3-Ingredient Condensed Milk Cookies (No Egg, No Chilling)

This 3-ingredient cookie dough is the best and easiest for cookie cutters and great for beginner bakers. It uses sweetened condensed milk and requires no eggs and no chilling. I include a recipe for an optional 3-ingredient icing as well for quick decorating. These easy cookies work for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or pretty much any cookie occasion.

If you’re looking for an easy cut-out sugar cookie dough, this is IT. Only three ingredients: butter, flour, and sweetened condensed milk. I don’t know why it works, but it does. I have made this multiple times and have never chilled the dough. Somehow still there is absolutely 0 spreading. It’s amazing. If you’re pretty well versed in cookies, you can just skip on down to the recipe card below, but I do have some suggestions and tips for recipe modifications and beginners if you’d like to read through the post.

Condensed Milk Cookies vs. Shortbread

In the past, shortbread cookies have been my go-to for having a dough that doesn’t spread when I want to use cookie cutters. However, the problem with shortbread is that it can be tough to roll out. The texture is so… well, short. So then you modify by adding eggs or other ingredients that make it easier to roll, and it ends up like a typical sugar cookie. Which is great, but then there runs the risk of spreading and sometimes the flavor is just too one-note.

After I started my manju series of baking, I learned that condensed milk makes a great crust. From there, I realized they are PERFECT for cut-out cookies. No eggs, no chilling, and they roll out so much better than shortbread.

If You Want More Than 3 Ingredients

I’ve made this recipe multiple times with just the 3 ingredients, and it turns out great.

BUT if you want to get a little fancier, here are some suggestions:

First, you can add a pinch of salt (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of kosher salt is fine). American sweets work well with a hint of saltiness to balance out the sweet. I do NOT recommend trying to use salted butter, as I found it too salty when I tried.

Second, if you like your cookies to look more brown and toasty, you can add 1/4 tsp of baking soda. It doesn’t really have any affect on rising the cookies; it’s all just for flavor and color in this case.

Of course, you can always add a drop of extract if you like, but I recommend trying without to let the milky flavor really shine through.

Cookie Technique Tips

I never chill my dough, but I also live in Seattle, where it doesn’t get too hot. If your kitchen gets above 68 degrees F, you might want to consider popping the cookie tray in the fridge while you preheat your oven.

Speaking of the cookie tray, I always recommend baking on a light-colored aluminum baking sheet with parchment paper. I get fairly consistent results with my cookies that way.

Decorating the Cookies the Easy Way

While these cookies taste absolutely fabulous plain, I am often making these for holidays. Decorating always makes the cookies a little more festive.

I am not a fancy decorator anymore, as I just don’t have time for that. Instead I use a simple 3-ingredient icing recipe: powdered sugar, milk, and a drop of food dye.

You can substitute water instead of milk if you wish. But simply mix those ingredients together really well until you get a thick paste. You’re going to think “oh it’s too thick!” BUT IT’S NOT. JUST KEEP MIXING. You want a very thick icing in order for it to stay on the cookie and not completely drip off. 

Then I drop my cookie directly into the bowl and let the surface flood with the icing. 

Alternatively you can try to spoon or spread the icing over the top of the cookie as well. But the icing really isn’t meant for piping or fancy designs. I like to divide the icing in a few different colors and get a fun jewel-toned effect.

The icing dries in less than an hour in my kitchen, but before it does feel free to add some sprinkles!

More Easy Baking Recipes

Looking for more recipes perfect for beginners? Try these:

• 3 Ingredient Strawberry Boba
• 3 Ingredient Black Sesame Cookies
• 3 Ingredient Mango Sago
• 3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies
• 4 Ingredient Matcha Pistachio Cookies