Chocolate Chunk Malt Cookies

I finally picked up some chocolate Ovaltine (you can use regular Ovaltine, chocolate, or just malted milk powder) so I could make these. I was walking around the grocery store thinking I'd get some Whoppers (chocolate covered malt balls) to add to the cookies, as per the recipe, and then thought why? I don't even like Whoppers. Besides, I had some strawberry milkshake Whoppers at home that I wanted to put in cookies. (Yes I know I just said I dont like Whoppers but who can resist the call of a little container of strawberry milkshake Whoppers? They're really sweet by the way. A nice thing to try but won't get them again.) So my plan was to make half the batch with these strawberry Whoppers and chocolate chunks, and the other half with just chocolate chunks. Well the strawberry Whoppers made a bit of a mess, and were just so insanely sweet. The cookies with just the chocolate chunks on the other hand, oh wow. Perfect. Just so very very perfect.

They're really soft kind of poofy cookies, which I don't usually like (like cakey banana or pumpkin cookies) but they tasted so good! And the next day, the seemed to be even moister and more perfectly delicious. They're like a soft, moist, cakey brownie in cookie form. And I wasn't sure if I'd like the batter (as I don't always like chocolate dough cookies) but oh yes these were good. The only disappointment? The cookies don't taste like malt at all. But you will be quickly consoled by how super chocolatey and yummy they are. I think it's really important that you use a bittersweet/very dark chocolate for the chocolate chunks, otherwise the cookies would be too sweet. I imagine there could be many delicious variations on this recipe - the first that come to mind for me are adding some coconut or macadamia nuts. Or some black tea! Mmm. Actually I've never made anything that combined chocolate with black tea, but it sounds good.

I already plan to make these again and again and again. And again. To make these more Christmas-y you could add chopped up Andes mints mmm I think I must do that. These cookies freeze well so they'd be perfect to have on hand when people drop by unexpectedly. I'm submitting these cookies to Food Blogga's Eat Christmas Cookies Season 2 event. To see all the other cookies that people have been making, go here.

If these sound good you might also like:
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Intense Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies
Chocolate Fudge Souffle Bars

Chocolate Chunk Malt Cookies
Adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours

The original recipe is called "Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops" and calls for 2 cups of chocolate covered malted milk balls, coarsely chopped + 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped. I think it's a lot better with only bittersweet chocolate chunks so I'm putting up that version. And for the malted milk powder, I used chocolate-flavoured Ovaltine.

Makes 25-30 cookies.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder (or Ovaltine, regular or chocolate-flavoured)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 3 tbsp (11 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled - it will even out when the dry ingredients are added. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The batter will look more like fudge frosting than cookie dough - and that's fine. With the mixer on low, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the chopped chocolate.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between spoonfuls. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes. When done, the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.