DRINK UP!: TOASTED MALTED MILKSHAKE

it tastes just like being in love

DRINK UP!

Last week, I wrote about my first time falling in love and developed a cake that tastes just like it. So naturally, this week I decided the first edition of DRINK UP! should focus on the milkshake that inspired that recipe.

I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood nestled into the corner of a booth at my local diner, sipping on milkshakes—many of them malted. The restaurant had it all. Grumpy servers, matted greasy wall-to-wall carpet, big sweaty cakes hanging out in a display case; it was perfect.

To give myself a rush of nostalgia and transport me (and all of you) to my beloved diner, I set out to develop a little riff on the Malted Milkshake we all know and love.

I guess I should explain what makes a milkshake malted. So basically malt is a powder that is made from grinding up sprouted barley. It has a toasty nutty front flavor and finishes a bit fruity. It is then mixed with dry milk to get the malted milk powder you can find in your grocery store. Add it to a regular old vanilla milkshake and amps it way up!

I started my testing process with the basics: vanilla ice cream, whole milk, and malted milk powder. The result was delicious, but I craved a deeper flavor. I increased the ratio of malted milk powder and added a pinch of salt, but still wanted more from my milkshake. I began to think about how to echo the toasty flavor of the malt, so it would be brought to the forefront of the sipping experience and was left a bit stumped.

I took a break to work on some Polvoron (a Filipino shortbread) and when I got a whiff of the toasted flour, I knew what needed to be done. I stole a few tablespoons from the pan and dropped them into the milkshake. The result was warm, caramel-like, and delightfully toasty. The flour compliments the malted milk powder, doubling down on the deep flavor it already offers. I know toasting the flour is an extra step, but I promise it’s worth it!

THE RECIPE

TOASTED MALTED MILKSHAKE

makes two milkshakes