You Should Be Adding Milk Powder To Your Cookies - Foodie (2024)

ByNancy Mock

You Should Be Adding Milk Powder To Your Cookies - Foodie (4)

Steve Cukrov/Shutterstock

If you're still just making cookies from the recipe printed on the back of the chocolate chip bag or box of flour, it's time to take those treats to a whole new level with inventive and unexpected ingredients. This doesn't mean simply folding in nuts or a dash of sprinkles — those are pretty expected add-ins. We're talking about ingredients that are the secrets of the pros, ones that add a rich, hard-to-describe layer of flavor to cookies — like milk powder.

Advertisem*nt

This humble-looking ingredient is a favorite of British pastry chef Matt Adlard,Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi, and the goddess of everything home and cookingMartha Stewart. Why all the hype for dehydrated milk? The sugars and proteins in milk powder bring an elevated flavor to cookies, as well as other baked goodies like breads, brownies, and sweet doughs. As the cookies bake, the milk powder also helps enhance the beautiful browning on the outside. Here's why milk powder works so well.

Milk powder gives cookies a big boost in flavor

You Should Be Adding Milk Powder To Your Cookies - Foodie (5)

PHILIPPE MONTIGNY/Shutterstock

Milk powder may also be labeled as powdered milk, and can usually be found at the grocery store in the same area where evaporated and sweetened condensed milks are stocked. Look for it in cereal box-style packaging, canisters, or resealable pouches. It's made by dehydrating regular, liquid milk to remove all of the water, leaving behind a dry, shelf-stable powder that retains the nutrition and flavor of milk. Just as liquid milk comes in full-fat, low-fat, and skim varieties, the same is true of milk powder.

Advertisem*nt

Adding just a small amount of milk powder to the dry ingredients in cookie dough helps boost the flavor and sweetness of the recipe. The powder has the natural sugars and the milky flavor of regular milk, both of which enhance the other ingredients in the cookie and just make it taste better. Dry milk is also easier to work with in cookie recipes than liquid. Baking recipes have to be fairly precise for the best results; adding extra liquid in the form of milk to cookie dough could cause the baked cookies to spread, over-brown, and lose their shape. However, it's easy to add a tablespoon or two of milk powder to cookie batters without affecting the final texture.

For the very best flavor, toast that milk powder first

While milk powder can be used just as it is, a favorite method of pastry chefs is to first toast that milk powder. To do this, it's simply a matter of stirring dry milk powder in a pan over low heat until it's an even brown color all the way through. "Great British Bake Off" winner Edd Kimber explains on TikTok that this is very similar to the way browned butter is made: by cooking and browning the milk solids.Kimber even amplifies his browned butterby stirring toasted milk powder right into it.

Advertisem*nt

Toasting the milk powder works because this step caramelizes the natural sugars, giving the milk powder a warm nuttiness that creates a beautiful flavor boost when it's added to cookie doughs.

The secret of the baking pros is now your secret too. Whether for chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, white chocolate chunk, or scotcheroos, adding milk powder or toasted milk powder to your next batch of cookies will make them more luscious and tempting than ever before.

Recommended

Advertisem*nt

You Should Be Adding Milk Powder To Your Cookies - Foodie (2024)

FAQs

You Should Be Adding Milk Powder To Your Cookies - Foodie? ›

Adding just a small amount of milk powder to the dry ingredients in cookie dough helps boost the flavor and sweetness of the recipe. The powder has the natural sugars and the milky flavor of regular milk, both of which enhance the other ingredients in the cookie and just make it taste better.

What does adding milk powder to cookies do? ›

Milk powder will give your cookies a rich, toasty quality that's hard to replicate any other way. And soon you'll be baking with it all the time.

What does milk powder do in baking? ›

High-heat nonfat milk powder is processed at a higher temperature, which means it has a higher denatured protein content. High-heat milk powder also has a sweeter, slightly more caramelized flavor. The added sweetness and protein helps bread dough rise—particularly enriched dough like brioche.

