Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies

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Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies are soft, chewy, fudgy and overflowing with semi-sweet chocolate chips and black walnuts.

double fudge chocolate malt cookies with black walnuts in an antique tin with black walnuts and chocolate chips strewn about the counter

These delicious Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies are very nostalgic for me. Not because I’ve ever made them before creating this recipe, but because the flavors are so reminiscent of my childhood. These scrumptious fudge cookies are a delightful trip down memory lane.

50 years ago, malted milk powder and black walnuts were common ingredients. But, I don’t think as many people know about them or use them, today.

Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies are deeply chocolate and super fudgy, like the best fudgy brownie. The malt powder intensifies the rich chocolatey flavor. And, black walnuts are the perfect flavor and texture complement.

What could be better than soft, chewy, fudge cookies with the textural crunch of an occasional black walnut and some ooey, gooey melted chocolate chips?

Bake Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies for everyday desserts and snacking. Serve them to awestruck friends and family. Add the soft and chewy fudge cookies to charcuterie boards, dessert tables and gift boxes, too. You’re going to LOVE Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies and so will anyone lucky enough to share them with you!

In This Post:

The Ingredients

Butter, softened
Sugar
Eggs
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Cocoa Powder
Malted Milk Powder
Baking Powder
1 teaspoon salt
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Black Walnuts

What is Malted Milk Powder?

When I was growing up, my Dad would always order a chocolate malt at the Drive-In. It was a chocolate shake with malted milk powder added.

You don’t see chocolate malts on many menus, nowadays. And, I think current generations know malted milk powder best for being used in a candy called malted milk balls.

Most malted milk is made from barley, evaporated whole milk powder and wheat. In its early history, it was used as a health supplement for babies. Later, malted milk powder was included in military rations and also sold to those who might not have regular access to fresh foods.

Ways to Use Malted Milk Powder

Malted Milk Powder spilling out of a teaspoon onto a wooden table

Malted milk powder comes in both plain malt powder and chocolate malt powder varieties, now. Both can be stirred into a glass of milk or mixed into a milk shake. Plain is more commonly used in baking, than chocolate.

Mix it into frosting, cookies, brownies and cakes. It adds a slight amount of sweetness and helps with even browning in baked goods.

It’s perfect in these Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies, since malted milk powder also magnifies the flavor of chocolate. It has it’s own toasty, mildly nutty flavor that you will detect in your baked goods alongside the other flavorings you use.

Try adding it to pancake batter and to homemade ice cream. Stir it into a mug of hot chocolate for a creamy and deeply flavorful cocoa experience.

Malted milk powder is not as prevalent in our cooking, today. However, it’s an ingredient to familiarize yourself with for great texture and flavor in many of your favorite recipes.

FAQs

Can I make Fudgy Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies gluten free?

Not really. Even if you subbed in gluten free flour, malt powder contains both barley and wheat. And both of them contain gluten. I’m not aware of a gluten free option for malted milk powder.

Do I need to use room temperature eggs for cookies?

Technically, no. Room temperature ingredients mix easier than trying to combine cold and room temperature ingredients. But, honestly, for cookies it doesn’t make nearly as much difference.

Room temperature eggs whip more easily and add more body or “fluffiness” to batters. You might note a slight amount of extra lift in cookies, but for me personally, fluffy is not what I’m looking for in a cookie.

Room temperature eggs are most important in recipes where the rise is important, like cakes, for instance.

black walnuts and open balck walnut shells lying in the grass

What Are Black Walnuts

Growing up, my family would gather black walnuts every fall from the timbered areas where we cut wood for our wood stove. We would literally gather a trailer full and then leave them out to dry in the barn yard.

As the green hulls dried and turned to black, I remember Dad driving over the top of them with a tractor to break away the husks and reveal the walnut shells underneath.

Mom, my sister and myself then had the task of cracking the shells and harvesting the black walnut nutmeats. We used black walnuts in our baking all winter long. Some of the favorites I remember are banana bread and brownies. Mom also used black walnuts in boiled fudge.

black walnut meats in a heap on a concrete counter top

Wild black walnuts are still harvested in the U.S. every fall. They are native to 32 states. They are the only all-wild tree nut left in the United States.

The main differences that I am aware of between Black Walnuts and English walnuts is that black walnuts have a rougher dark brown to black, “tree-bark-like” shell, where English walnut shells are smoother, thinner and lighter in color.

Black walnuts also have a bold, distinctive flavor all their own. If you’re not familiar with it, the flavor can take you by surprise. It is pleasant, but strong.

I absolutely love black walnut flavor! It’s earthy and robust. And to me, it’s more acidic than English walnuts. Some people (usually first-timers) find the flavor bitter, but that has never been my experience. I think they’re perfect in these fudgy chocolate cookies.

Black walnuts also have the highest protein content of any tree nut. They’re loaded with anti-oxidants, healthy fats and fiber, too. And they’re good for your liver.

How to Make Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° and prepare cookie sheets by either spraying them liberally or lining them with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking powder and salt) and mix just enough to thoroughly combine everything. No extra mixing here. Mix just enough that the dry ingredients disappear. Overworking will just make the cookies tough. You want that dense but tender, chewy, brownie-like and fudgy crumb.
Stir in the chocolate chips and black walnuts.
Scoop the cookies on to baking sheets leaving room for a slight amount of spreading.
Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Don’t overbake.
Remove from oven and leave on tray to cool for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

I hope you’ll make Black Walnut Chocolate Malt Cookies with your family and enjoy the nostalgic flavors of malted milk and black walnuts. Fudge cookies never tasted better! Enjoy, my friend!

The Recipe

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