Malt is an underappreciated flavor, don’t you think? We love all the things with malt…from malt balls to malted milkshakes. However, we find that most baking recipes we come across don’t have nearly enough malt flavor. So, we decided to come up with our own Malted Crunch Cookies to achieve the perfect combination of malt flavor and crunch! Reminiscent of the malted candy eggs you see this time of year (but SOOOOO much better!), these treats make the perfect addition to any Easter basket or dessert table.

Who doesn’t love malt?!? (Malt Ball Centers available at Nuts.com)

Bake the cookies until just beginning to brown around the edges.

Place malt ball centers in large zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin, leaving some slightly larger chunks for added crunch.

Add crushed malt ball centers to melted or tempered milk chocolate.

Dip the cookies in the chocolate malt ball coating, being sure to cover completely. and allow to set up.

Malted Crunch Cookies

Cookies:

• 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter – room temp
• ¾ cup (3.4 oz) cornstarch
• ¼ cup (1 oz) powder sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TBS (2 oz) malted milk powder
• 1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp kosher salt

Coating:

• 14 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• 8 oz malt ball centers, crushed

Beat butter until light and fluffy.  Add cornstarch,  powder sugar and malt powder.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add flour and salt and mix until dough forms.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Heat oven to 350.  Scoop dough using 1 ¼” diameter scoop and roll into balls placing about 24 on a half sheet sized sheet pan lined with parchment.  Tamp down very slightly with bottom of glass.  Place in refrigerator about 10 minutes before baking.  Bake about 10 minutes until very light golden brown.  Cool completely before dipping.

Melt milk chocolate over double boiler (we prefer to temper the chocolate for a harder coating, but it’s not necessary) and mix in crushed malt ball centers.  Working quickly, coat cookies in malt chocolate mixture, mounding some on top to provide extra malt crunch.  Place on lined cookie sheet to set up.

Store tightly covered at cool room temperature for up to one month.

Makes about 50 cookies