Nestle Carnation Malted Milk Variety Pack, Chocolate & Original, 2 Cans

Malted milk powder is milk solids blended with malted barley and wheat, and it carries a toasted, faintly nutty flavor that is hard to get any other way. It was commercialized in the 1880s as a keeping-powder for milk, then found its real life at the drugstore soda fountain, where clerks working beside open tins began stirring it into milkshakes. That habit gave the country the malt and the malt shop.

This pack pairs one can of Original with one of Chocolate, a sensible way to buy it if you have not settled on a favorite. The Original is the baker's version, the one to keep near the flour; the Chocolate stirs into cold milk for a fast after-school glass.

Use it the classic way, spooned into vanilla ice cream and milk for a proper malt, or work it into brownie batter, waffle mix, frosting and chocolate chip cookies, where it gives baked goods a deeper, toastier background note.