For 10X More Flavorful Chocolate Chip Cookies, Stir In This Powder (It's So Nostalgic)

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If you're like us, chances are you have opinions on what makes a chocolate chip cookie recipe shine. Maybe it's your chosen technique for chewy cookies or the number of eggs you include in the recipe. However, you might not know there's one nostalgic ingredient you can stir into chocolate chip cookies to boost the flavor: malted milk powder. When just a couple of tablespoons are added, the resulting baked treat takes on a pleasant caramelized richness plus sweet yet savory hints of toasted grains. 

Comprised of malted grains, or those which have been soaked, sprouted, and dried before being combined with evaporated milk, malted milk powder is known for its lactic sweetness — often used to make comforting recipes like a chocolate malt. Due to the grains' malting process before being mixed with dried milk (and often salt and sodium bicarbonate, too), malted milk powder has a savory, toasty depth of sweetness and an almost-nutty note. These flavors balance out the brown sugar and chocolatey goodness of chocolate chip cookies. In terms of texture, malted milk powder also contributes to a chewy, tender chocolate chip cookie, as well. 

Adding malted milk powder to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is pretty easy. Of course, you can follow a recipe specifically for malted milk powder chocolate chip cookies, or you can add it to your favorite recipe. Just add a couple of tablespoons or up to a quarter cup of malted milk powder to the cookie dough, mixing it in with the other dry ingredients such as flour, salt, and leavening agents. You'll see that, unlike other tips and tricks to make chocolate chip cookies more savory — such as browning the butter — incorporating malted milk powder doesn't require extra cooking or dirtying another pan. 

When adding malted milk powder to a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, you'll likely need to make some small adjustments. For instance, some bakers like to remove or reduce the eggs for chewier cookies. For the perfect bake, you may need to adjust the temperature or bake time slightly, since the malted milk powder may cause the cookies to brown more quickly. Or, for the serious chocolate lovers out there, try adding a chocolate version of malted milk powder to homemade double chocolate chip cookies.