Eric Haessler, culinary instructor and test cook for America’s Test Kitchen, was messing around with malted milk powder and had some very interesting news to report. He was excited to report, “This is a food that’s wonderfully versatile—you don’t want to limit this stuff to your chocolate shakes.”

Probably no one sipping a malted milkshake or crunching on a chocolate-covered malt ball would suspect it, but the origins of the ingredient, malted milk powder, date back over a thousand years. That’s when the first beer makers in the ancient Near East discovered that allowing cereal grains to sprout just a little—or malt—was not only essential before brewing them into beer, but also produced interesting new flavors.

Malt moved beyond the brewing industry in the late 19th century, when brothers James and William Horlick, discovered how a liquid infusion of malted barley and wheat could be dried into a powder and made into a nutty-tasting drink when mixed with milk. They soon added dried dairy to the mix, and malted milk powder was born.

Initially marketed as a nutritional food (its sugars, converted from starches during the malting process, made it easy to digest), malted milk powder became beloved for its taste. By the middle of the 20th century, drugstore soda-fountain counters across the country were blending malted milk powder with ice cream to make nutty, caramelly-tasting milkshakes, and candies such as malt balls had become an American favorite.

But as Eric mentioned above, you don’t want to limit it to soda-fountain treats. Malted milk powder has become popular for lending a complex toasty, caramel flavor to pancakes, muffins, sugar cookies, cakes, frostings, and hot cocoa. You’ll want to start off with about 1 tablespoon of the powder per serving, and then adjust to taste. Eric says these ideas (below) are a few favorite ways to use malted milk powder around the Test Kitchen:

·         Add to any cookie dough for a nutty, toffee-like flavor

·         Toss with popcorn to create compelling sweet/savory contrast

·         Stir into cream, and then make whipped cream to top ice cream sundaes or pies

·         Add to crème anglaise to accompany fruit desserts, cakes, or puddings

·         Stir into hot chocolate or coffee for subtle, deeper sweetness

To experiment with adding malted milk powder to other foods, choose sweet recipes with simple flavors that allow the powder’s malty flavor to shine through.

To get you launched into using this delightful product, here’s a scrumptious recipe that’s perfect for the cold winter nights December brings us.

INSTANT MALTED HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/8 cups unsweetened cocoa
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 2/3 cups chocolate malted milk powder such as Carnation
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt

milk or hot water for serving
OPTIONAL ADD-ONS
miniature marshmallow
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch cinnamon
roughly chopped malted milk balls

vanilla extract OR mint, orange, raspberry

Directions:

Sift all ingredients (except the salt) into a large bowl. Add the salt and whisk until thoroughly combined.

2 cups powdered sugar,1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,1 cup nonfat dry milk powder,1½ cups chocolate malted milk powder,2 teaspoons cornstarch,1 teaspoon kosher salt

TO PREPARE: bring 1 cup of hot water or milk just to a simmer. Pour hot liquid into a mug and mix in ¼ cup hot chocolate mix (or to taste). Finish by topping with add-ons, if desired.

TO STORE: Keep mix in an airtight container; it will keep for up to 6 months. Use it all winter long!

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.