7 things you didn’t know about Milano cookies

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7 things you didn’t know about Milano cookies

Campbell’s History December 3, 2021

Milano cookies—the perfect balance of crisp cookies and rich, luxurious chocolate—have been found in pantries, lunch boxes, and snack cabinets since the late-1950s.

1. Warm temperatures + melting chocolate = the creation of the Milano cookies!

Pepperidge Farm introduced the Naples cookie in 1956, an open-faced cookie with chocolate on top—but the chocolate was melting in warmer temperatures.

The fix? Add a second cookie like a sandwich. And in 1957, the Milano was born.

2. On the final episode of Frasier, which aired on May 13, 2004, Milano cookies are featured prominently as part of a marketing program!

Milano and Frasier partnership advertisement

3. A cookie with a kick? In 2015, we asked you to tell us what limited edition Milano flavor to make next in an online contest and the winner was… Chocolate Chili!

4. Must make more Milano cookies! To meet rising demand, in May of 2021 we announced the addition of a new production line at our Denver, Pennsylvania bakery.

It more than doubles the number of cookies the bakery makes per minute!

5. Can you even call yourself a Milano fan until you’ve tried all the flavors?

The first flavored Milano was the Mint flavored Milano, released in 1968. Since then, Milano has introduced more than 20 flavors of cookies, including seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice and Candy Cane flavored.

Limited edition Milano Pumpkin Spice flavored cookies

Limited edition Milano Candy Cane flavored cookies

6. Did you know Pepperidge Farm founder, Margaret Rudkin, became the first woman to serve on our Board of Directors when Campbell acquired the company in 1961?

Before making cookies, Margaret began Pepperidge Farm in 1937, baking wholesome bread that she couldn’t find on the commercial market for her son who suffered from allergies

7. But Milano cookies weren’t one of the original Pepperidge Farm cookie varieties!

The original line of Distinctive Cookies debuted in 1955, and included the Bordeaux, Biarritz, Capri, Brussels, Venice, and Dresden. Milano cookies appeared later in the Seville Summer Assortment.

Only the Milano, Bordeaux, and Brussels cookies from those assortments are still sold today.