Late night baking

Well, not too late. Around 9 last night I felt a bit peckish and there is a Dorie Greenspan recipe that I wanted to try ( in Baking with Dorie - I love this cookbook. Great pictures and recipes. I made my birthday cake from this).

So I pulled out the mixer and got down to it. I used malted milk balls from the nearby grocer because they don't carry Whoppers. next time I'll use the brand name stuff - I cut mine into quarters. During baking, the malted bit turns into caramel that can be a bit drippy, so be careful transferring them from the baking sheet to the rack.

Otherwise, Dave is busy painting. My father, brother and step mom are visiting next weekend and we're trying to get the house in some kind of order. At least there'll be treats. We're hoping to go apple picking with everyone, so with any luck I'll post a pie in a bit.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops from Baking with Dorie by Dorie Greenspan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, position racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and silicone mats.

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup malted milk powder (or Ovaltine - regular or chocolate)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
11 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups chocolate covered malted milk balls, coarsely chopped
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 cup store bought chocolate chips or chunks

Sift together flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Working with a stand mixer and paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl. Mixture will look curdled but will come together when dry ingredients are added.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear in the batter. Mix in the milk, then add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The batter will look more like fudge than cookie dough. With the mixer on low, or by hand with a rubber spatula, mix in the malted milk balls and chopped chocolate.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between spoonfuls. Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back after about 6 minutes. When done, the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before transferring to rack to cool.

Repeat with remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.