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| Cook the Book: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops |
| Wednesday, December 26, 2007 |
 These made it into my Holiday Cookie boxes this year--it was one of the first recipes I bookmarked from this fantastic book.
It has been a man/boy pleaser from the start. It tastes a little like a milkshake, a little like a light brownie and don't think of using regular old grocery store chocolate for these. Honestly. Invest in some good bittersweet chocolate for a more grown-up taste. By the end of my holiday baking marathon, I was using bittersweet chips, but at the beginning I was chopping up Ghirardelli and Scharffenberger bittersweet chocolate bars.
You don't have to go as high end on the malted milk balls--Whoppers are fine, although I think you might consider buying these in bulk, because once you make a dozen of these, you're pretty much committing to making at least 10 more dozen.
The ingredient, oddly enough, that I had the most trouble finding was malted milk powder. I love the stuff, mostly because it's great for soda shoppe milkshakes at home. But once I went looking for it, I couldn't find it. Malted Ovaltine works fine, too, though, thank goodness. I did end up finding some for my last few batches.
This recipe is easy enough, a lot like making chocolate chip cookies. Have fun chopping up the malted milk balls--they will be easier to chop at room temperature because the chocolate coating is softer and doesn't allow the balls to roll around as much.
 Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops
From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, page 85
Makes 30 cookies, but you can stretch it to make more
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder (or Ovaltine, regular malted or chocolate malt flavored)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups (6 ounces) chocolate covered malted milk balls (Dorie and I use Whoppers), coarsely chopped
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
Procedure
1. Position your oven racks to divide your oven into thirds and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Dorie does not specify an oven temperature in this recipe, which I think is just an editorial oversight. I guessed 350 degrees and that worked perfectly.
2. Sift (or stir) together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
3. 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. I actually just hand mixed this and it was fine, not wanted to dirty my hand mixer a thousand times in my baking marathon--besides, I love hand mixing, so I can infuse a little extra love into the dough.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla (Dorie adds: Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled--it will even out when the dry ingredients are added).
5. Add half the dry ingredients, mixing until they just disappear in the wet ingredients (turn your mixer down low!). Add milk, mix, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Dorie says: The batter will look more like fudge frosting than cookie dough--and that's fine.
6. Add the malted milk balls and the chocolate chunks/chips, by hand.
7. 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 fron to back after 6 minutes. Please do this. It's a bit of a pain, but it works, because malted milk balls may burn when melted.
8. 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.
9. Repeat with the rest of the dough, but let your pans cool first!
10. Hide from any men in your life (boyfriends, little cousins, uncles, dads, brothers, husbands, the mailman, neighbors, etc.) if you actually want to give these out or take them somewhere.
Any genius comments or recipe-writing is the sole ownership of Dorie Greenspan. The other stuff in italics is just me. |
posted by Rose @ 5:47 AM  |
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