What does adding milk to cookie dough do? ›

The moisture contributed by the milk will also increase spread and hydrate more of the starches in the flour. These hydrated (gelatinized) starches support the structure of the air pocket wall, keeping the cookies from collapsing once cooled. By holding more water, they also help keep the cookies softer over time.

What does malted milk powder do to cookies? ›

Adding malted milk powder to cookies is one of my favorite hacks for extra flavor and texture. Malted milk powder is made from evaporated milk, malted barley, and wheat flour. The malted barley adds a rich, distinct flavor to the cookies while the evaporated milk adds a richness and chew.

Why add milk powder to dough? ›

Using milk powder instead of liquid, Ganeshram says, gives you the benefits of milk without adding extra water, with “more intense concentration of the milk sugars and proteins that help the dough.”

Can I replace milk with milk powder for baking? ›

Although I personally wouldn't choose to drink milk made from dry powdered milk, it is a great option for cooking and baking (think pancakes, waffles, quick bread, soups, etc.) Whenever a recipe calls for a cup of regular milk, you may substitute 1/3 c. of dry milk mixed with 1 c. water.

Why is milk powder used? ›

Milk powders contribute nutritionally, functionally and economically to a variety of food formulations including bakery, confectionery, dairy, meat, nutritional beverages and main dishes. Milk powders are a source of high-quality protein, with the amino acids readily digestible and completely bioavailable.

What does milk add to baking? ›

Milk encourages the browning reactions characteristic of baked goods like pastry crusts, cookies and biscuits. Milk contributes to the keeping quality of bread and gives it a soft crust. Additional protein and sugar (lactose) in milk adds more sweetness and a browner color to baked goods than water.

What makes cookies fluffy? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

What effect does milk have on cookies? ›

One of the main roles of milk in baking is to provide moisture. It can help to keep baked goods from becoming too dry and crumbly, and can also add tenderness to the texture. In addition to adding moisture, milk can also help to create a softer crumb in breads and cakes.

How to make cookies less crumbly? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

What does milk powder do to cookies? ›

But as I learned from Christina's recipe, milk powder gives cookies a distinct chewiness as well as a subtle caramel flavor that (for me) takes a cookie from good to amazing. You don't need much.

What is the secret to keeping cookies soft? ›

Putting a slice of fresh white bread in the container with the cookies will help the cookies stay soft: fresh bread is moist, and that slice will give up its moisture for the greater good: keeping the cookies from drying out. We recommend white bread so that no flavor is transferred to the cookies.

What makes cookies stay thick? ›

Use Bleached Flour (Instead of Unbleached)

Bleached flour absorbs more moisture than unbleached flour, making for THICK Cookies. If you struggle with your cookies spreading out more than you want, try using bleached flour.

What does toasted milk powder do in cookies? ›

Toasted milk powder gives these chocolate chip cookies a brown butter flavor without needing to brown butter! This easy cookie dough does not require chilling and freezes well for future cookie emergencies.

What does buttermilk powder do to cookies? ›

You can absolutely add buttermilk powder to your baked goods (a few tablespoons in chocolate chip cookies is revelatory), but the powder can do so much more — it packs a powerful punch of flavor without adding extra fat or liquid to anything you make.

What does adding milk powder to cake do? ›

Toasted or grilled milk powder will ensure your cakes smell really delicious. It also improves texture by making them softer. Which type of powdered milk should I use? You can use Régilait semi-skimmed or full-fat powdered milk.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Prof. An Powlowski

Last Updated:

Views: 6552

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. An Powlowski

Birthday: 1992-09-29

Address: Apt. 994 8891 Orval Hill, Brittnyburgh, AZ 41023-0398

Phone: +26417467956738

Job: District Marketing Strategist

Hobby: Embroidery, Bodybuilding, Motor sports, Amateur radio, Wood carving, Whittling, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Prof. An Powlowski, I am a charming, helpful, attractive, good, graceful, thoughtful, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.