not vegan*os) Or milan vegan (mispronouncing either milan or vegan so that it rhymes) but i think veganos is classier.
Comment by mike landers — October 24, 2007 @ 3:53 pm |
Hi,
I made these over the weekend and I got rave reviews about them. However, there were a couple of things I think were a bit off, even though they tasted really good. 1. I think I made them too big, therefore they were a tad more than “crisp” when they cooled. In fact, now that it’s a few days later, they’re actually downright hard. I’m wondering if it’s the size I made them or if it’s the cornstarch? 2. They’re a tad bit gritty. Otherwise, they’re excellent, not nearly as difficult or messy as I imagined and I’m DEFINITELY going to make them again.
Comment by j.cro — November 14, 2007 @ 10:49 am |
First the cupcake, now the milano, I have just one question. When are vegan doughnuts going to take over the world?
Comment by Casey — November 21, 2007 @ 3:45 pm |
I was always told chocolate chips are not vegan (because they have milk?) and to use carob chips instead because they work and taste just as good.
Vegan aside they look yummy and I feel as though I should clean my pots and pans right now so I can make them and nibble before bed.
Comment by Bri — December 16, 2007 @ 12:33 am |
man, was i excited *and i’m not even totally vegan* but, alas, as i was trying to exemplify my cooking prowess via these cookies…it was a total disaster. they were break-your-teeth hard… totally inedible beyond the first five minutes that they emerged from the oven.
the taste was like fortune cookies and not sweet. i was more than disappointed as i had wasted my ingredients on a 1.5 batch.
i am wondering if subbing some of the oil w/ applesauce or shortening might make them chewier or softer (read: edible).
Comment by lu. — December 22, 2007 @ 3:44 am |
I enjoy this website because you give more inspiration to me to cook chocolate
Comment by Chocolate Maniac — January 1, 2008 @ 9:02 am |
Hello.! Happy New Year 2008.!
Comment by AngelaBridget — January 10, 2008 @ 5:16 pm |
I made these for Easter. I didn’t use canola oil. I substituted coconut oil. When I mixed everything together the dough was a bit crumbly and I added a little more coconut oil. The cookies turned out hard, but still edible. My mom said they were good and she is not vegan. She said they weren’t as soft as the Pepperridge Farm Milano cookies. She did enjoy the orange taste to them. She microwaved one to make it softer.
Comment by lynntofu — March 24, 2008 @ 9:35 pm |
These were awesome! My very omnivorous dad enjoyed these as well, even though he said they weren’t as “flaky” as the originals. Personally, I loved them, especially after not having milanos since I went vegan (and loving it) about 5 months ago. I didn’t use the orange grating but didn’t miss it, and semisweet chocolate chips worked fine. My batch made 20, but next time I will probably make them smaller and thinner so they are more authentic in appearance. Mine only went hard after they had been in the fridge for 48 hours. I would recommend leaving them in for the initial hour and then leaving them at room temp, otherwise the chocolate solidifies back to its original state.
Comment by TheCoopStah — April 25, 2008 @ 2:47 pm |
[...] For those of us who miss suckling at the corporate teat of Pepperidge Farm, here is a veganized version of everyone’s favorite chocolate sandwich cookie from the Post Punk Kitchen. [...]
Pingback by ***The GirlieGirl Army*** » Blog Archive » January 22, 2008 — June 16, 2008 @ 10:35 pm |
great post! thanks for writing this.
Comment by laura — June 19, 2008 @ 4:08 am |
These aren’t vegan, right? Vegetarian means “no meat”, and vegan means “not eating anything that comes from an animal”, doesn’t it? No milk, no cheese, no butter, not even honey.
This was my understanding of the definition of the term. Did I miss something, somewhere?
Comment by Zelig — August 20, 2008 @ 2:19 pm |
Zelig, there isn’t anything in these that comes from an animal product. There are several brands of chocolate chips that don’t have dairy in their semi-sweet (Ghiradelli..mmm…)
These are delicious! I made these today and they rock!
Comment by Marie — August 24, 2008 @ 2:37 pm |
Un sito fantastico per inserire i tuoi annunci a Milano a provincia. Annuncia.it è uno dei più importanti siti italiani
Comment by Annunci Milano — September 10, 2008 @ 12:31 pm |
thanks for the recipe
now im gonna practice.
nice post
Comment by Diseño Web — September 12, 2008 @ 2:01 pm |
Those look great but i’m not so sure if they’d taste as good
.
Comment by Maddison — September 20, 2008 @ 2:06 pm |
[...] ingredients like the brown sugar and chocolate chips. I went to Isa’s old blog and saw Vegan Milano cookies. I had most of the ingredients except for bittersweet chocolate, I had only unsweetened [...]
Pingback by Vegan MoFo: Weekend Eats « The Vegan Foodie — October 26, 2008 @ 9:57 pm |
I made these and these tasted AWESOME. But next time I’m making them thinner and smaller ’cause they are pretty hard to bite through.
Will have to watch them in the oven closer to avoid burnt edges. Probably will also have the edges thicker.
Comment by Dagon — December 16, 2008 @ 5:02 am |
I’m gonna tell my mom to bake me up with this cookies. ^_^
Comment by Power Kite Sale — April 26, 2009 @ 10:23 pm |
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Pingback by Vegan Milano Cookies Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World | Cast Iron Cookware — May 26, 2009 @ 8:58 pm |
I put some peppermint extract in the chocolate and made mint veganos. I also experiemented with toasted coconut and pecans in the middle…so yummy I fooled my roommate who has a strong aversion to anything vegan. She LOVED them!
Comment by Sarah Catherine — July 25, 2009 @ 8:59 pm |
[...] Anyway, I made the milanos using Isa’s recipe. [...]
