I inherited my obsession with malted milk powder from my mom. More often than not, we would eat the powder dry, straight from the can, holding our breaths as we bring the spoons to our mouths so as not to blow the contents all over the kitchen counter. This recipe, inspired by a fudgy malt cake we had for dessert at a restaurant in Thailand, is a nod to my mother and all the things she taught me.
The malt flavor, while subtle, perfectly compliments the fudgey, gooey texture of these bars. The butter, well browned, amplifies the nuttiness of the malt.
I use Horlick’s (fun fact: pharmacist James Horlick invented the product as an infant food and patented the name “malted milk” in 1887), but feel free to use whatever brand you like.