Why do we love malt so much? Maybe it originated with the little cups of Carnation Chocolate Ice Cream Malt Cups we used to get when we were little (you know, the ones with the pull tab lid and flat wooden spoons?). Or maybe it was the Brach’s Malted Milk Eggs at Easter? We love malt and especially crave it in the springtime around Easter (must be those Easter egg candies!).

Well, we are in malt heaven again with our Malted Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. These are delicious and easy to make. If you like everything malt, like us, you will love these cookies. We think our Malted Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are best dunked into a glass of malted milk (did we mention our love of malt?) but that may be overkill for some of you. Now if we could just find some of those Carnation Chocolate Ice Cream Malt Cups, we would be all set!

P.S. If you love all things malt, too, check out our Malted Crunch Cookies from last spring!

Roll dough to about 1/4″ thick and cut out.

Place cut our cookies on parchment lined sheet pan and freeze before baking.

Remove from oven when cookies are lightly browned around edges.

Chopping the chocolate will make it easier to melt.

Allow the filled cookies to set up at room temperature.

Malted Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Cookies:

• 1 ¾ cups (8 oz) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (4 oz) potato starch
• ½ cup (2.5 oz) malt powder
• ¾ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup (3 oz) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

Ganache Filling:

• 5 oz good quality milk chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup (2 oz) heavy cream
• 3 TBS malt powder

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, potato starch, malt powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and airy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla bean paste and egg yolk and mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute. On low speed, add in the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Separate dough into two balls, flatten into disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Working with one disk at a time, roll to a generous ¼” thickness. Using a thumbprint cookie cutter (or a regular cookie cutter of your choice and the handle of a wooden spoon to make the “thumbprint” indentation) cut out as many cookies as possible, transferring to a parchment lined cookie sheet and spacing 1” apart. Gather the dough and re-roll one time, repeating the cutting process. Place cut out cookies in freezer while oven preheats.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove cookies from freezer and place directly in oven. Bake one sheet at a time for 13-15 minutes. After 10 minutes in the oven, rotate the cookie sheet and re-indent the “thumbprint” with the handle of a wooden spoon or a dowel. Cookies are done when the edges become light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on baking sheet atop a wire cooling rack.

Once cookies are completely cool, place the chocolate, heavy cream and malt powder in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat on 50% power for one minute intervals, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to cool a bit. Place filling in small pastry bag or zip-lock bag and cut a very small hole in the tip or corner. Carefully fill each indentation with the ganache. Allow to set up at room temperature – this may take several hours depending on temperature and humidity.

Store in air-tight container between sheets of wax or parchment paper for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 30 – 2” cookies