Recipe: Archway Nutty Malted Nougat Balls or Cookies (copycat recipe)

The person who cloned the recipe made the recipe two ways: more of a flat cookie and into balls. Both tasted good. Both recipes worked according to the notes.

NUTTY MALTED NOUGAT BALLS OR COOKIES (LIKE ARCHWAY)

"This is just my own clone... soo you take your chances, Archway uses malt flour in theirs... but I did best I could with what I had."

FOR BALLS:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup malted milk powder
1/3 cup castor or extra fine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup very finely chopped pecans(small like rice grains)
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar (for coating cooled cookies)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Using electric mixer, blend butter or margarine, malted milk powder, castor or extra fine sugar, and vanilla for 3 to 4 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Stir in flour and pecans just until blended. Roll into 1-inch balls.

Bake 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet for 20 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool on wire rack. Roll in confectioner's sugar.

Makes about 4 dozen

FOR COOKIES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup malted milk powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup finely chopped pecans or brazil nuts (archway uses brazil nuts)
confectioner's sugar (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, malted milk powder, and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes, then add the egg and beat for a second or two, until mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing well between additions. Add nuts and stir. Shape dough into 2-inch balls. Place 6 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Mine took 12 minutes. Don't over-cook them or they'll be hard as a rock.

After they cool you can roll in powdered sugar if you like..I like to buy the non-melting confectioner's sugar.

Adapted from source: Bryanna / Copycat Forums