This recipe for Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies is pretty interesting. When it first came out, there was a version on the Martha Stewart site and another version in The All American Cookie Book. The two recipes were almost the same, so I never knew which came first. Over time I've found both versions to be good, with the Martha version being thinner and darker and the All American Cookie being lighter and slightly thicker. The recipe here is the one adapted from Martha Stewart.
The cookies in the photo above are the first ones I ever made, and I packed them in Martha Stewart branded cookie towers. I didn't have any issues with the recipe from the web, which they later included in The Martha Stewart Cookie Book.
Martha's vs. All American Cookie Book
This recipe and the one from The All American Cookie Book are very similar, but this one uses Dutch process cocoa powder and calls for creme fraiche. These bake up thin, darker and chewy, while the others are a bit thicker and don't spread quite as much. This is probably due to the types of cocoa powder used. Dutch processed doesn't have as much acid to work with the baking soda, while natural cocoa's acid works with the baking soda to provide some bounce.
Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookie Tips
So this is my version of the Martha recipe with weights included. The batter is pretty soft. Chilling the dough is not necessary, but it will help give you more neatly rounded circles. These do tend to spread! I have always used sour cream in place of the creme fraiche, and I definitely use the Dutch process cocoa. The chocolate malt filling is basically a whipped chocolate ganache with malted milk powder. It's excellent. Just be sure to let the chocolate cool completely.
Recipe
Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (290 grams)
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, whisk or sift out lumps before using (48 grams)
- ¼ cup plain malted milk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (228 grams)
- 1 ¾ cups sugar (350 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup creme fraiche sour cream is okay
- 3 tablespoons hot water (42 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate (Trader Joe's Dark okay) coarsely chopped (280 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (56 grams)
- 1 cup plain malted milk powder
- 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt.
- With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add egg, creme fraiche, and hot water and mix until blended, then stir in the flour mixture.
- Drop tablespoon size balls (heaping! or use a medium size cookie scoop) about 3 ½ inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. These tend to spread, so they need plenty of room. Bake until flat and just firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.
- Making filling: Melt chocolate and butter together in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave using high and stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool.
- With an electric mixer, beat malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually mix in half-and-half, cooled chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until thick, about 30 minutes. Mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping tablespoon filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container using pieces of parchment to separate the cookies.
Anna says
Suzy, I will email you the original!
Suzy says
You wouldn't have the MS recipe by any chance, would you? It's no longer posted on her website, and I'm interested in giving it a try. Or your version, if you made changes? Your pic looks sooo good!
Anna says
Mary, I agree!
Mary C Krebs says
I made these cookies when they appeared in Martha’scooking magazine as “cookie of the month” many years ago and couldn’t keep them once family and friends had one taste. They were definitely delightful and have had demands for more. That is a ‘must do’ soon. Anything Martha is sure to be a crowd pleaser, never boring.
Natalie says
Malt is my favorite! Sounds like a great recipe...I need to make it sometime soon.
Tanya says
I love anything chocolate, and anything from Martha. These look great!
rebecca says
oh dear goodness. those sound amazing. i think it's time to find time for baking again . . .
Melissa says
I love the packaging for those cookies! so cute!
Denn says
These were the first cookies I made from the book. We really liked them and they disappeared fast. I also used sour cream but didn't have any "good" chocolate and used morsels. Still, very tasty. That Martha knows her stuff.
HoneyB says
Yummy! I have her new cookbook also and have made two recipes from there. The next one I plan to make (hopefully this week!) is the Chocolate Surprise cookie!
HeartofGlass says
The comments page for this recipe on the Martha Stewart website was really weird.
They look almost like brownies!
Carrie says
Anna-
I can't wait to try this recipe. I recently made your chocolate stout cake (as cupcakes) and just this Wednesday made the Creamy Lemon Blueberry Bars. They were a hit! Thanks for the new ideas and inspiration.
Joe says
Soft and chewy works for me! Good to know about the pictures - the cheesecake picture also clicks to an unknown page!
Anna says
Katy, Nancy Baggett has a similar one as well.
Joe, it's not supposed to link to anything, but it shouldn't be clickable either. I'm just learning a new version of WordPress, so thanks.
These are definitely not crisp, but they are not cakey either. I'd say soft and chewy.
Joe says
Fantastic - you know I love anything malt-flavored! Are the cookies soft/cake-y or kind of crisp Anna?
PS - Did you know that the picture is clickable, but it takes you to a page that is unknown?
Katy says
Very similar to a recipe I like in Dorie Greenspan's Baling at Home. She uses the batter to make big drop cookies that are filled with loads of coarsely chopped Whoppers. Always a huge hit.
Anna says
These were really good! One thing I forgot to mention was that I used sour cream instead of the creme fraiche.
Also, it's worth it to use really good chocolate in the filling because the filling uses a full 10 oz!
And finally, the cookies start out on the gooey side, but set up nicely. I put mine in the refrigerator and they are now quite firm and sturdy.
Laura C says
I keep looking at that recipe in the cookie book. I even have it saved in "my collections" on the MS website. I love malted milk balls. Were they delicious or what?? They certainly look good.
Emiline says
Those look amazing! Have fun at your party.
Clumbsy Cookie says
Does this mean that if I invite you over for dinner you'll bring these cookies?! Are you free tomorrow?
VeggieGirl says
What a fabulous hostess gift; and hey, despite the tower not being "perfect," the cookies' taste WILL be amazingly perfect :0)