Malted milk powder is the secret ingredient that adds a deep richness and subtle sweetness to these chocolate chip cookies! Super thin and wonderfully crispy, our malted chocolate chip cookies are irresistable!
This twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie is bursting with a wonderfully rich flavor from our new favorite baking ingredient: malted milk powder! Our crispy malted chocolate chip cookies have a nutty, almost caramelized flavor that makes it difficult to eat just one!
malted milk powder cookies
what exactly is malted milk powder?
Malted milk powder is generally made with malted barley, wheat flour and dried milk. It’s most commonly associated with chocolate-covered malted milk balls (such as Whoppers or Maltesers) and is the defining ingredient of a malt or malted milkshake. If you’re unfamiliar with the flavor, I’d say it’s rich and nutty with a milky sweetness.
If you live in the US, you can find malted milk powder at most grocery stores (check the baking aisle next to evaporated and condensed milk) or online. We used Carnation malted milk powder for these cookies, but other brands will work as well. Just make sure to stay away from instant drink mixes, such as Ovaltine, which contain additional ingredients.
using malted milk powder in baking
Because of its unique flavor, malted milk powder is one of our favorite additions to baked goods!
The raw cookie dough has quite a strong malted milk flavor (although we probably shouldn’t be tasting raw cookie dough). The baked cookies will lose some of that intensity, but retain an incredible richness and complex depth that’s almost unidentifiable if you don’t know about our secret ingredient!
thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies
For those of you who prefer a thicker and doughier cookie, this recipe probably isn’t for you. But if you’re like me and enjoy thin and crispy cookies complete with a chewy center, you’re in the right place! Here are a few of our favorite tips to get the perfect crispy chocolate chip cookies:
- Be precise with the measurements — especially the flour! It’s incredibly easy to overmeasure flour, which will result in thicker cookies. While I recommend using a kitchen scale, if you do measure in cups make sure to use the spoon and level method. Use a spoon to lightly scoop flour into the measuring cup until it’s completely full. Then run the back of a knife over the cup to gently scrape off any excess.
- Let the cookie dough rest for one hour in the fridge. This will give the flavors time to develop and make the dough easier to work with. This recipe is formulated so that the cookies will still spread in the oven so don’t skip this step!
- Keep an eye on your cookies because they bake quickly. Ten minutes is perfect in my oven for a crispy cookie, but you may need to add a minute or two more if you want them extra crunchy!
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before attempting to move them as they’ll still be quite soft at first.
- Instead of chocolate chips, buy bar chocolate and chop it into pieces yourself. This will give you puddles of melted chocolate!
malted chocolate chip cookies: FAQs
The malted milk powder will add richness and a nutty, almost caramelized flavor, but is not extremely identifiable as malt flavor.
Yes, let the cookies rest in the fridge for at least an hour to develop flavor. This recipe is formulated so that the cookies will still spread and become thin and crispy after being chilled for an hour. If you let the cookie dough chill for more than an hour, make sure to let it sit at room temperature for a bit before scooping and baking.
You can keep these cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. The baked cookies also freeze extremely well for about three months — although even when we intend to save them for later we’ll find ourselves eating them straight from the freezer!
For more of our favorite cookies, make sure to check out these recipes:
- chocolate dulce de leche cookies
- pryaniki | russian honey spice cookies
- german chocolate cookies
- zimtsterne | german cinnamon star cookies
- chocolate chip marzipan cookies
malted chocolate chip cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 36
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- ½ cup (60 grams) malted milk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces (225 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Cream the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue beating until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, malted milk powder, baking soda and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until combined.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough out into balls (approximately 2 tablespoons of dough each) and place them on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches (5 cm) apart. They will flatten as they cook.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Spooned and leveled: Scooping a measuring cup into a flour container can result in much more flour than intended, which can affect the success of your cookies. To get a more accurate measurement, use a spoon to lightly scoop flour into the measuring cup until it’s completely full. Then run the back of a knife over the cup to gently scrape off any excess.
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