Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to be my dad. I looked up to him (literally). Like any child, I wanted to do the daily activities my father did so I could become my own, smaller, version of him. I would pretend to mow the lawn with my miniature, bubble-blowing lawn mower along with him. I helped hand him tools when he set out to fix things. And I would eat the foods that he enjoyed.

My father happened to be a big proponent of chocolate milkshakes. This was his special treat. On long car rides, we would always stop to pick one up from a local fast food joint. On Sunday afternoon drives, we would drink them down while cruising the roads in his little blue Camaro. When it was a really special occasion, we would stop at an ice cream parlor that served up drinks in the big metal cups, which always held more ice cream than I could ever consume. He would somehow finish the milkshake I couldn't squeeze into my stomach.

Chocolate milkshakes were our food.

My father never liked chocolate malts, which meant that I certainly didn't either. I didn't even have to try them to know I didn't like them—his convictions on the subject were enough for me. To this day, I have yet to sample a chocolate malt. Though, as I've grown older, I've found them more intriguing. What made them pale in comparison to the classic milkshake?

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I found myself snacking on mini robin egg whoppers that I used to make chocolate nests. Despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to like malted milk (as consuming anything with the word "malt" in it it would be a betrayal to my father's milkshake), I found that I actually enjoyed them. Perhaps too much, as I soon found half the bag to be mysteriously missing. When my father got home from work and surveyed the damage I had done, he had nothing to say on the matter. Instead, he took up the stool next to me, reached into the bag, and tried a few eggs on his own. Turns out he liked them too.

I like to think we both learned something on that day.

These Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies are a twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. While you may not necessarily taste the malted milk powder if you aren't looking for it, it really does gives the cookie something extra—a little panache, if you will. The malted cookie has a greater depth of flavor than you might expect. These cookies bake up flat and can be chewy or crunchy depending on how long you keep them in the oven.

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Yields 3 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 rounded cup malted milk powder
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and malted milk powder. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line baking sheets with parchment (this step is important! The cookies will stick to the pan and then break off into hundreds of pieces when you try to get them off. Learn from my experience). Place a spoonful of batter on the pans, separating the cookies by 3 inches (the cookies spread while baking). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.