I feel I must start with a warning when introducing these chewy, melt-in-your mouth, Chocolate Malt Ball Cookies…consider the dangers of trying to rough chop two cups of Whoppers (round malted milk ball candies) as they roll away beneath the blade of a big butcher’s knife.

Please don’t think emergency room type of carnage.  It was more subtle than that.

No, I did not lose a finger and my injuries did not require a bandaid, but somehow as those little chocolate balls rolled right off  my cutting board and onto my counter top again and again, they signaled that they had abandoned ship.

Those that would roll off  the board were considered fair game, and  therefore I would pop them into my mouth one by one.  Not good…or very good. Depends on how you look at it I guess.

Those handful of Whoppers were well deserved. That’s how I usually rationalize my compulsion for chocolate anything and why I KNEW I HAD to bake this morning. That was a given. Not because my blog had been severely lacking (which it had) and not because our house is EVER devoid of something sweet and homemade, but because I NEEDED to.  Just like a runner feels it in her bones, the urge to run, juices flowing, adrenaline surging, my soul is drawn to baking.

It’s been a loooooong week.  You know those kind of weeks, or really two weeks.  There was a broken down van on the freeway which happened to be on the way to a long deserved weekend get away, a warped wooden floor which led us to discover that the fridge had been leaking for oh, about 10 years or so, 6 loaves of bread that were baked in one afternoon for a science experiment for my daughter, and there was plenty of insomnia which makes everything seem alot worse than it is.

I’ve taken many slow, deep breaths all week, reminding myself that my blessings are huge and numerous, but lucky for me, I have a best friend who doesn’t mind  protest the whining and a kitchen which doesn’t mind the abuse.  A kitchen that is one of the leading characters in the novel I like to call my life.

So, as usual, I found myself thumbing through cookbooks this morning, itching to bake.  Literally, longing to get chocolate on my t-shirt, flour in my hair and to smell something fabulous baking in my oven. Sometimes I page through book after book and can’t seem to land on the right recipe for the day, but today this recipe for Chocolate Malted cookies from Dorie Greenspan practically jumped off the page. I could almost taste them right then and there imagining the crispness of the malted milk ball as I sunk my teeth into the tender chocolate-y cookie.

This cookie did not disappoint and anyone who lives here or happened to stop by shouted out “oooh’s” and “aaahs” with a satisfaction that only can come from something chewy, chocolatey and warm.  These malted milk ball cookies might just become the new favorite here.  They are pushing my semi-famous chocolate chip cookies to the wayside, and I believe it is fair to say that cookies and milk will never be the same again at my house and yours either should you choose to do battle with the Whoppers.

Oh…and a big THANK YOU to Yvette of Twisted Vines and Linda at Savoring Every Bite for bestowing the Liebster Award on me! 🙂  Stop by their blogs and say, “Hi!”.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Cookies
Recipe exactly as-is and fabulous from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking…From My Home to Yours
Makes about 30 cookies.
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. malted milk powder such as Ovaltine, regular or chocolate flavored (I used regular)
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons butter brought to room temperature
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. whole milk (I used 2%, was just fine)
2 c. coarsely chopped chocolate covered malt balls such as Whoppers
1 c. bittersweet or dark chocolate chips
optional 3/4 c. chopped pecans

For the cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment or a Silpat mat. Put your dry ingredients from flour to salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together so there are no lumps. I use this trick to avoid sifting when making things that don’t require a light and fluffy texture.

In the bowl of  a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, put in your butter and sugar and beat on medium for a minute or two, until it is light and fluffy.  Add your eggs and vanilla and mix together on low speed until incorporated.

Add 1/2 of your dry ingredients to your butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.  Add the milk and mix in.  Scraped the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper and add the rest of your dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix on low speed. Don’t over mix.  Add your Whoppers, chocolate chips and nuts and stir together with the rubber scraper.  I like to use a medium-sized ice cream scoop to dole out my batter onto a cookie sheet, leaving at least an inch or so in between each ball of cookie dough.

Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 12 minutes.  Cool for two minutes and them carefully use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. They are a bit delicate and like to stick to the mat or parchment so just be patient. They are worth it.