Sweetened Condensed Milk Cookies: Maybe the Easiest Cookies Ever

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Easy. Frugal. Versatile. Freezer friendly. Delicious. These easy cookies are made with sweetened condensed milk and are the perfect blank slate for customizing.

Most cookie recipes are not difficult, but this one somehow manages to be even simpler somehow. And since no one wants to use half a can of sweetened condensed milk, it makes a pretty large batch of cookies. A batch large enough that I usually end up freezing half the dough for later. 

No complaints about that from me.

Cookie dough in the freezer to pull out on a chilly day?

Yes please!

 

Made at their simplest, they are a buttery vanilla treat.  But being the blank slate that they are, the recipe lends itself to customization.

Thumbprint cookies filled with jam, Nutella, or chocolate chips is one way to go.  Or you can stir chopped nuts, chocolate, seasonal sprinkles, or other goodies in to the dough before baking.

I have rolled the balls in pastel colored sugars at Easter for adorable little treats and pressed leftover miniature Hershey bars into the dough after Halloween.

But, I usually make them in their naked form, with only the addition of almond extract to dress them up.  The scoop I use leaves me with cookies that I think look like tiny scoops of ice cream. 

Easy Cookies

I have changed the recipe from the original in a few ways.   Most noticeably, I substitute coconut oil for half of the butter that was called for. 

I made it with all butter the first time, and my family found them too buttery.  (I never thought that description was possible, by the way, but I’m standing by it).  Making them with half coconut oil and half butter still yields a rich, buttery cookie.

The other changes I made are to add a pinch of salt and some extracts for flavor.  And since the original calls for self-rising flour, which I never have on hand, I tweaked the recipe for that as well.

These cookies are ideal for sitting down with a cup of tea or coffee and putting your feet up, or inviting a friend over to chat.

The Gift of Homemaking

I want to take a minute, before I give you the recipe, to tell you about the blog where I first discovered these easy cookies.  It’s called Down to Earth and I just love the simple, comfortable, genuine feel I get when I visit.  Read what Rhonda wrote way back in 2009 that had me totally hooked on her blog:

Don’t let them fool you, there is joy to be found at home. If you listen to the people who don’t know that, you’ll be thinking that being at home, and the chores to be done there, are demeaning, demanding and disgusting. If you read magazines, they’ll tell you all about how to do this and that, they’ll give you lists of “the best 10 holidays …” and tell you 20 different ways to serve a chicken leg, but they never write about the satisfaction of homemaking, or the joy to be found by making your home a safe and cozy haven for all who live there.  (link)

I learned to make soap from Rhonda.  You can read about it here.  (It’s so much easier than you think!) And of course, I found these delicious cookies too.

So, friends, let’s take a breath. Let’s find joy in the simple. 

 

Variations on these delicious gems

Like I said above, this recipe is prime for customizing. Here are a couple of my favorites:

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies  – These look amazing on a Christmas cookie tray and make a lovely gift. They are truly chock full of goodies. 

Dulce Cookie Scoops – Simply substitute a can of dulce de leche for the sweetened condensed milk and you have a cookie with a different flavor. I also added chocolate chips to some of this batter, which was a big hit too!

These easy cookies are a staple at my house, and on road trips and lunch boxes…they travel wonderfully!  

You really must try them!

Here’s the recipe:

This recipe, like all my recipes, is shared in the Meal Plan Monday link up.  You can find the link in my sidebar – or right here!