Monday Sweets: Malted Chocolate Cookies

Seeing as today is an all-American kind of holiday, I bring you my all-time favorite dessert: chocolate chip cookies. This new-to-me recipe has a few twists that more than convinced me to actually try a recipe besides Toll House cookies.

Merit 1: Secret Ingredient
When I first tasted these cookies, there was a subtle something distinct about the dough whose taste I couldn't quite place. It turned out to be malted milk powder, which is used to make malted shakes and tastes reminiscent of a Whopper.

I found the Malted Milk powder near the canned milk and Ovaltine at the grocery store, but be wary of trying a similar product. Something like Ovaltine could make the taste a bit funky.

Merit 2: Colossal Size

They're several inches in diameter and perfectly thick and chewy. The recipe calls for 2-inch balls of dough on the cookie sheet before baking. The cookies in the front of the picture are that size and the ones in the back are my normal-sized ones. I recommend making them big because they're thicker and more chewy. One giant cookie is plenty to satisfy.

Merit 3: Chocolate and More Chocolate

Each bite of the cookie is packed with milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Plus, there's chocolate syrup hidden in the dough too, and that along with calling for all brown (no white) sugar makes the dough a bit darker and chewier than average. It's pretty much a chocoholic's dream cookie.

The original recipe called for butter-flavored shortening, but I saw no reason to buy butter-flavored lard when you can use goodness that is real butter.

Chocolate Malted Cookies

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

½ cup malted milk powder

2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chunks

1 cup milk chocolate chunks

In mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients (butter to vanilla). Beat for 2 minutes. Add egg.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chunks and chips.

Shape into 2-inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes and then move to a wire rack. Makes about 1 ½ dozen.