Made with sweetened condensed milk, these cookies are thin, chewy and delicious!
Being a food blogger certainly has its perks. There is never a shortage of tasty food around here.
I’ve made many wonderful friends in the community and sometimes I even get free stuff. It’s pretty awesome.
There is one minor problem I deal with: tons of leftovers. I cannot possibly eat all of the cookies and other baked goods I prepare so I’m constantly giving food away. Since I work from home, Jeff’s coworkers usually get the majority of my leftovers.
A few weeks ago I was chatting with several other bloggers on Twitter and we were joking that we wished we could have each others leftovers. And it dawned on me… why not?
Why don’t we exchange leftovers sometimes? Why are people I don’t even know enjoying all of my food when there are so many other bloggers making yummy treats that I’d like to get my hands on?
So I created The Leftovers Club. I invited some friends to help me beta test the first month before sharing details with all of you. The concept is simple: on the 1st Thursday of each month we all share a recipe for a baked treat with a good shelf life (sweet or savory).
Something that can be easily shipped. Bloggers are partnered up with others members and we exchange the leftovers. Members can always opt out for a month.
The whole thing is meant to be very laid back and fun. We get to know one another better and gain some additional exposure with an optional link exchange at the end of each post.
Now for the cookies. I really wanted to try creating a cookie recipe with sweetened condensed milk. I decided it would pair nicely with espresso powder for a coffee and cream effect.
The final result was incredible though not at all what I expected. The sweetened condensed milk caramelized slightly, adding a nutty caramel flavor (it was Jeff who suggested I call these Caramel Cappuccino Cookies).
I decided to skip the egg and just use baking powder. The cookies didn’t rise and instead spread thin. When I first took them out of the oven I was disappointed and assumed they’d be crunchy.
But not at all; these are incredibly chewy with a slight crunch on the bottom where the milk caramelized. They remind me a bit of Momofuku Milk Bar’s corn cookies which are my absolute favorite.
I tried tweaking the recipe several more times, adding more flour and baking powder but that took away the amazing texture. Thin and chewy was the way to go and the first batch remained my favorite by far. So here we are!

Caramel Cappuccino Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 14 ounces (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix on high speed for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk/sift together the flour, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 batches. Turn the mixer up to medium for a minute to make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a medium or small scoop to scoop out the dough. These cookies will spread quite a bit so leave space in between them.
- Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
I made a batch of these since I’ve had a can of condensed milk sitting around in my cupboard foreverrr — I like ’em! They remind me less of a cappuccino, and more of a Vietnamese “ca phe da” (which, if you haven’t had, is great stuff). Thanks for the recipe! :)
I’m glad you liked them! I almost called them ca phe su da cookies, actually, but I liked the sound of this better.
Thank, very nice. Have tried it today and loved the strong coffee taste.
though havent added sugar! it was sweet enough from 200 g condensed milk
Caramel+Cappuccino+thin and chewy – sounds like the perfect cookie to me. And The Leftovers Club! What a great idea…my neighbors may feel jilted, but I’m in!
These cookies sound amazing and I love the idea of the Leftovers Club. Count me in!!
These look amazing! Will definitely try them at home!!
I’ve had this page up on my laptop for a month. Finally going to make them this weekend – converting the recipe to gluten free. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Hi! I’m interested to make and bake this recipe. I just want to know if after mixing Can I put it in the freezer for about 30mins to hour before baking? Or Is it really required to bake it immediately after mixing everything? I loved everything with coffee. Thanks!
That should work, you will just want to increase the baking time slightly.
Hi! I’m interested to make and bake this recipe. I just want to know if after mixing Can I put it in the freezer for about 30mins to hour before baking? Or Is it really required to bake it immediately after mixing everything? I loved everything with coffee. Thanks!
That should work, you will just want to increase the baking time slightly.