Easter treats never looked so sweet! These easy Easter egg cookies feature a malted milk cookie base peppered with pieces of malted milk candies and semi-sweet chocolate.
My main baking goal as of late has been to find myself squarely at the intersection of sweet and easy street.
And, not to brag, but these malted milk Easter egg cookies really hit that sweet spot: They take just 10 minutes to make, use primarily pantry staples, and deliver in all the ways on creamy, chocolaty ooey-gooey goodness.
This recipe calls for ⅓ cup of semi-sweet chocolate and while you can use whatever kind of semi-sweet chocolate you have available, I recommend coarsely chopping up a bar of semi-sweet baking chocolate with at least 50% cacao. The higher the percentage, the more intense (and less sweet) the flavor, which makes for a perfect counter balance to all the other deliciously sweet items we’re adding.
I also recommend using baking chocolate (or chocolate feves if you have them) because the chocolate will melt while the cookies bake, creating a beautifully marbled chocolaty cookie. Chips are ok, too, but they’re made with additionally ingredients that help them hold their shape, meaning you’ll get concentrated bits of chocolate rather than an even distribution.
Stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until any lumps have dissolved. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and stir until just combined. Stir in the flour, malted milk powder, salt and baking soda until the batter is lump-free. Fold in the candies and semi-sweet chocolate.
Scoop 3 tablespoon size balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until no longer shiny on top. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
If you want a nice swirl of candies and chocolate on the top (not just inside) of the cookie, roll the top of each ball of dough in extra chocolate/candy prior to baking. You can also sprinkle the top of your freshly baking cookies with coarsely chopped pieces of malted candies.
What is malted milk powder and how is it used?
Malted milk powder is a dry goods product made from barley, wheat and milk. It has a creamy, toasted flavor that adds a delicious layer of umami to baked goods. It's also particularly good at amplifying chocolate flavors, which is one of the reasons it works so well in these cookies.
Is malted milk powder different from malt powder?
Yes. Malt powder is made from grains and includes no milk products. It's often used to add flavor (non-diastatic malt powder) or to boost yeast activity for a faster rise with less yeast (diastatic malt powder). Malted milk powder is malt powder that has had milk solids added to it.
Refreshing malted milk powder
When exposed to air, malted milk powder can harden quickly. If you don't use it very often and find yourself faced with a hard chunk the next time you need it, here are a few ways to refresh it.
Food processor or blender: Transfer your hardened powder to a food processor or blender. Start on a low speed if the malted milk powder is particularly clumpy before increasing to medium/high. Process until a refined powder forms.
Dissolve: Try to measure out the amount you'll need based on weight (for example, the ⅓ cup called for in this recipe would be about 30g). Warm a liquid that you already plan to add to your recipe (like the melted butter called for in this recipe), and place the hardened milk powder in that. Allow to sit, stirring occasionally, until all large chunks are dissolved.
Expert tips
- Use a 50% cacao or higher chocolate for a rich, chocolaty flavor.
- The importance of leaving cookies on the baking sheet: The goal of taking the cookies out when they’re no longer shiny is to keep them from becoming too browned or drying out. At this point, they’ll be slightly under-cooked, and leaving them on the hot baking sheet allows them to finish cooking through without browning further.
- Refrigerating dough: You can refrigerate this dough for up to 3 days.
- Freezing dough: Scoop 3 tablespoon balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to an air tight bag and freeze for 3-6 months. To bake, place frozen balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
- Storage: These cookies can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week or frozen (I like to individually wrap mine in plastic wrap) for up to 6 months.
Recipe
Malted Milk Easter Egg Cookie Recipe
These easy Easter egg cookies feature a malted milk cookie base peppered with pieces of malted milk candies and semi-sweet chocolate.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 14 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup malted milk powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup malted milk Easter egg candies
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate, chips or coarsely chopped bar
Instructions
- In a bowl, stir together the melted butter, granulated and brown sugar.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
- Add the flour, malted milk powder, salt and baking soda, stirring until combined.
- Fold in the malted milk candies and semi-sweet chocolate.
- Scoop 3 tablespoon balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until no longer shiny on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet.
Notes
-
- Use a 50% cacao or higher chocolate for a rich, chocolaty flavor.
-
- The importance of leaving cookies on the baking sheet: The goal of taking the cookies out when they’re no longer shiny is to keep them from becoming too browned or drying out. At this point, they’ll be slightly under-cooked, and leaving them on the hot baking sheet allows them to finish cooking through without browning further.
-
- Refrigerating dough: You can refrigerate this dough for up to 3 days.
-
- Freezing dough: Scoop 3 tablespoon balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to an air tight bag and freeze for 3-6 months. To bake, place frozen balls of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and add 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
-
- Storage: These cookies can be kept in an air tight container at room temperature for up to a week or frozen (I like to individually wrap mine in plastic wrap) for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 18.9g
- Sodium: 156mg
- Fat: 9.6g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2g
- Carbohydrates: 28.7g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 2.2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: malted milk cookies, easter egg cookies, chocolate chip cookies
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