Chocolate Malt Bars

I am always looking for a new bar cookie for the bakery. Sometimes I find the most interesting things inside old books. My Mother borrowed a cookbook from my Granma and there were pages marked in the cookbook. I decided to have a little look through it and found many of the pages were marked with other recipes. Now I know where I get this love of tearing out recipes and bits of information. Rob says I drive him crazy with all my little tear out recipes, photos and blurbs from magazines. I wonder if my Granma was slowly driving my Grandfather crazy too? Here is a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, dated September 1964. I wasn't even born yet! I thought it sounded delicious and just a bit different from the ones I have seen in the past. Here is another little thing about this recipe, notice that they are baking it in an 8" pan, yet you're yielding 32 bars. Those are small bars ... that is probably why we're a weight gaining society now; the portions that people were eating in 1964 were much smaller. So, to my friend Jackie (who thinks I am putting weight on her with all my recipies, Hi Jackie :) ); just cut smaller potions of all my yummy treats. She will love that I mentioned her in the blog; she's hilarious!
I think you're gonna LOVE these bars.

Chocolate Malt Bars Serves 32

1 - 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 c. malted milk powder (chocolate if you can find it)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped California Walnuts

1. Melt chocolate; cool.

2. Cream together shortening, sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in the melted chocolate.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in nuts.

4. Spread into a greased 8 x 8 x 2" baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes; cool. Frost with Malt Frosting (recipe below).

Malt Frosting

1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1/4 c. malted milk powder (again, chocolate if available; if not, use 1/2 malted milk and 1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder)
1 - 2 T. half and half or whole milk
dash of salt

1. Cream butter, malted milk powder and salt. Slowly beat in 1 c. powdered sugar and enough of the half and half or milk to make a spreading consistency.