Very Chocolatey Ovaltine and Malteser Biscuits

This week it was my turn to bring morning tea for our meeting at work. Knowing that a number of my workmates are chocoholics, I thought it was a good time to try out these biscuits.

It looked a bit like icing at this stage!

With Ovaltine and Maltesers as well as chopped dark chocolate, these biscuits had a rich chocolate flavour with a malt undertone. The original recipe called for malted milk powder, suggesting Ovaltine as a substitute. If I was to make these again, I would probably use malted milk powder to tone down the chocolate a little and increase the malt flavour which was a little overwhelmed in my biscuits.

mmm...

However, while I thought they were perhaps a little too chocolately, my workmates loved them and I came home with an empty container!

Ovaltine and Malteser biscuits

makes ~30 biscuits

1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 cup Ovaltine
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
150g unsalted butter at room temp.
2/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup milk
2 cups Maltesers, halved
160g dark chocolate, chopped

Line two baking trays with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Sift together the flour, Ovaltine, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

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 about a minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing until they just disappear into the batter. Then mix in the milk followed by the remaining dry ingredients, taking care not to overmix the batter. Fold in the halved Maltesers and chopped chocolate by hand

Using a tablespoon as a guide, drop batter in mounds onto the baking sheets, leaving room for the biscuits to spread. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes.

When done, the cookies will be puffed and set slightly, but still soft to the touch. Let them rest for 2 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to wire racks to cool (if you can wait that long!)

Recipe from Baking, from my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan (Chocolate malted whopper drops)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter break!