Warm up (and save money) with Malted Milk

—by Linda Morey

Malted milk! “Malted milk powder,” really. It’s on the top shelf above the soy milks, and it will make your taste buds tingle.

Instead of artery-clogging cream in your hot coffee, try a few spoonfuls of malted milk powder. The barley malt adds richness and depth.

You wanna mocha latte? Easy. To your hot coffee add malted milk powder and cocoa (or grated semisweet/ bittersweet chocolate).

Jazz up the kids’ hot chocolate with malted milk powder. Add the powder to hot drinks — it dissolves with a few stirs of a spoon.

For kids, especially, malted milk powder boosts nutrition. It’s a combination of ground malt, wheat, and dried milk.

The “malt” in malted milk powder comes from sprouted barley, which is dried or roasted.

If you make hot cocoa by adding hot water to a powdered mix, boost the flavor by adding malted milk powder. Try it! It’s your “secret ingredient.” Friends will want your secret.

Brownies taste richer with malted milk powder. Add the powder to the dry ingredients. Or dissolve the powder in hot liquid; combine it with the liquid ingredients. Remember: add a pinch or three of cayenne pepper* to intensify the chocolate taste.

Warm up with hot oatmeal and malted milk — rich, smooth, and delicious. Remember to dissolve the malted milk powder in hot liquid. I add it to the boiling water while cooking my oatmeal. Then sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir in chopped nuts and fruit for a cold weather nutritional boost.

Keep your malted milk powder in a wide-mouth jar, instead of the original package. It’s neater and more convenient. Now grab some malted milk powder and experiment!

*Warm yourself up by sprinkling cayenne pepper into your malted coffee, latte, or chocolate. Cayenne pepper intensifies the chocolate taste and warms your body. I won't bore you with the research, but Cayenne pepper, fresh ginger juice, and cinnamon will all make you feel warmer when added to hot beverages.

[Linda Morey is a co-op volunteer sometimes seen on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor ferociously. She’s the one wearing a funky flowered apron and blue rubber gloves.]