9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (2024)

  • Desserts

The sweet and nutty powder that makes desserts more flavorful.

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The Serious Eats Team

The Serious Eats Team

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Published September 06, 2019

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Spend enough time sifting through the Serious Eats dessert archives and baking your way through Stella Parks' masterful recipes, and you'll notice a common thread running through many of our favorite treats: malted milk powder. The mixture of wheat flour, malted barley extracts, and milk adds a layer of nutty, rich, butterscotch-like flavor to all sorts of sweets. And because of the lactose it contains, malted milk powder helps baked goods brown evenly. In other words, malted milk powder can do no wrong, and these nine recipes prove our point.

  • Malted Chocolate Chip–Pecan Cookies

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (2)

    A combination of white sugar and barley malt syrup makes these cookies soft and chewy in the middle, with perfectly crisped edges. Malted milk powder joins the sugars in tenderizing the cookies, and adds the needed lactose for them to brown evenly in the oven. Chunks of rich, buttery pecans round out an already-rich and flavorful cookie.

    Get the recipe for Malted Chocolate Chip–Pecan Cookies

  • Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (3)

    Brown butter and malted milk powder turn these otherwise-classic shortbread cookies into something extraordinary. Thanks to a low moisture content, these cookies are tender and chewy, and will keep for weeks in an airtight container. That means you'll probably want to make a double batch—at least.

    Get the recipe for Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

  • Homemade Brownie Mix

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (4)

    There's no denying that the ease and convenience of boxed brownie mix is great. But the flavor is often so-so. This homemade mix stores well for up to one year, and bakes rich, dark fudgy brownies every time.

    Get the recipe for Homemade Brownie Mix

  • Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (5)

    The only thing better than a chocolate chip cookie? A very, very big chocolate chip cookie. Though this enormous cookie bakes up to look like a decadent cake, it's made with a classic chocolate chip cookie dough, plus a few teaspoons of malted milk powder. The addition of malted milk powder contributes a rich nuttiness, and pairs nicely with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

    Get the recipe for Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

    Continue to 5 of 9 below.

  • Stovetop Butterscotch Pudding

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (6)

    This velvety butterscotch pudding is best served warm, but it certainly does the trick when it's cold and slightly wobbly, too. The pudding gets its creaminess from white chocolate—a light flavor that doesn't overpower the flavors of malted milk powder and toasted sugar.

    Get the recipe for Stovetop Butterscotch Pudding

  • Homemade Chipwiches

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (7)

    This recipe produces a twist on the classic ice cream sandwich. While the cookies may seem oddly soft and cakey straight out of the oven, they're perfectly crunchy but tender when filled with creamy fior di latte gelato, and frozen. Malted milk powder added to the cookies ensures they remain complexly flavored even after they're chilled.

    Get the recipe for Homemade Chipwiches

  • Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (8)

    The idea of hot chocolate mix is great, but the storebought stuff tends to be one-note and overly sweet. By making your own mix, you can have a constant supply of thick, decadent hot chocolate. Our recipe combines toasted sugar, white chocolate, dark chocolate, instant espresso powder, and malted milk powder.

    Get the recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

  • Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (9)

    This coffee cake is something between a pumpkin streusel muffin and a rich, chewy blondie. It's hearty, satisfying, and warmly spiced. Melted white chocolate in the cake dough gives it a fudgy texture, while malted milk powder bumps up and accentuates the earthiness of pumpkin.

    Get the recipe for Pumpkin Skillet Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping

    Continue to 9 of 9 below.

  • Texas Sheet Cake

    9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (10)

    As soon as this enormous slab of chocolate cake comes out of the oven, it's covered in a hot fudge and buried under a mountain of crunchy pecans. Thank malted milk powder for the undercurrent of toffee that runs through each bite.

    Get the recipe for Texas Sheet Cake

9 Dessert Recipes Starring Malted Milk Powder (2024)

FAQs

What does malted milk powder do to baked goods? ›

The mixture of wheat flour, malted barley extracts, and milk adds a layer of nutty, rich, butterscotch-like flavor to all sorts of sweets. And because of the lactose it contains, malted milk powder helps baked goods brown evenly.

How do you use malt powder in baking? ›

The best way to use diastatic malt is as a replacement for some of the sugar in your recipe. It is important to use it sparingly, as too much malt can lead to over-proofed dough and an unpleasant sour taste. Many bread flours already have added malt powder, so be sure to check the ingredients before adding any more.

Is Ovaltine the same as malted milk powder? ›

Ovaltine, a powdered chocolate drink created in 1904, is another type of malted milk powder, though it has other ingredients in it so can't be used exactly the same way.

Is malted milk powder healthy? ›

It's full of antioxidants that may help in brain development and boost memory. “Malted milk is a great source of zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, and B12,” said Jo. According to her, these nutrients are essential for brain development, especially among children.

What is the difference between malt powder and malted milk powder? ›

Malt powder is made from wheat flour and another grain, usually barley. On the other hand, malted milk powder is malt powder with milk solids added to it. To take things a step further, malt powder comes in two forms: diastatic and non-diastatic.

Can you put malted milk powder in coffee? ›

directions. In serving glass or mug, combine warmed chocolate milk, hot espresso, malted milk powder and syrup. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with chocolate whipped topping and shaved chocolate, if desired.

Can you use malted milk powder in bread? ›

With just the addition of malted milk powder, you can create a wonderfully delicious loaf that comes together in a fraction of the time as regular bread.

What does Starbucks use malt powder for? ›

Chocolate Malt Powder

This powder was created to use only in one Starbucks drink, the Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso. But you can add it to any Starbucks drink you want to give it not just a little taste of chocolate but the flavor of a chocolate bar in your beverage.

What is the point of malt powder? ›

Malted milk or malt powder is a powder made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk powder. The powder is used to add its distinctive flavor to beverages and other foods, but it is also used in baking to help dough cook properly.

What does malt powder do in ice cream? ›

What Is a Malt Ice Cream? Malted milk ice cream is ice cream made with milk that has the addition of malted milk powder before going through the churning and freezing process. The barley in the malt gives the milk a slightly earthy and savory flavor that complements the sweetness of the ice cream.

What is the old name for Ovaltine? ›

Ovaltine (also known by its original name Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey.

Does malted milk help you sleep? ›

Malted milk

The extract of malt is the main ingredient. Its snooze-inducing powers are well known, with Horlicks marketed as a drink that's perfect to drink before bed, and this is certainly the case. Malted milk contains a good source of vitamin B, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorous.

Does Dairy Queen have malt powder? ›

A DQ milkshake is a creamy cool drink made by blending our famous soft serve, milk, and additional flavorings. A Dairy Queen malt is sweeter, has a thicker consistency, and is made with the malted milk powder, milk, soft serve, and additional flavors.

What do you use dry malt powder for? ›

Malt can be found in a syrup or powdered form. It's also often used as an nutritional and technical enhancer to ingredients and food products like non-organic flours, vinegars, breakfast cereals, and powdered milk-based beverages. The Perfect Loaf Sourdough Bagels are made with both diastatic and non-diastatic malt.

Can you put malted milk powder in hot coffee? ›

Malted milk powder combines flavorful ground, malted barley, and wheat flour with milk powder, and just a spoonful or two adds a delightfully rich and complex flavor that melds beautifully with coffee, whether it's served iced or hot.

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