Topped with sea salt these crisp, buttery chocolate shortbread cookies are loaded with malt, chopped pecans and the cocoa cookie dough has chocolate chips!
Cream the butter, malt, cocoa powder and powdered sugar together until completely combined and smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and add in the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Remove bowl from mixer and add in the flour and cornstarch, mixing with a rubber spatula. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Do not over mix, just until combined. It will be sticky.
Transfer the dough into a gallon sized Ziploc bag but do not seal the bag. Roll the dough to the width of the bag and ¼” thick, rolling the dough to the top of the bag. While rolling, make sure no creases are formed in the dough and avoid air pockets. Seal and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat baking sheet.
Cut open the Ziploc bag and place the dough on a piece of parchment paper on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or cookie cutter, cut the dough into desired shapes and carefully transfer to the baking sheet. If the cookies are too "limp" to move after cutting, refrigerate for 10 minutes and then transfer to baking sheet. Top each cookie with a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and bake for 18 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.