Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

Deep down, there's a part of me that believes that I belong in the city. Though I grew up in a city of sixty thousand, I spent most of my youth daydreaming of faraway places. Tropical islands, foreign countries, and big city lights were what I saw (and still see) when I closed my eyes. There was something about the tall buildings, the bustle of both cars and people, and the glowing of the city that I saw on television that drew me in.

Eventually I moved to one such city and fell in love—in love with the culture, the people, and the feeling of belonging. However, as all things go, the day came where I had to say goodbye. I packed my bags and left, my heart breaking in two.

As the years have passed since then, the chaos of the city, both wonderful and maddening, is something I have sorely missed. I made a promise to myself that I would return to the city again one day. When I began applying for jobs last spring, I sent applications far and wide. While I couldn't have predicted where I would end up, the reality surprised everyone, including myself. Instead of moving to my big city, I moved to a small town, population 3000.

I now reside in the heart of lakes country. Life moves slowly and conversation circles around whether the fish are biting and when hunting season begins. It is a very different life from the one I had in the big city, but it is neither better nor worse. There is one thing to be certain, however—it will take some getting used to.

Three stoplights fill the roads, allowing cars to traverse the small town in just a few short minutes. My restaurant options have decreased by ten fold, exchanging chains for mom and pop diners. I have to drive over an hour away to find dairy-free butter, a staple in my kitchen. Some days this place feels smotheringly small, so different and unfamiliar from what I am accustomed, and others it feels like a wide open space, peaceful and inviting.

The other evening I opened my window to allow the night breeze in. While the blinds occasionally rustled, it took me awhile to realize the gravity of what was taking place. There was silence outside the window. No cars on the highway or on the nearby streets, no airplanes overhead or sirens in the distance. It was so quiet I double checked to make sure the window was even open at all. In that moment, I wondered if this small town might just grow on me after all.

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake is a dessert for all weather, warm or cold. The cake has a heavy flavor of malt and vanilla bean, though the crumb itself is light and moist. A light vanilla malt glaze tops the cake, coating the top and soaking into the bottom. I shared this cake with my new coworkers, a small gift of butter and sugar, and it disappeared both quickly and quietly. Light enough for warm fall weather and bold enough for a chilled evening, this cake will find a place on your table during all seasons.

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Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Filling

The final stretch of summer is before us—the dog days, if you will. Schools will soon be ringing their bells, our jobs will beckon us back indoors, and the weather will slowly begin turning away from this humid heat into a brisk fall. And, I ask you, is there a more depressing thought?

I don't know about you, but I'm wondering where my summer went. It simply disappeared. Packed up and left. I like to imagine it escaped to a tropical paradise and left me behind, without even sending a postcard to drop a hello. I've been outside most of the summer (it is one of the perks of being a camp counselor), but somewhere along the way I forgot to appreciate it. I have a deep tan from working in the sun. I've been eaten alive by mosquitos on a near daily basis. I spent a week on the beach doing nothing but watching the tides flow in and out. Yet, I still feel as if summer has skipped me by, even though it isn't over just yet.

One of my favorite summer pastimes is to lounge in the sun on a beach chair in the backyard and read a good book while eating fruit roll-ups (yes, sometimes store-bought sugar hits the spot. Don't judge me and I won't judge the giant bag of gummi bears sitting in your cupboard. Oh, wait. That's me, too). I feel a bit ashamed to admit to this, but my beach chair is still packed away and the book left unopened. I feel like I haven't eaten enough ice cream. I haven't spent enough time riding my bike around the city. There is too much on my to-do list that I simply haven't done.

When I was younger, summer seemed to last forever. When August finally hit, I would be overheated, bored, and yearning for something new to do. I looked forward to school so I would finally have something to fill up the long hours in my day. Maybe that's the truth in growing older. Your responsibilities change and those long hours get swallowed up in working and obligations so that by the time you finally have the moment to do as you please, the sun has set and the television beckons.

Perhaps the real way to enjoy summer, to fully appreciate summer, is to slow down. It's about taking a minute to ignore the daily responsibilities—the dirty dishes and piles of laundry—to just go outside and play. Take a moment to visit a park, picnic in the backyard, or simply read that book out in the sun with a box of fruit roll-ups by your side.

I hope you find a way to enjoy the last few weeks of the sun, sun, sun before the carefree summer fades into the hustle and bustle of fall. Don't let it pass you by, not when there is ice cream to be eaten and smoothies to be slurped.

I can only hope these Malted Chocolate Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Filling find a place on your summer playlist. A moist dark chocolate cupcake is filled with an ooey gooey toasted marshmallow filling and frosted with a rich, malted chocolate buttercream. These cupcakes feel as light as air, but one will be enough to sate your sweet cravings. The malted chocolate buttercream really ties the flavors in the cupcake together, so I do recommend you use this particular buttercream recipe instead of another. This cupcake is perfect for special occasions and lazy summer afternoons.

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Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to be my dad. I looked up to him (literally). Like any child, I wanted to do the daily activities my father did so I could become my own, smaller, version of him. I would pretend to mow the lawn with my miniature, bubble-blowing lawn mower along with him. I helped hand him tools when he set out to fix things. And I would eat the foods that he enjoyed.

My father happened to be a big proponent of chocolate milkshakes. This was his special treat. On long car rides, we would always stop to pick one up from a local fast food joint. On Sunday afternoon drives, we would drink them down while cruising the roads in his little blue Camaro. When it was a really special occasion, we would stop at an ice cream parlor that served up drinks in the big metal cups, which always held more ice cream than I could ever consume. He would somehow finish the milkshake I couldn't squeeze into my stomach.

Chocolate milkshakes were our food.

My father never liked chocolate malts, which meant that I certainly didn't either. I didn't even have to try them to know I didn't like them—his convictions on the subject were enough for me. To this day, I have yet to sample a chocolate malt. Though, as I've grown older, I've found them more intriguing. What made them pale in comparison to the classic milkshake?

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I found myself snacking on mini robin egg whoppers that I used to make chocolate nests. Despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to like malted milk (as consuming anything with the word "malt" in it it would be a betrayal to my father's milkshake), I found that I actually enjoyed them. Perhaps too much, as I soon found half the bag to be mysteriously missing. When my father got home from work and surveyed the damage I had done, he had nothing to say on the matter. Instead, he took up the stool next to me, reached into the bag, and tried a few eggs on his own. Turns out he liked them too.

I like to think we both learned something on that day.

These Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies are a twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. While you may not necessarily taste the malted milk powder if you aren't looking for it, it really does gives the cookie something extra—a little panache, if you will. The malted cookie has a greater depth of flavor than you might expect. These cookies bake up flat and can be chewy or crunchy depending on how long you keep them in the oven.

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