Welcome to my blog! I’m writing to share things I love that are related to the themes in my books. For the most part, this means family, friends and food, but I may throw in some Shakespeare and science for good measure.
In celebration of the announcement of my middle grade debut, MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM, a Shakespeare-inspired, Indian-American foodie story about discovering your talents and finding your place in the world, the theme for my blog from now until June 2019 will be “Found in Translation.” I’m going to share memories—some from childhood, some from adulthood, some from time spent with my own children—and translate them into sweet treats!
I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to comment on this post, or reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram.
Malted Milk Mornings
My childhood memories of visiting my family in India are filled with food.
My family lived in Bangalore, which had (and has) some of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. But they paled in comparison to the mouthwatering food that came out of my aunties’ kitchens every day. Homemade, vegetarian, and healthy, they were filled with heady spices and made with love.
But today, I’m thinking of a beverage—one I started my day with every morning in India when I was a kid, before I became old enough to drink the tea and coffee enjoyed by the adults in my family.
I’m referring to Bournvita, a chocolate malted mix made by Cadbury and sold in the UK and India (and many other places, I’m sure, but not in the U.S. when I was a kid) as a healthy drink for children. It was really sweet, and really tasty, and no matter what vitamins it contained, I’m not sure it qualified as healthy. But that didn’t matter to my cousins and me, giggling at the table in the cool mornings, somehow feeling a little cold and a little sweaty at the same time. Before we took our baths, before my cousins got ready for school, we sipped Bournvita out of stainless steel tumblers. We felt the love and care that went into heating the milk and mixing it with just the right amount of Bournvita powder. We enjoyed the grown-up feeling of starting the morning with something hot. We tasted the sweetness of another day together.
For my treats inspired by those memories, I opted to use malted milk powder rather than Bournvita per se in order to better control the amount of sugar in these cookies. The cocoa powder makes these plenty chocolatey. If you eat them warm—I dare you not to try one—the malted milk doesn’t come through as much…but when they cool down, I think it’s a more prominent flavor.
These cookies bring me back to summer mornings in India sipping Bournvita with my cousins, looking forward to the day ahead. I don’t recommend you eat them for breakfast…but if you do, I won’t tell anyone!
Bournvita-Inspired Double Chocolate Cookies With Malted Milk
Makes 40-45 3-4 inch cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1 cup malted milk powder (I used King Arthur)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and malted milk powder in a large bowl and stir with a whisk.
- Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, until everything is well-mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar-egg mixture and mix until just incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop in rounded tablespoons and space at least 1 ½ inches apart on cookie sheets.
- Bake for 9 minutes, rotating sheets hallway through, until the cookies have lost their raw look. Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Giveaway Time!
Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of LOVE SUGAR MAGIC: A DASH OF TROUBLE by Anna Meriano! This delicious middle grade novel is full of themes that resonate with me: family, friends, food…and magic!
Love the idea for your blog! I can’t wait to try this recipe. And the memory associated with it is so special <3 Thanks for sharing, Rajani!
Thanks, Katrina! Let me know how they turn out!
Yummy yummy! What a sweet experience to share! ❤️
Thanks, Ipuna! Hope you try the cookies. 🙂
Aahh! Bournvita! I had my dad add in the cold milk morning and evening as it didn’t dissolve all the way and I got to eat some of it, hehe.
Love the idea of your blog Rajani! Looking forward to making these cookies and reading your stories 🙂
Thank you, Sunita! I only ever drank it hot, but some people told me they eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon! Super healthy that way, right? 🙂
Haha…. why contaminate the ultra sweet chocolate with milk? ??
LOL yes!
Yum! I want to try these! I’ve just seen a bunch of recipes with Malted Milk in them over the past week. I guess they have gluten in them, but I still want to try them. Love your blog idea, and I look forward to reading it!
Thanks so much, Jen! Let me know what you think of the cookies!
Love malted milk. Must try this recipe! Thanks, Rajani. 🙂 I may have to give you one I have for malted milk cupcakes!
Thanks, Naomi. Ooh, malted milk cupcakes sound fantastic! Yes, please do share!
Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Yum! It would be dangerous for me to bake these right now with Dad in the hospital! I’d stress eat the whole batch. ? I’m so excited for you. Happy to follow your new blog!
I hear you, Melissa. I hope your dad recovers quickly! Thinking of you and your family. Thanks for the follow!
Thanks for sharing Rajani. Can’t wait to try this recipe and read your book!
Thanks so much, Sherry! The book is only a year away…eek!
Wow, these sound GOOD! I don’t think I’ve ever had a cookie made with malt flour – interesting idea.
Thanks, Carrie. They are really good, and not too sweet! The malted milk adds a kind of background complexity. I wonder what they’d be like with crushed malted milk balls in them instead of chocolate chips…that would amp up the malt and the sweetness!
BTW, obviously the flour in the cookies have gluten, which is no big deal, I was referring to the malted milk part, I was surprised to learn that malted milk has gluten. I guess I’d just never thought about it, but makes sense…I mean…malt.
Yes! Made with barley. It’s fascinating how it has that distinctive flavor.
Sounds delish, and I love the associated memory. Have you considered using Ovaltine? It seems like it might be similar to the Bournvita you describe.
Yes, Ovaltine was also a choice, but I liked Bournvita best. I used plain (not chocolate) malted milk + unsweetened cocoa powder in the recipe.
It’s funny but I also have a childhood drink memory that was a GB import: Horlicks (speaking of malt drink!). I am absolutely going to make this cookie because I’ve been wanting an excuse to buy malted milk flour from KAF. ?
Yes! It’s the perfect excuse! We had Horlicks, too, but Bournvita was my fav. So many malted milk choices!
My mouth is watering! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing your sweet childhood memories.
Thank you! If you try them, let me know how they come out!
Can’t wait to make these with my daughters!
Ah, thank you!! I hope you all enjoy them!