Strawberry Malt Sugar Cookies

Crispy, chewy malted sugar cookies dusted with pink strawberry powdered sugar--the perfect after school treat for students (and teachers!). Actually, perfect for anyone who likes ice cream treats in cookie form...

(Recipe inspired by Yossy Arefi's "Malted Sugar Cookies" in Snacking Bakes)

Yield: approximately 24 cookies

Cookies:

4 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter

4 tablespoons shortening (you could use all butter, but I wanted the strawberry malt flavor to come through)

1 C + 1 T granulated suger

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

a few drops of natural strawberry flavoring (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 C malted milk powder (okay to substitute regular powdered milk if you don't like malt)

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

2 T freeze-dried strawberry powder

Coating:

3/4 C powdered sugar

2 tsp freeze-dried strawberry powder

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. These cookies spread quite a bit, so plan for six cookies per sheet.

2. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar togather in a mixing bowl. I used a stand mixer.

3. Add the egg, vanilla, and strawberry flavoring (if using). Mix until smooth.

4. Add the dry ingredients. You could mix the dry ingredients together in a spearate bowl then add it all at once to the wet ingredients, but that takes time and dirties an additional bowl...

5. Mix everything together until just combined. The dough should be soft.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared cookies sheets. Make sure to leave a couple of inches around each dough ball so it has room to spread.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are just lightly brown around the edges.

8. Let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before coating with the powdered sugar mixture.

   
   

9. Make coating: SIFT powdered sugar and freeze-dried strawberry powder together into a shallow bowl. Hold a slightly warm cookie over the bowl and spoon the sugar mixture on top of the cookie. I also lightly rubbed the sugar into the cracks on the cookie.

10. These are best the day they're made after they've cooled completely.