Have you ever taken a bite of a cookie so good it makes you close your eyes? A cookie that’s perfectly chewy, loaded with pools of melted chocolate, and has a unique, toasty flavor you can’t quite place? That’s exactly what these malted double chocolate chip cookies are. For years, I tweaked my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but something was always missing. Then, I remembered the old-fashioned malted milkshakes from my childhood and had a lightbulb moment. Adding malted milk powder was the secret ingredient I’d been searching for.
This recipe transforms a great cookie into an unforgettable one. The malt powder adds a subtle, nutty, and slightly savory depth that beautifully balances the sweetness and enhances the richness of the chocolate. It creates a cookie with crisp edges, an incredibly chewy center, and a flavor that will have everyone asking for your secret. Let’s bake a batch together!
Quick Recipe
- Preparation Time:
2H20M(This includes 20 minutes of active prep and a minimum of 2 hours for chilling the dough). - Cooking Time:
12M - Total Time:
2H32M - Type of dish: Dessert, Snack
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe Yield: 28 cookies
- Calories: 210 kcal per cookie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
| Key Takeaway | Why It’s Great |
| Unique Flavor Profile | Malted milk powder adds a nostalgic, toasty, and nutty flavor that elevates these beyond standard chocolate chip cookies. |
| Perfectly Chewy Texture | We’ll use specific techniques, like chilling the dough, to guarantee a soft, chewy center and crisp edges every time. |
| Double the Chocolate | Using both semisweet and dark chocolate creates complex flavor and irresistible puddles of melted chocolate. |
| Simple & Reliable | This is a straightforward recipe with clear steps that even beginner bakers can follow with confidence. |
What Makes These Malted Cookies So Special?
The magic here is all in the malt. Malted milk powder is made from malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated milk. It’s the stuff that gives diner milkshakes and Whoppers candy that distinct, delicious taste.
When you add it to cookie dough, two wonderful things happen. First, you get that amazing toasty, nutty flavor that complements the brown sugar and vanilla. Second, the enzymes in the malt help break down the starches in the flour, resulting in a browner, chewier, and more flavorful cookie. It’s a simple addition that makes a world of difference, turning your cookie into a chewy chocolate chip cookies masterpiece.
Essential Tools & Ingredients
Gathering your tools and ingredients first makes the whole process smoother. I always feel like a TV chef when I have all my little bowls lined up and ready to go!
Essential Kitchen Tools
- Baking Sheets (at least 2)
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats
- Stand Mixer with a paddle attachment, or a Hand Mixer and a large bowl
- Medium Bowl for dry ingredients
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cookie Scoop (a 2-tablespoon scoop is perfect)
- Wire Cooling Rack
Your Ingredient Checklist
- All-Purpose Flour: The sturdy foundation of our cookies.
- Malted Milk Powder: This is our star ingredient. You can find it in the coffee/tea aisle or near the hot chocolate mixes. Classic brands like Carnation or Ovaltine work perfectly. This is the key to this malted milk powder recipe.
- Baking Soda: This gives our cookies lift.
- Salt: Essential for balancing sweetness. I use fine sea salt in the dough and flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top.
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure it’s softened to room temperature. This is crucial for the creaming step. Using unsalted butter lets you control the salt level perfectly.
- Brown & White Sugar: A mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar gives you the best of both worlds: brown sugar for chewiness and moisture, white sugar for spread and crisp edges.
- Eggs: To bind everything together. Have them at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Two Kinds of Chocolate: I love using a combination of semisweet chocolate chips and roughly chopped dark chocolate chunks. The chunks create those amazing melted pools, making them feel like the best chocolate chunk cookies you’ve ever had.
Step-by-Step to Perfect Malted Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Alright, let’s get our hands dirty! Follow these steps, and I promise you’ll be pulling bakery-quality cookies out of your oven.
Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking is important because it distributes the baking soda and salt evenly, so you don’t get a salty bite or a cookie that rises unevenly. Set this bowl aside.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for about 3-4 minutes. The mixture should become light, pale, and fluffy. Don’t rush this step! This is where you’re whipping air into the dough, which creates a tender texture.
Step 3: Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until it’s fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. After the eggs are mixed in, beat in the vanilla extract.
Step 4: Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix only until the flour streaks have just disappeared. It’s so important not to overmix here! Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cookies tough instead of chewy.
Step 5: Fold in the Chocolate
Remove the bowl from the mixer and pour in your semisweet and dark chocolate chips. Use a spatula to gently fold them into the dough until they are evenly distributed.
The Most Important Step: Chill the Dough!
I know, I know. You want cookies now! But trust me, this is the one step you cannot skip. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Chilling does two critical things:
- It solidifies the fat. Cold butter melts more slowly in the oven, which means your cookies won’t spread into thin, sad pancakes.
- It hydrates the flour. This allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid in the dough, which concentrates the flavor and results in a much chewier texture. Your malted double chocolate chip cookies will thank you for it.
Step 6: Scoop and Bake
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375∘F (190∘C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough into uniform balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Place them a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. A scoop ensures all your cookies are the same size and bake evenly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look slightly soft and puffy. They will continue to bake on the hot pan after you take them out.
Step 7: The Finishing Touch
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle them with a little flaky sea salt. This little touch makes the flavors pop! Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
A Cookie Worth Keeping
This is more than just a recipe; it’s a way to bring a little bit of joy and nostalgia into your kitchen. Once you taste the incredible flavor from the malted milk powder, you’ll never want to make chocolate chip cookies any other way. These malted double chocolate chip cookies have become a staple in my house, and I’m so excited for them to become one in yours, too.
Happy baking!
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