If you love a malted milk on a cold winter evening you’ll also love these chocolate malted milk cookies. Chocolate and malt are great friends and while the malt is subtle in these cookies, combined with chocolate, this is such an amazing cookie flavour.

Crisp edges, give way to a soft centre and a thumbprint filled with chocolate and a little extra something that you can’t quite put your finger on but you know it tastes good – that’s the malted milk my friends.

You’ll love these white chocolate malted milk blondies too.

A batch of cookies with chocolate centres on a sheet of baking paper

Ingredients in malt cookies

In addition to the butter, yolk from a large egg and plain flour (all purpose flour) and a few other usual suspects, there are two other must have ingredients for these cookies.

Various ingredients in small glass bowls on a marble surface

Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.

  • Malted milk powder – I’ve tried these with Nestle Malted Milk Powder and Horlicks and both work. They give a subtle malt flavor.
  • Brown sugar – it must be brown sugar for these for that added caramel touch and a slight chewiness.
  • Chocolate – I like a mixture of milk and dark chocolate for the centre of these babies.

Adding the chocolate

There are numerous ways you could add the chocolate to these cookies and they don’t need to be made thumbprint style;

  1. Thumbprint, using a spoon or squeeze bottle – make sure to scrape the bottom of the spoon on the edge of the bowl before tipping it onto the cookies, so you don’t get stray drizzles all over. If using a squeeze bottle beware, if the hole in the bottle isn’t big enough it can explode as you squeeze it. Make sure the hole is a good size and squeeze gently.
  2. Drizzle or dip – you don’t need to make the thumbprint. Just roll balls of cookie dough and bake them, then drizzle over chocolate or dip them once they cool
  3. Chocolate chips – add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the dough to make a malted chocolate chip cookie. You can use dark or milk chocolate chips. You could even try chocolate chunks.
  4. Kisses – add a Hersheys kiss to the top like my caramel peanut butter thumbprint cookies

There you go, pick your favourite method.

A batch of cookies with chocolate centres on a sheet of baking paper in a baking tin. A small bottle of milk at the back

Important tips and notes

  • This malted cookie dough is quite a stiff, dry-ish dough so I find a stand mixer the easiest option. Don’t be tempted to add any extra liquid or your cookies will spread too much.
  • To make the thumbrpint, press your thumb directly downwards and not on an angle so you have a deep dent but high sides. This will help them to not spread so much.
  • When you roll them in sugar, you only need to roll one side – the thumbprint side.
  • Cracks are fine but the best way to get smooth edges is to roll the balls until very smooth, then thumbprint each as soon as you’ve placed it on the baking pan (as opposed to rolling all the balls and then thumbprinting them all).
  • The thumbprint centres will puff a little when the cookies bake, so as soon as you take them out of the oven, use a rounded spoon or something similar to re-form that thumbprint. It will set as they cool.

Storage

These cookies are best stored at room temperature for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can also store them in the freezer before or after baking.

A batch of cookies with chocolate centres on a sheet of baking paper leaning up against a small bottle of milk

Now, I’m off to munch on some chocolate filled malted milk cookies and a nice cup of steaming malted milk.

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A batch of cookies with chocolate centres on a sheet of baking paper in a baking tin.
4.8 from 5 ratings
A thumbprint cookie, with a subtle malty flavour, and a chocolate centre these chocolate malted milk cookies are easy to make and totally delicious. Using malted milk powder is the simple trick to making these taste like a malty milkshake in cookie form.

Ingredients

  • 260 g plain flour (all purp flour) (2 cups / 9 ¼oz)
  • 50 g malted milk powder (½ cup / 1¾oz)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 170 g unsalted butter , softened (¾ cup / 6oz / 1 ½ sticks)
  • 136 g light brown sugar (⅔ cup / 4 ¾oz)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
  • 200 g mix of milk & dark chocolate

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder and salt until well combined.
  • Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides once or twice during.
  • Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low until just starting to clump.
  • Scrape down the sides and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat until it starts forming large clumps.
  • Roll small balls of dough (about 1 tablespoon) until very smooth and dip one side of each into granulated sugar. Place them on the baking trays, sugar side up, and press your thumb directly downwards in the middles to form a deep dent with high sides. (If you like, you can chill the dough balls for up to 3 days for an even better flavour).
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown on the edges. As soon as you remove them from the oven use a rounded spoon to reset the dents. Transfer to a wire rack after 5 minutes to cool completely.
  • Once cookies have cooled, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each until fully melted. Fill the indents with chocolate and allow to set before serving.
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Notes

  1. When baking, it’s always best to weigh out your ingredients and you can get kitchen scales very cheaply so I recommend doing that. However, if you can’t use the spoon and level method instead. Spoon the ingredient into the appropriate cup measure (don’t scoop) and level off with the back of a knife.
  2. This is quite a stiff, dry-ish dough so I find a stand mixer the easiest option. Don’t be tempted to add any extra liquid or your cookies will spread too much.
  3. To limit cracks, roll the balls until very smooth, then thumbprint each as soon as you’ve placed it on the baking tray (as opposed to rolling all the balls and then thumbprinting them all).
  4. All ovens vary so check the cookies 1-2 minutes before the recipe suggests.
  5. With cookies, it’s always great to bake off one cookie to see what timing will work perfectly for your oven.
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Malted Milk Cookies
Amount Per Serving (27 g)
Calories 131 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 28mg1%
Potassium 73mg2%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 147IU3%
Vitamin C 0.05mg0%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.