Pingback by Milanos… no not the city. The “fancy” cookie in the white paper bag. « SugarBats — July 27, 2009 @ 3:42 am |
[...] different, vegan-friendly route. I chose Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s delicious looking recipe for vegan milanos, which I highly recommend. See that stack of milanos in the photo? They are but a distant memory [...]
Pingback by milano cookies. « Madcap Cupcake — July 28, 2009 @ 12:18 am |
I love this recipe!! I have tried out alot of vegan recipes over the years and I think i love this one!!! Is there anyway I can add it to my website?
http://vegan-recipes.com
Comment by Vegan recipies — July 30, 2009 @ 7:07 pm |
[...] Milanos (slighty modified and simplified from here [...]
Pingback by Vegan Milanos « Mon Petit Chou — August 1, 2009 @ 1:23 pm |
Could I substitute the canola oil for extra virgin olive oil?
Comment by Zealousy — August 4, 2009 @ 10:38 pm |
[...] Vegan Milano Cookies – Well, obviously they’re vegan – I just titled it that way for google purposes. Or Ask Jeeves, if you prefer. The PPK messages boards were clamouring for a version of these and what the PPK message board wants, the PPK message board gets … [...]
Pingback by Cooking with Gourmet Olive Oil | Italian Olive Oil & Gourmet Olive Oil — September 11, 2009 @ 7:22 pm |
[...] some point in the weekend, I also made Milanos, using the awesomely awesome recipe here. I made some small changes, adding a lot more orange zest to the batter, and sandwiching the [...]
Pingback by Forgive me? « Intellectual Blackout — October 15, 2009 @ 7:25 pm |
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Pingback by NEED THESE http://vegancupcakes.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/vegan-milano-cookies/ | Alive in Melbourne — November 21, 2009 @ 4:01 pm |
Very nice cookies, looks very delicious, I may try to bake some cookies tonight, it looks easy to made them.
Comment by العاب — January 2, 2010 @ 10:24 am |
I fixed this last night for my husband and I. It turned out really great. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Comment by mabuhay2010 — January 14, 2010 @ 10:55 pm |
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Comment by Bill Bryan — January 27, 2010 @ 6:09 am |
nice blog, add my knowledge
Comment by how to plan a wedding — February 15, 2010 @ 12:12 am |
I’ve been experimenting with some vegan recipes lately and I’ll have to admit, these came out pretty good. They were a bit crisp though. I’m not a big fan of crunchy foods but the kids and their friends absolutely loved them.
Comment by Original Gourmet Sean — June 8, 2010 @ 6:25 am |
oh i just love cooking and eating. i love to cook pasta recipes and the like.~”,
Comment by Brayden Sanchez — June 17, 2010 @ 12:49 am |
me and my mom always love to cook and eat delicious recipes;’”
Comment by Nicholas King — July 12, 2010 @ 11:20 pm |
I really enjoy what you write about here. I try and check your site every day so keep up the good work!
Comment by John Kluse — July 15, 2010 @ 3:15 am |
[...] this recipe incubated in my “inbox” for weeks, it was time to put my unemployed hours to greater [...]
Pingback by Vegan Victuals: The Blog | — July 21, 2010 @ 1:16 pm |
Holy crud this looks good! I’m not vegan and I will be trying this! Bet Jodi over at popcookbook would go nuts for this to she is addicted to milanos.
Comment by Jeanie — July 26, 2010 @ 1:39 pm |
Olive oil is very tasty and it has very low saturated fats.”,”
Comment by Morgan Parker — July 27, 2010 @ 12:27 am |
you know how you said orange zest pulls everything together, well do you htink that would work for some of my dishes like vegan muffins etc. that just fall apart because I am avoiding using egg (obviously) so you think orange zest could bind things together in the same way egg does for non-vegan baking?
Comment by The Veggie Authority — August 16, 2010 @ 4:05 pm |
When she says the zest pulls it all together, she is talking about the flavor. In no way does the orange zest bind the cookies, nor will it help with muffins. Banana is a good muffin binder…
Comment by Lauren — August 23, 2010 @ 11:11 pm |
Goodness, these look amazing! Suddenly, my lunch is looking a little lackluster..
Comment by thezenofmaking — August 25, 2010 @ 12:09 pm |
Great to see you looking out for the vegans. a lot of people forget to do this.
Comment by kefalonia holidays — September 7, 2010 @ 8:56 am |
olive oil is a great additive on foods since it has low saturated fat`~”
Comment by Leo King — September 12, 2010 @ 11:11 pm |
I’ve been looking for a good vegan cookie recipe, thanks! Really cool pictures too.
Comment by Popular Blogs — September 18, 2010 @ 10:19 pm |
my mother and i loves to do cooking and baking’`*
Comment by Samantha Thomas — October 10, 2010 @ 1:42 pm |
we always use olive oil on our cooked foods because it has very low saturated fat*~*
Comment by Mirrored Furniture — October 13, 2010 @ 12:07 pm |
i’m a veggan and being a veggan means engaging in a more healthy lifestyle”‘`
Comment by Wood Shelf — October 20, 2010 @ 4:41 pm |
being vegetarian made me a lot healthier and leaner;”‘
Comment by Anxiety Depression — October 20, 2010 @ 7:49 pm |
me and my husband loves cooking and we love to taste lots of food stuffs too..~
Comment by Heart Bracelet : — October 22, 2010 @ 3:41 pm |
the taste of olive oil is very very good, it is one of the best tasting cooking oils out there;.,
Comment by French Women : — October 24, 2010 @ 8:18 pm |
cooking is my passion and a hobby for me, besides, i love to eat lots of foods “.”
Comment by Phototransistor — December 12, 2010 @ 3:07 pm |